ETF Versus

IEMG vs SPY

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IEMG iShares

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.63%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $132.2B ER: 0.09% Yield: 2.63% Since: Oct 18, 2012
SPY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.13%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $636.7B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.13% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, IEMG has significantly outperformed with a 29.6% return vs 16.8%. Income investors may prefer IEMG for its higher yield (2.6% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric IEMG SPY
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 2.6% 1.1%
Fund Family iShares State Street
Category Emerging Markets US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 87 109 131 153 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IEMG +7.7%
SPY +61.2%

Performance Comparison

Period IEMG SPY Difference
1 Month -6.83% -4.54% -2.29%
3 Months +1.86% -4.09% +5.95%
6 Months +5.01% -2.09% +7.10%
YTD +1.86% -4.09% +5.95%
1 Year +29.64% +16.80% +12.84%
3 Years +43.63% +59.45% -15.82%
5 Years +7.71% +61.25% -53.54%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IEMG Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $179 $0
$10.000 20 years $771 $771 $0
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $2.486 $0
$50.000 10 years $896 $896 $0
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $12.428 $0
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $24.855 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IEMG SPY
Annualized Volatility 18.1% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -38.5% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio -0.08 0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric IEMG SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.85 $7.38
Dividend Yield 2.63% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IEMG Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233011.60%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/0059304.66%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.32%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006602.75%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.22%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.82%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23080.76%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.75%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.71%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.65%

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.58%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.66%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.91%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.64%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.62%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.40%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.24%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.87%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IEMG if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose IEMG if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

Related Comparisons