GBFAX Alternatives & Similar Mutual Funds

VanEck Emerging Markets Fund (GBFAX) belongs to the Emerging Markets Equities category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with GBFAX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to GBFAX

GBFAX charges 1.53% annually. There are 195 mutual funds in the Emerging Markets Equities category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
FEMSX	Fidelity Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fun...	0.01%	—	Dec 2008	GBFAX vs FEMSX
FHKFX	Fidelity Series Emerging Markets Fund	0.01%	—	Aug 2018	GBFAX vs FHKFX
VEMIX	Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Institu...	0.06%	—	Jun 2000	GBFAX vs VEMIX
FPADX	Fidelity Emerging Markets Index Fund	0.08%	—	Sep 2011	GBFAX vs FPADX
FERGX	Fidelity SAI Emerging Markets Index Fund	0.08%	—	Jan 2016	GBFAX vs FERGX

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to GBFAX

GBFAX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 43. There are 162 mutual funds in the Emerging Markets Equities category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 94.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
LZEMX	Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio	94	—	Jul 1994	GBFAX vs LZEMX
RLEMX	Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio Class R6	94	—	—	GBFAX vs RLEMX
ESCIX	Ashmore Emerging Markets Small Cap Equity Fund	92	—	Oct 2011	GBFAX vs ESCIX
DEMIX	Delaware Emerging Markets Fund	91	—	Jun 1996	GBFAX vs DEMIX
DEMAX	Nomura Emerging Markets Fund Class A	91	—	Jun 1996	GBFAX vs DEMAX

Top Performing GBFAX Alternatives (YTD)

GBFAX is at 13.96% YTD. There are 143 mutual funds in the Emerging Markets Equities category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 68.59%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
DEMIX	Delaware Emerging Markets Fund	68.59%	—	Jun 1996	GBFAX vs DEMIX
DEMAX	Nomura Emerging Markets Fund Class A	68.34%	—	Jun 1996	GBFAX vs DEMAX
DEMCX	Nomura Emerging Markets Fund Class C	67.60%	—	Jun 1996	GBFAX vs DEMCX
FQEMX	Franklin Templeton SMACS: Series EM	50.59%	—	Nov 2021	GBFAX vs FQEMX
GMAQX	GMO Emerging Markets ex-China Fund	37.39%	—	Oct 2021	GBFAX vs GMAQX

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to GBFAX

GBFAX has 24.89% 1-year volatility. There are 177 mutual funds in the Emerging Markets Equities category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 9.88%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
GSIYX	Goldman Sachs GQG Partners International Opportuni...	9.88%	—	Dec 2016	GBFAX vs GSIYX
ESCIX	Ashmore Emerging Markets Small Cap Equity Fund	10.28%	—	Oct 2011	GBFAX vs ESCIX
GQGPX	GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund	11.51%	—	Dec 2016	GBFAX vs GQGPX
GQGIX	GQG Partners Emerging Markets Equity Fund Institut...	11.53%	—	—	GBFAX vs GQGIX
FGKPX	Fidelity SAI Emerging Markets Low Volatility Index...	11.80%	—	Jan 2019	GBFAX vs FGKPX

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to GBFAX

GBFAX has a 1-year max drawdown of -14.62%. There are 140 mutual funds in the Emerging Markets Equities category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -5.70%.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	AUM	Inception
ESCIX	Ashmore Emerging Markets Small Cap Equity Fund	-5.70%	—	Oct 2011	GBFAX vs ESCIX
FGKPX	Fidelity SAI Emerging Markets Low Volatility Index...	-6.93%	—	Jan 2019	GBFAX vs FGKPX
GSIYX	Goldman Sachs GQG Partners International Opportuni...	-7.81%	—	Dec 2016	GBFAX vs GSIYX
BADEX	BlackRock Defensive Advantage Emerging Markets Fun...	-8.89%	—	Dec 2020	GBFAX vs BADEX
COBYX	The Cook & Bynum Fund	-8.95%	—	Jun 2009	GBFAX vs COBYX

Other Mutual Funds from VanEck

The 3 most viewed VanEck mutual funds shown here include INIVX, MWMIX, GHAAX and span 4 categories.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
INIVX	VanEck International Investors Gold Fund	Gold, Precious Metals	46	-4.64%	—	Feb 1956	GBFAX vs INIVX
MWMIX	VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat Fund	Large Cap Blend Equities	21	4.05%	—	Nov 2017	GBFAX vs MWMIX
GHAAX	VanEck Global Resources Fund	Energy Equities	66	13.03%	—	Nov 1994	GBFAX vs GHAAX

Often Compared With GBFAX

Investors most often compare GBFAX with VT, FCEEX, EMPTX. These 20 comparison targets span 3 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
VT	Vanguard Total World Stock ETF	Global Equities	70	11.15%	97.00B	Jun 2008	GBFAX vs VT
FCEEX	Franklin Emerging Market Core Equity (IU) Fund Adv...	Emerging Markets Equities	64	17.90%	—	Jul 2019	GBFAX vs FCEEX
EMPTX	UBS Emerging Markets Equity Opportunity Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	77	19.01%	—	May 2018	GBFAX vs EMPTX
VUSA.L	Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF	S&P 500	61	8.40%	38.50B	May 2019	GBFAX vs VUSA.L
BEMIX	Brandes Emerging Markets Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	89	21.14%	—	Jan 2011	GBFAX vs BEMIX
CEMFX	Cullen Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	71	15.68%	—	Aug 2012	GBFAX vs CEMFX
SSKEX	State Street Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	65	17.04%	—	Dec 2015	GBFAX vs SSKEX
EITEX	Parametric Tax-Managed Emerging Markets Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	61	9.06%	—	Jun 1998	GBFAX vs EITEX
LCSMX	Martin Currie SMA-Shares Series EM Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	83	35.37%	—	Jan 2018	GBFAX vs LCSMX
TEQLX	TIAA-CREF Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	58	16.24%	—	Aug 2010	GBFAX vs TEQLX
HLFMX	Harding Loevner Frontier Emerging Markets Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	27	6.49%	—	May 2008	GBFAX vs HLFMX
WAEMX	Wasatch Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	35	12.35%	—	Sep 2007	GBFAX vs WAEMX
GLLSX	abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	80	28.23%	—	Aug 2000	GBFAX vs GLLSX
EFEIX	Ashmore Emerging Markets Frontier Equity Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	23	4.39%	—	Nov 2013	GBFAX vs EFEIX
VIESX	Virtus KAR Emerging Markets Small-Cap Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	5	1.96%	—	Dec 2013	GBFAX vs VIESX
DODEX	Dodge & Cox Emerging Markets Stock Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	88	19.88%	—	May 2021	GBFAX vs DODEX
EAEMX	Parametric Emerging Markets Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	61	9.08%	—	Jun 2006	GBFAX vs EAEMX
PDEZX	PGIM Jennison Emerging Markets Equity Opportunitie...	Emerging Markets Equities	14	8.54%	—	Sep 2014	GBFAX vs PDEZX
DRESX	Driehaus Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	21	2.62%	—	Aug 2011	GBFAX vs DRESX
LVAZX	LSV Emerging Markets Equity Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	86	24.39%	—	Jan 2019	GBFAX vs LVAZX

Compare GBFAX with Any Fund or Stock

Compare GBFAX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

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Diversifiers

Pair GBFAX with funds that move differently

VanEck Emerging Markets Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to GBFAX.

Explore GBFAX Diversifiers

VanEck Emerging Markets Fund (GBFAX) Alternatives