SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF (SPEM) Alternatives

SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF (SPEM) belongs to the Emerging Markets Equities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with SPEM. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or funds that fit a different role in your portfolio.

Cheapest Alternatives to SPEM

SPEM charges 0.11% annually. Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among SPEM alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
VEXC	Vanguard Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF	0.07%	Sep 30, 2025	SPEM vs VEXC
VWO	Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF	0.08%	Mar 4, 2005	SPEM vs VWO
SCHE	Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF	0.11%	Jan 14, 2010	SPEM vs SCHE
EMCR	Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Cl...	0.15%	Dec 6, 2018	SPEM vs EMCR
LDEM	iShares ESG MSCI EM Leaders ETF	0.16%	Feb 5, 2020	SPEM vs LDEM

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to SPEM

Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities category, these options rank highest on PortfoliosLab's risk-adjusted score, which accounts for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency over a 1-year period.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	Inception
EMIF	iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF	95	Jun 16, 2009	SPEM vs EMIF
EMXC	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF	94	Jul 19, 2017	SPEM vs EMXC
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	93	May 2, 2019	SPEM vs ECOW
ROAM	Hartford Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF	93	Feb 26, 2015	SPEM vs ROAM
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	93	Mar 17, 2015	SPEM vs SDEM

Top Performing SPEM Alternatives (YTD)

SPEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
TUR	iShares MSCI Turkey ETF	12.29%	Mar 26, 2008	SPEM vs TUR
DVYE	iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	10.67%	Feb 23, 2012	SPEM vs DVYE
PIE	Invesco DWA Emerging Markets Momentum ETF	10.23%	Dec 28, 2007	SPEM vs PIE
FEM	First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	9.64%	Apr 18, 2011	SPEM vs FEM
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	9.29%	May 2, 2019	SPEM vs ECOW

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to SPEM

SPEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	11.95%	Jan 25, 2016	SPEM vs EMDV
QAT	iShares MSCI Qatar ETF	13.22%	Apr 29, 2014	SPEM vs QAT
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	13.77%	Feb 23, 2011	SPEM vs EDIV
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	14.07%	Jan 7, 2015	SPEM vs JPEM
DEM	WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund	15.04%	Jul 13, 2007	SPEM vs DEM

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to SPEM

SPEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	-7.48%	Jan 25, 2016	SPEM vs EMDV
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	-9.78%	Mar 17, 2015	SPEM vs SDEM
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	-10.32%	Jan 7, 2015	SPEM vs JPEM
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	-10.36%	Feb 23, 2011	SPEM vs EDIV
QEMM	SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets StrategicFactors ETF	-10.40%	Jun 4, 2014	SPEM vs QEMM

Other ETFs from State Street

Most popular State Street ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
SPY	State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	64	-4.37%	Jan 22, 1993	SPEM vs SPY
GLD	SPDR Gold Shares	Gold, Precious Metals	87	8.57%	Nov 18, 2004	SPEM vs GLD
XLK	State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF	Technology Equities	69	-7.57%	Dec 16, 1998	SPEM vs XLK
SPYG	State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF	S&P 500, Large Cap Growth Equities	66	-8.12%	Sep 25, 2000	SPEM vs SPYG
SPYD	SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF	S&P 500, Dividend	30	6.32%	Oct 21, 2015	SPEM vs SPYD
GLDM	SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust	Precious Metals, Gold	88	8.57%	Jun 25, 2018	SPEM vs GLDM
XLE	State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF	Energy Equities	73	37.91%	Dec 16, 1998	SPEM vs XLE
XLU	Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund	Utilities Equities	71	8.25%	Dec 16, 1998	SPEM vs XLU
BIL	SPDR Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF	Government Bonds	100	0.85%	May 25, 2007	SPEM vs BIL
DIA	SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	47	-3.25%	Jan 14, 1998	SPEM vs DIA

Often Compared With SPEM

What investors most often compare with SPEM, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
EEM	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF	Emerging Markets Diversified	86	3.80%	Apr 11, 2003	SPEM vs EEM
ESGE	iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	85	2.94%	Jun 28, 2016	SPEM vs ESGE
BKEM	BNY Mellon Emerging Markets Equity ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	85	5.83%	Apr 24, 2020	SPEM vs BKEM
EMGF	iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	84	4.46%	Dec 8, 2015	SPEM vs EMGF
XSOE	WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterpr...	Emerging Markets Equities	84	2.89%	Dec 10, 2014	SPEM vs XSOE
XCEM	Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	92	6.39%	Sep 2, 2015	SPEM vs XCEM
EEMV	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	62	1.08%	Oct 18, 2011	SPEM vs EEMV
FEMSX	Fidelity Series Emerging Markets Opportunities Fun...	Emerging Markets Equities	88	1.83%	Dec 9, 2008	SPEM vs FEMSX
FIMKX	Fidelity Advisor Focused Emerging Markets Fund Cla...	Emerging Markets Equities	85	0.92%	Mar 29, 2004	SPEM vs FIMKX
GEM	Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity E...	Emerging Markets Equities	85	3.80%	Sep 29, 2015	SPEM vs GEM
NFFFX	American Funds New World Fund	Emerging Markets Equities	70	-4.01%	Jun 17, 1999	SPEM vs NFFFX
EEMX	SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets Fossil Fuel Free ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	85	3.64%	Oct 24, 2016	SPEM vs EEMX
COM	Direxion Auspice Broad Commodity Strategy ETF	Commodities	83	14.18%	Mar 30, 2017	SPEM vs COM
EMMF	WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund	Asia Pacific Equities, Actively Managed	85	5.23%	Aug 10, 2018	SPEM vs EMMF
EMXF	iShares ESG Advanced MSCI EM ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	83	2.81%	Oct 6, 2020	SPEM vs EMXF
DFEM	Dimensional Emerging Markets Core Equity 2 ETF	Emerging Markets Diversified	88	4.58%	Apr 26, 2022	SPEM vs DFEM
EET	ProShares Ultra MSCI Emerging Markets	Leveraged Equities, Leveraged	79	4.32%	Jun 2, 2009	SPEM vs EET
DBEM	Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets Hedged Equity ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	90	7.18%	Jun 9, 2011	SPEM vs DBEM
GSEE	Goldman Sachs MarketBeta Emerging Markets Equity E...	Asia Pacific Equities	85	3.91%	May 12, 2020	SPEM vs GSEE
IEMS.L	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap UCITS ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	76	0.80%	Mar 6, 2009	SPEM vs IEMS.L

Compare SPEM with Any Fund or Stock

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

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SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF

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