IEMG: iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund owns thousands of companies in countries whose economies are still growing, such as China, India and Taiwan. It charges 0.09% a year. From October 2012 to October 2026 it returned about 6.0% a year, and its worst drop was −38.7%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Yearly fee
0.09%
about $9 on $10,000
Return per year
6.0%
since October 2012
Worst drop
−38.7%
since 2012
Started trading
Oct 2012
iShares (BlackRock)

Key points

  • Expense ratio: 0.09% a year (about $9 on $10,000).
  • Started trading on October 18, 2012.
  • Worst drop since 2012: −38.7%.
  • No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

What does IEMG hold?#

This fund owns thousands of companies in countries whose economies are still growing, such as China, India and Taiwan. These stock markets can rise and fall a lot. Changes in foreign currency values and local politics can also move its value.

It tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net). It had 2,857 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).

FactIEMG
Full nameiShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
IssueriShares (BlackRock)
Expense ratio0.09% a year
Started tradingOctober 18, 2012
TracksMSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net)
TypeEmerging market stocks, ETF
Holdings2,857 holdings as of October 15, 2026
Facts checkedOctober 17, 2026 on the iShares (BlackRock) fund page

What is the IEMG expense ratio?#

IEMG charges 0.09% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.09% fee comes to about $9 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

How has IEMG done since 2012?#

$10k$20k2013201520172019202120232025
IEMGGrowth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From October 2012 to October 2026, IEMG returned about 6.0% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $22,531 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

MeasureIEMG
Total return125.3%
Return per year (CAGR)6.0%
Worst drop from a high−38.7%
Volatility (how much it swings)19.8%
Last 12 months17.6%
Last 3 years, per year20.6%
Last 5 years, per year6.9%
Last 10 years, per year8.4%

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.

IEMG returns by year#

YearIEMG return
2026 (part of the year)15.2%
202532.6%
20246.5%
202311.5%
2022−20.0%
2021−0.6%
202017.9%
201917.8%
2018−14.9%
201737.4%
201610.3%
2015−14.3%
2014−3.4%
2013−2.8%
2012 (part of the year)8.5%

What was IEMG’s worst drop?#

0%−10%−20%−30%2013201520172019202120232025
Drawdown: how far IEMG was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. IEMG’s worst fall was −38.7%, from January 26, 2018 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on November 16, 2020.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

Which Tactfolio strategies hold IEMG?#

No classic strategy holds IEMG yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.

How does IEMG compare with similar ETFs?#

Funds that can stand in for IEMG:

  • SCHE: Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF, 0.06% a year
  • VWO: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, 0.06% a year
  • EEM: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 0.72% a year
  • VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, 0.04% a year

See all 6 IEMG alternatives, compared on the same dates as IEMG.

Test IEMG in your own rules#

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 see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

The details#

Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for IEMG. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from iShares (BlackRock). We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.

Common questions#

What is the expense ratio of IEMG?#

IEMG charges 0.09% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $9 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did IEMG start trading?#

IEMG started trading on October 18, 2012. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).

What does IEMG track?#

IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (USD) (Net). This fund owns thousands of companies in countries whose economies are still growing, such as China, India and Taiwan.

How much has IEMG returned per year?#

From October 2012 to October 2026, IEMG returned about 6.0% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −38.7%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Which strategies use IEMG?#

None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold IEMG yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

Sources#