HYXF vs. HYEM

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) and VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF (HYEM).

HYXF and HYEM are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. HYXF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Corporate Choice ESG Screened. It was launched on Jun 14, 2016. HYEM is a passively managed fund by VanEck that tracks the performance of the BofA Merrill Lynch Diversified High Yield US Emerging Markets Corporate Plus Index. It was launched on May 8, 2012. Both HYXF and HYEM are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

HYXF vs. HYEM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) and VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF (HYEM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

HYXF vs. HYEM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
HYXF iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	-0.72%	8.88%	8.35%	11.87%	-11.90%	2.60%	6.07%	14.87%	-0.24%	6.89%
HYEM VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF	0.36%	9.24%	12.14%	8.35%	-13.39%	-1.31%	6.87%	12.85%	-3.38%	7.94%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, HYXF achieves a -0.72% return, which is significantly lower than HYEM's 0.36% return.

HYXF

• 1D: 0.31%
• 1M: -1.00%
• YTD: -0.72%
• 6M: 0.54%
• 1Y: 6.29%
• 3Y*: 8.13%
• 5Y*: 3.50%
• 10Y*: —

HYEM

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: -1.79%
• YTD: 0.36%
• 6M: 1.52%
• 1Y: 7.53%
• 3Y*: 9.25%
• 5Y*: 2.64%
• 10Y*: 4.66%

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

HYXF vs. HYEM - Expense Ratio Comparison

HYXF has a 0.35% expense ratio, which is lower than HYEM's 0.40% expense ratio.

HYEM

VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF

HYXF

iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

Return for Risk

HYXF vs. HYEM — Risk / Return Rank

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

HYXF

HYXF Risk / Return Rank: 42
HYXF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 35
HYXF Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
HYXF Omega Ratio Rank: 56
HYXF Calmar Ratio Rank: 49
HYXF Martin Ratio Rank: 36

HYEM

HYEM Risk / Return Rank: 63
HYEM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 62
HYEM Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
HYEM Omega Ratio Rank: 67
HYEM Calmar Ratio Rank: 57
HYEM Martin Ratio Rank: 70

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.

HYXF vs. HYEM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) and VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF (HYEM). 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.

	HYXF	HYEM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.70	1.14	-0.44
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.06	1.61	-0.56
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.22	1.26	-0.04
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.39	1.54	-0.15
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.58	7.62	-4.04
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

HYXF vs. HYEM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current HYXF Sharpe Ratio is 0.70, which is lower than the HYEM Sharpe Ratio of 1.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of HYXF and HYEM, 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

	HYXF	HYEM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.70	1.14	-0.44
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.44	0.35	+0.08
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.50	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.60	0.52	+0.09

Correlation

The correlation between HYXF and HYEM is 0.43, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

HYXF vs. HYEM - Dividend Comparison

HYXF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.26%, less than HYEM's 6.77% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
HYXF iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	6.26%	6.19%	6.40%	5.93%	5.37%	4.56%	4.96%	5.29%	6.14%	5.85%	3.16%	0.00%
HYEM VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF	6.77%	6.67%	6.34%	6.27%	6.47%	5.33%	5.56%	6.14%	5.71%	5.86%	6.25%	7.64%

Drawdowns

HYXF vs. HYEM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum HYXF drawdown since its inception was -18.75%, smaller than the maximum HYEM drawdown of -30.96%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for HYXF and HYEM.

Drawdown Indicators

	HYXF	HYEM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-18.75%	-30.96%	+12.21%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-4.81%	-4.85%	+0.04%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-16.00%	-26.30%	+10.30%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-30.96%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.26%	-2.13%	+0.87%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.62%	-4.45%	+1.83%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.87%	0.98%	+0.89%

Volatility

HYXF vs. HYEM - Volatility Comparison

iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) has a higher volatility of 2.23% compared to VanEck Vectors Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF (HYEM) at 2.06%. This indicates that HYXF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than HYEM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	HYXF	HYEM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.23%	2.06%	+0.17%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.90%	3.41%	-0.51%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	9.00%	6.64%	+2.36%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	8.03%	7.47%	+0.56%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	8.38%	9.27%	-0.89%