VDEA.L vs. EMB

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VDEA.L) and iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB).

VDEA.L and EMB are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VDEA.L is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg EM USD Sovereign + Quasi-Sov Index. It was launched on Feb 19, 2019. EMB is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the JPMorgan EMBI Global Core Index. It was launched on Dec 17, 2007. Both VDEA.L and EMB 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

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VDEA.L) and iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
VDEA.L Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation	-1.18%	11.45%	6.35%	9.72%	-15.28%	-1.74%	6.10%	9.05%
EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF	-1.21%	13.85%	5.54%	10.62%	-18.63%	-2.23%	5.42%	10.52%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both stocks are quite close, with VDEA.L having a -1.18% return and EMB slightly lower at -1.21%.

VDEA.L

• 1D: 0.78%
• 1M: -2.34%
• YTD: -1.18%
• 6M: 1.72%
• 1Y: 7.68%
• 3Y*: 7.86%
• 5Y*: 2.22%
• 10Y*: —

EMB

• 1D: 0.41%
• 1M: -2.76%
• YTD: -1.21%
• 6M: 1.22%
• 1Y: 9.20%
• 3Y*: 8.49%
• 5Y*: 1.86%
• 10Y*: 3.23%

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

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Expense Ratio Comparison

VDEA.L has a 0.23% expense ratio, which is lower than EMB's 0.39% expense ratio.

EMB

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

VDEA.L

Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation

Return for Risk

VDEA.L vs. EMB — Risk / Return Rank

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

VDEA.L

VDEA.L Risk / Return Rank: 71
VDEA.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 73
VDEA.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 73
VDEA.L Omega Ratio Rank: 67
VDEA.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
VDEA.L Martin Ratio Rank: 71

EMB

EMB Risk / Return Rank: 74
EMB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
EMB Sortino Ratio Rank: 72
EMB Omega Ratio Rank: 72
EMB Calmar Ratio Rank: 77
EMB Martin Ratio Rank: 77

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.

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VDEA.L) and iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB). 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.

	VDEA.L	EMB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.40	1.33	+0.07
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.95	1.88	+0.07
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.28	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.11	2.12	-0.01
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.38	8.52	-0.14
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VDEA.L Sharpe Ratio is 1.40, which is comparable to the EMB Sharpe Ratio of 1.33. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VDEA.L and EMB, 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

	VDEA.L	EMB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.40	1.33	+0.07
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.31	0.19	+0.12
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.33	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.38	0.42	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between VDEA.L and EMB is 0.69, 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

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Dividend Comparison

VDEA.L has not paid dividends to shareholders, while EMB's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.16%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VDEA.L Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF	5.16%	4.98%	5.46%	4.74%	5.04%	3.89%	3.88%	4.51%	5.64%	4.54%	4.83%	4.84%

Drawdowns

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VDEA.L drawdown since its inception was -24.08%, smaller than the maximum EMB drawdown of -34.70%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VDEA.L and EMB.

Drawdown Indicators

	VDEA.L	EMB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-24.08%	-34.70%	+10.62%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-3.88%	-4.51%	+0.63%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-24.08%	-28.74%	+4.66%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-28.74%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.79%	-3.10%	+0.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.20%	-5.10%	-1.10%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.92%	1.12%	-0.20%

Volatility

VDEA.L vs. EMB - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond UCITS ETF USD Accumulation (VDEA.L) is 2.31%, while iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB) has a volatility of 3.15%. This indicates that VDEA.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than EMB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VDEA.L	EMB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.31%	3.15%	-0.84%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	3.27%	4.02%	-0.75%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	5.53%	6.96%	-1.43%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	7.19%	9.74%	-2.55%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	8.40%	9.94%	-1.54%