IEMG alternatives and similar ETFs

IEMG alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for IEMG, closest first. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of stocks through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How IEMG and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and IEMG on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each IEMG alternative, compared#

EEM: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF#

EEM also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net), while IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net).

It charges 0.72% a year, about $72 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 1,186 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, EEM returned about 5.3% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 1.00).

Read the EEM fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SCHE: Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF#

SCHE also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the FTSE Emerging Index, while IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net).

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 2,137 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, SCHE returned about 5.4% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the SCHE fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VWO: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF#

VWO also holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil. It tracks the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, while IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net).

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 6,507 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, VWO returned about 5.3% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the VWO fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF#

VEU is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while IEMG holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.04% a year, about $4 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 3,810 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, VEU returned about 7.8% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

Read the VEU fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VXUS: Vanguard Total International Stock ETF#

VXUS is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while IEMG holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.05% a year, about $5 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 8,740 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, VXUS returned about 7.8% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

Read the VXUS fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IXUS: iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF#

IXUS is a looser match. It holds stocks in almost every country outside the US, rich and emerging, while IEMG holds stocks in emerging countries such as China, India, Taiwan and Brazil.

It charges 0.07% a year, about $7 on $10,000, against $9 for IEMG. It held 4,584 stocks, against 2,857 for IEMG.

From October 2012 to October 2026, IXUS returned about 7.7% a year and IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.91).

Read the IXUS fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

IEMG versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to IEMG from each other company on this page:

• Schwab: SCHE, Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (same kind of fund, 0.06% a year)
• Vanguard: VWO, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (same kind of fund, 0.06% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between IEMG and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, IEMG costs about $9 a year. VEU costs about $4.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping IEMG to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as EEM, SCHE or VWO, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test IEMG and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add IEMG and EEM, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as IEMG. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like IEMG over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with IEMG only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.