GEME vs. FEM

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF (GEME) and First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM).

GEME and FEM are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GEME is an actively managed fund by Pacific AM. It was launched on Jan 22, 2025. FEM is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX EM Index. It was launched on Apr 18, 2011.

Performance

GEME vs. FEM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF (GEME) and First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GEME vs. FEM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
GEME Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF	8.22%	37.35%
FEM First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	9.64%	28.00%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GEME achieves a 8.22% return, which is significantly lower than FEM's 9.64% return.

GEME

• 1D: 3.20%
• 1M: -10.02%
• YTD: 8.22%
• 6M: 16.66%
• 1Y: 44.40%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

FEM

• 1D: 1.40%
• 1M: -4.37%
• YTD: 9.64%
• 6M: 11.51%
• 1Y: 35.39%
• 3Y*: 16.74%
• 5Y*: 6.92%
• 10Y*: 8.47%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

GEME vs. FEM - Expense Ratio Comparison

GEME has a 0.75% expense ratio, which is lower than FEM's 0.80% expense ratio.

FEM

First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund

GEME

Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF

Return for Risk

GEME vs. FEM — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

GEME

GEME Risk / Return Rank: 90
GEME Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
GEME Sortino Ratio Rank: 89
GEME Omega Ratio Rank: 90
GEME Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
GEME Martin Ratio Rank: 90

FEM

FEM Risk / Return Rank: 88
FEM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
FEM Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
FEM Omega Ratio Rank: 88
FEM Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
FEM Martin Ratio Rank: 92

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

GEME vs. FEM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF (GEME) and First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	GEME	FEM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.97	1.85	+0.12
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.53	2.34	+0.19
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.39	1.36	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.12	2.66	+0.47
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.31	12.54	-0.23
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GEME vs. FEM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GEME Sharpe Ratio is 1.97, which is comparable to the FEM Sharpe Ratio of 1.85. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GEME and FEM, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	GEME	FEM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.97	1.85	+0.12
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.38	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.41	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.79	0.16	+1.63

Correlation

The correlation between GEME and FEM is 0.76, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

GEME vs. FEM - Dividend Comparison

GEME's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.48%, more than FEM's 2.84% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GEME Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF	6.48%	7.01%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
FEM First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	2.84%	3.13%	3.66%	4.96%	6.15%	4.15%	2.68%	3.31%	3.52%	2.45%	2.25%	3.61%

Drawdowns

GEME vs. FEM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GEME drawdown since its inception was -16.86%, smaller than the maximum FEM drawdown of -46.23%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GEME and FEM.

Drawdown Indicators

	GEME	FEM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-16.86%	-46.23%	+29.37%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.21%	-13.19%	-1.02%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-31.72%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-46.23%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-10.68%	-5.40%	-5.28%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.26%	-15.20%	+12.94%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.60%	2.79%	+0.81%

Volatility

GEME vs. FEM - Volatility Comparison

Pacific North of South Global Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF (GEME) has a higher volatility of 11.17% compared to First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM) at 8.51%. This indicates that GEME's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FEM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GEME	FEM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	11.17%	8.51%	+2.66%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.23%	13.64%	+2.59%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.67%	19.24%	+3.43%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.32%	18.21%	+4.11%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.32%	20.95%	+1.37%