A smart beta exchange traded fund, the iShares Emerging Markets Equity Factor ETF (EMGF) debuted on 12/08/2015, and offers 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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $640.14 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. EMGF is managed by Blackrock. 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
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for EMGF, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 5.50%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
When you look at individual holdings, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing- accounts for about 9.05% of the fund's total assets, followed by Samsung Electronics Ltd- and Tencent Holdings Ltd-.
The top 10 holdings account for about 24.85% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 6.83% so far this year and it's up approximately 12.59% in the last one year (as of 08/05/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $39.46 and $48.58.
The ETF has a beta of 0.70 and standard deviation of 16.25% for the trailing three-year period. With about 646 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.
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $77.44 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $77.23 billion. VWO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and IEMG charges 0.09%.
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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Get it free >>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
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
