EMB vs VOO: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
EMB and VOO are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. EMB is iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF, while VOO is Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. VOO is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has VOO ahead on AIQ Score, 64 versus 61.
What is the main difference between EMB and VOO?
EMB puts 87% of its assets in Sovereign, while VOO spreads across 11 sectors with none above 39%.
| Metric | EMB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.03% |
| Holdings | 619 | 508 |
| Top-10 concentration | 6.3% | 37.6% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 5.41% | 1.05% |
| Average volume | 6,815,821 | 7,814,237 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -4.7% | +16.4% |
| YTD return | -5.3% | +12.7% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +1.4% | +12.6% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 6.2% | 12.8% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.8% | -9.2% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -27.5% | -24.5% |
| Beta | 0.32 | 1.00 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.39 | 0.91 |
| Sortino ratio | -1.98 | 1.38 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 61/100 | 64/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Momentum | 46/100 | 64/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 89/100 | 87/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF vs Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
VOO leads
VOO leads by 3 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Quality, but the lead has narrowed from 8 points over 30 sessions.
Fragile: 1 of 4 evidence groups support VOO, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors VOO over EMB, 64 versus 61 as of Oct 21, 2026. VOO's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and quality, while EMB holds the stronger value profile. VOO also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VOO today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. VOO lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 3 points over 30 sessions.
Compare iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
EMB vs VOO: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | EMB | VOO | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.39% | 0.03% | VOO |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 619 | 508 | Similar |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 6.3% | 37.6% | EMB |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 5.41% | 1.05% | EMB |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -27.5% | -24.5% | VOO |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 6.2% | 12.8% | EMB |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare EMB and VOO against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Momentum46 vs 64VOO +18
- Value55 vs 41EMB +14
- Quality67 vs 77VOO +10
- Risk Resilience89 vs 87Even
1 of 4 evidence groups favor VOO. VOO’s edge is concentrated in momentum and quality; EMB keeps a meaningful value edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +6
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +17
New signals
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
VOO's lead widened by 3 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — EMB and VOO both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and quality.
EMB (iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF): the counter-case, on value, valuation.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | EMB | VOO | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.03% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 619 | 508 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 6,815,821 | 7,814,237 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 6.2% | 12.8% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.8% | -9.2% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.39 | 0.91 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.32 | 1.00 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
EMB and VOO share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings.
616 holdings are unique to EMB, and 505 holdings are unique to VOO. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
VOO is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 37.65% of the fund, against 6.3% for EMB (508 holdings vs 619). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
What EMB adds that VOO doesn’t
| Holding | EMB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| ARGENTINA REPUBLIC OF GOVERNMENT 4.13% 07/09/2035 | 1.17% | Not held |
| ECUADOR REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 6.90% 07/31/2035 | 0.79% | Not held |
| ARGENTINA REPUBLIC OF GOVERNMENT 5.00% 01/09/2038 | 0.69% | Not held |
| ARGENTINA REPUBLIC OF GOVERNMENT 0.75% 07/09/2030 | 0.67% | Not held |
| GHANA (REPUBLIC OF) DISCO RegS 5.00% 07/03/2035 | 0.57% | Not held |
| ARGENTINA REPUBLIC OF GOVERNMENT 3.50% 07/09/2041 | 0.56% | Not held |
What VOO adds that EMB doesn’t
| Holding | VOO | EMB |
|---|---|---|
| NVDANVIDIA Corp | 7.55% | Not held |
| AAPLApple Inc | 7.05% | Not held |
| MSFTMicrosoft Corp | 5.36% | Not held |
| AMZNAmazon.com Inc | 4.13% | Not held |
| GOOGLAlphabet Inc | 3.24% | Not held |
| AVGOBroadcom Inc | 2.86% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VOO. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 61 vs 64 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | EMB | Value 55 vs 41 |
| Technicals | VOO | Price vs 50-day -1.8% vs 0.6%; vs 200-day -4.1% vs 5.9% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 89 vs 87 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of EMB and VOO and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 1 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on VOO.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20VOO lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 3 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- VOO +3
- 61 vs 64
- 7 sessions ago
- VOO +3
- 60 vs 63
- 30 sessions ago
- VOO +8
- 56 vs 64
- 90 sessions ago
- VOO +9
- 59 vs 68
The lead changed hands 5 times in this window, most recently on Aug 27 when VOO moved ahead of EMB.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 3 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only EMB
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (2.19%)
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (1.3%)
- Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
- MACD Bullish Crossover — bullish, momentum, short horizon
4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only VOO
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (5.84%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (1.2%)
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
Both carry 1 more signal that do not separate them: ATR Contraction - Coiling.
VOO leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.24%, AIQ +1 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.55%, AIQ +4 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1EMB closes the Momentum gap — currently 18 points behind, the largest single contributor to VOO's edge.
- 2EMB's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3VOO's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 5 points over 30 sessions, and a further 3-point move would eliminate VOO's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
VOO leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | EMB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0% | -1.2% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -2.7% | -0.8% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -4.1% | 2.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -5.1% | 9.2% |
| Year to date | -5.3% | 12.7% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -4.7% | 16.4% |
Technicals
VOO has the stronger structure| Metric | EMB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 54.9 | 56.2 |
| ADX (14) | 35.8 | 12.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | -1.8% | 0.6% |
| Price vs 200-day | -4.1% | 5.9% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 7.4% | 9.4% |
Risk
Split| Metric | EMB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.32 | 1 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.39 | 0.91 |
| Sortino ratio | -1.98 | 1.38 |
| Max drawdown | -7.8% | -9.2% |
| Current drawdown | -6.7% | -1.3% |
| Annualized volatility | 6.2% | 12.8% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -0.7% | -1.4% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between EMB and VOO?
EMB puts 87% of its assets in Sovereign, while VOO spreads across 11 sectors with none above 39%.
How much do EMB and VOO overlap?
EMB and VOO share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings. 616 holdings are unique to EMB, and 505 holdings are unique to VOO. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, EMB or VOO?
They hold a similar number of positions: 619 for EMB and 508 for VOO.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
VOO has the lower expense ratio, 0.03% a year against 0.39% for EMB.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
EMB, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 5.41% against 1.05% for VOO.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
VOO has been more volatile over the past year, at 12.8% annualized against 6.2% for EMB.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
VOO fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -24.5% against -27.5% for EMB.
Compare EMB and VOO with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.