Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc (EMD)

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Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc (EMD) is up 3.3% since the beginning of the year. EMD is currently trading at $11 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of EMD shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,253.

Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc (EMD) has returned 3.27% so far this year and 20.81% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, EMD has returned 6.16% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.75% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Dec 2, 2003, EMD's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.66%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 8.8 years.

Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was Dec 2008 with a return of +24.6%, while the worst month was Sep 2008 at -23.4%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.

On a daily basis, EMD closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +17.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -23.3%.

Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc has an annualized alpha of 2.88%, beta of 0.51, and R2 of 0.26 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since December 03, 2003.

• This fund participated in 81.32% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 72.61% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
• Beta of 0.51 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.26 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
• R2 of 0.26 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

EMD has an expense ratio of 0.02%, which is considered low.

EMD ranks 30 for risk / return — below 30% of mutual funds on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc (EMD) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.

Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc provided a 10.86% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.14 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc was 48.26%, occurring on Nov 20, 2008. Recovery took 178 trading sessions.

The current Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc drawdown is 3.69%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.