Is iShares Emerging Markets Equity Factor ETF (EMGF) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 12/08/2015, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares Emerging Markets Equity Factor ETF (EMGF) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
EMGF is managed by Blackrock, and this fund has amassed over $592.97 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets Diversified Multiple-Factor Index before fees and expenses.
The STOXX Emerging Markets Equity Factor Index (USD) composes of stocks of large and mid-capitalization companies in emerging markets that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for EMGF, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.85%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
Looking at individual holdings, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing accounts for about 5.73% of total assets, followed by Samsung Electronics Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd.
The top 10 holdings account for about 22.64% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, EMGF has added roughly 5.01%, and is up about 6.03% in the last one year (as of 11/27/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $39.46 and $44.88.
EMGF has a beta of 0.73 and standard deviation of 17.20% for the trailing three-year period. With about 639 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares Emerging Markets Equity Factor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $71.72 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $72.63 billion. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VWO charges 0.08%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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iShares Emerging Markets Equity Factor ETF (EMGF): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO): ETF Research Reports
