IEM invests in large and mid-sized companies across emerging markets such as Taiwan, South Korea, China and India. It charges 0.69% a year, has $1.8b invested and returned +21.2% over the past year. The most similar ETF is BEMG, which overlaps with it by about 73%.
📅 As at 30 September 2026: fee, size and 1-year return from the TMX Australia funds report; holdings and overlap from IEM’s published holdings as at 30 October 2026.
Is it a good time to buy IEM?
Nobody can time the market perfectly, but you can check the trend before you buy. Here’s where IEM stands right now.
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| Net flow, September | −$2m |
| Net flow, 2026 so far | +$113m |
| Average month in 2026 | +$13m |
Is the whole market risk on, caution or risk off this week? Members see it every Sunday, with the core ETF check-up.
🔒 See it free for 30 days →IEM is in a base. Prices moving sideways can be a time to build a position gradually and watch which way the trend breaks. There’s no rush either way.
General information only, not a recommendation to buy or sell IEM. Whether it suits you depends on your goals and the rest of your portfolio. Trend updated weekly; flows from the TMX Australia funds report (September 2026) and the Global X weekly market monitor. See every ETF’s trend in the ETF trend scanner, or read when to buy an ETF.
What is IEM?
Index: MSCI Emerging Markets Index · Issuer: iShares (BlackRock) · Exchange: ASX
Top 10 holdings
The 10 largest companies make up 37% of IEM.
| # | Company | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co LtdInformation Technology | 15.77% | |
| 2 | Samsung Electronics Co LtdInformation Technology | 6.95% | |
| 3 | SK hynix IncInformation Technology | 5.17% | |
| 4 | Tencent Holdings LtdInformation Technology | 2.64% | |
| 5 | Alibaba Group Holding LtdConsumer Discretionary | 1.83% | |
| 6 | MediaTek IncInformation Technology | 1.53% | |
| 7 | China Construction Bank CorpFinancials | 0.97% | |
| 8 | Samsung Electronics Co LtdInformation Technology | 0.93% | |
| 9 | Hon Hai Precision Industry Co LtdInformation Technology | 0.81% | |
| 10 | Hdfc BankFinancials | 0.74% |
Sector breakdown
ETFs most similar to IEM
How much each ETF’s holdings overlap with IEM, by weight. High overlap means owning both mostly doubles up.
| ETF | Overlap | |
|---|---|---|
| BEMGBetashares MSCI Emerging Markets Complex ETF | 73% | Compare in calculator → |
| EMXCiShares MSCI Emerging Markets Ex China ETF | 69% | Compare in calculator → |
| VAEVanguard Ftse Asia Ex Japan Shares Index ETF | 60% | Compare in calculator → |
| VGEVanguard Ftse Emerging Markets Shares ETF | 51% | IEM vs VGE → |
| IAAiShares Asia 50 ETF | 47% | Compare in calculator → |
| EMKTVanEck MSCI Multifactor Em Markets Equity ETF | 32% | Compare in calculator → |
Head to head: VGE vs IEM · all comparisons
Check IEM against your own ETFs →Core or satellite?
SATELLITE Asia & emerging markets
IEM is a satellite: emerging markets aren’t in most developed-market global ETFs. In our approach, satellites are bought when they break out of a base into an uptrend, kept to a small slice of the portfolio, and sold with a stop loss. Read more in core and satellite investing.
Read more: The base and trend method
IEM FAQs
Is IEM a good ETF?
IEM is a long-running emerging markets ETF. Cheaper alternatives exist, and emerging markets suit a smaller allocation. Whether it suits you depends on your goals and the rest of your portfolio.
What does IEM invest in?
IEM invests in large and mid-sized companies across emerging markets such as Taiwan, South Korea, China and India. Its largest holdings are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, SK hynix Inc, and its biggest sector is information technology at about 54%.
What ETFs are similar to IEM?
The ETFs with the most overlap with IEM are BEMG (about 73%) and EMXC (about 69%). Use the free ETF overlap calculator to check your own mix.
Should I own IEM and BEMG together?
Usually there is little point: their holdings overlap by about 73%, so owning both mostly doubles up.
Fee, size and returns: TMX Australia Funds Report to 30 September 2026; returns are total returns, 5-year figure is cumulative. Holdings from iShares (BlackRock) as at 30 October 2026; sector split based on the holdings we can see, about 82% of the fund. Chart: TradingView. General information only, not a recommendation to buy or sell IEM. Consider the PDS and TMD before investing.