EMLC vs FBND: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk

EMLC and FBND are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. EMLC is VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF, while FBND is Fidelity Total Bond ETF. FBND is broader by holdings count, with 4,753 positions versus 529 for EMLC. FBND is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has FBND ahead on AIQ Score, 60 versus 54.

Market data as of Oct 21, 2026 market close· Fund characteristics as of Oct 21, 2026
EMLC
VanEck
vs
FBND
Fidelity
EMLC
VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF
Issuer
VanEck
Inception
2010-07-22
FBND
Fidelity Total Bond ETF
Issuer
Fidelity
Inception
2014-10-06

What is the main difference between EMLC and FBND?

FBND holds 4,753 positions to EMLC's 529, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.

Expense ratio
EMLC
0.3%
FBND
0.36%
Lower annual fund costEMLC
Holdings
EMLC
529
FBND
4,753
Broader reported basketFBND
1Y return
EMLC
-2.2%
FBND
-6.4%
Trailing performanceEMLC
Annualized volatility
EMLC
7.8%
FBND
4.2%
Lower realized volatilityFBND
MetricEMLCFBND
Fund
Expense ratio0.3%0.36%
Holdings5294,753
Top-10 concentration7.2%14.2%
Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months6.4%4.83%
Average volume2,138,9023,643,606
Performance
1Y return-2.2%-6.4%
YTD return-3.3%-5%
5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested+2.5%+0.3%
Risk
Annualized volatility7.8%4.2%
Max drawdown (1Y)-7.8%-7.7%
Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested-20.5%-16.9%
Beta0.380.13
Sharpe ratio-0.75-2.46
Sortino ratio-1.02-3.50
AlgovestIQ
AIQ Score54/10060/100
AIQ Edge Score5/108/10
Momentum47/10059/100
Risk Resilience88/10093/100

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF vs Fidelity Total Bond ETF

Data as of Oct 21, 2026· market close· Fixed Income — Credit & Aggregate· Coverage 64/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 4/10

FBND leads

FBND leads by 6 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Quality, and the lead has widened from 3 points over 30 sessions.

Fragile: 2 of 4 evidence groups support FBND, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 2 of 4Comparison trend: Strengthening
EMLC

VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF

AIQ Score
54/100
AIQ Edge Score
5/10
FBND

Fidelity Total Bond ETF

Leads
AIQ Score
60/100
AIQ Edge Score
8/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors FBND over EMLC, 60 versus 54 as of Oct 21, 2026. FBND's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and quality. FBND also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor FBND today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 2 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. FBND lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 6 points over 30 sessions.

Compare VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF and Fidelity Total Bond ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.

EMLC vs FBND: 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 wantEMLCFBNDFits
Lower costExpense ratio0.3%0.36%EMLC
Broader diversificationNumber of holdings5294,753FBND
Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings7.2%14.2%EMLC
Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield6.4%4.83%EMLC
Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years-20.5%-16.9%FBND
Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year7.8%4.2%FBND

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.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.

EMLC
+13.3%
FBND
+1.5%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

EMLC $11,333 · FBND $10,146

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare EMLC and FBND against another ticker

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Basic: 2 symbols·Explorer: 3 symbols·Pro and Premium: 5 symbols·Your limit: 2

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.

EMLC advantage
0
FBND advantage
  • Momentum47 vs 59
    FBND +12
  • Quality60 vs 67
    FBND +7
  • Risk Resilience88 vs 93
    FBND +5
  • Value36 vs 36
    Even

2 of 4 evidence groups favor FBND. FBND’s edge is concentrated in momentum and quality.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.

EMLC0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.

FBND+1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +3

New signals

  • RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon

FBND's lead widened by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — EMLC and FBND both carry a full feed there.

Fund facts, side by side

Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.

MeasureEMLCFBNDWhy it matters
Expense ratio0.3%0.36%Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold.
Holdings5294,753More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns.
Average volume2,138,9023,643,606Liquidity — matters most if you trade size.
Annualized volatility7.8%4.2%Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure.
Max drawdown (1Y)-7.8%-7.7%The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year.
Sharpe ratio-0.75-2.46Return per unit of risk. Higher is better.
Beta0.380.13Sensitivity 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.

Cash & Others100.0% vs 0.0%
Industrials0.0% vs 68.8%
Utilities0.0% vs 30.6%
Energy0.0% vs 0.5%
EMLCFBND

How much of the same holdings they own

EMLC and FBND share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings.

509 holdings are unique to EMLC, and 4,642 holdings are unique to FBND. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.

FBND is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 14.19% of the fund, against 7.21% for EMLC (4,753 holdings vs 529). 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 EMLC adds that FBND doesn’t

HoldingEMLCFBND
Brazil Notas Do Tesouro Nacional Serie0.97%Not held
Republic Of South Africa Government Bon0.76%Not held
Mexican Bonos0.75%Not held
Brazil Letras Do Tesouro Nacional0.73%Not held
Mexican Bonos0.71%Not held
Mexican Bonos0.71%Not held

What FBND adds that EMLC doesn’t

HoldingFBNDEMLC
USTN 4.375% 05/15/362.42%Not held
USTN 4.125% 02/15/361.81%Not held
USTN 4.25% 08/15/351.66%Not held
UMBS 30YR 2% 10/56 #TBA1.57%Not held
USTB 5% 05/15/561.23%Not held
USTB 4.25% 02/15/541.21%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

2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor FBND. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreFBND54 vs 60
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationEvenValue 36 vs 36
TechnicalsEvenPrice vs 50-day -1.3% vs -1.1%; vs 200-day -2.4% vs -3.5%
Risk ResilienceFBNDRisk Resilience 88 vs 93
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of EMLC and FBND and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 6 points.
  • Only 2 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • 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 FBND.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20

FBND lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 6 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 21EMLC leads above the line · FBND leads belowOct 20
Today
FBND +6
54 vs 60
7 sessions ago
FBND +3
52 vs 55
30 sessions ago
FBND +3
48 vs 51
90 sessions ago
EMLC +6
59 vs 53

The lead changed hands 11 times in this window, most recently on Sep 10 when FBND moved ahead of EMLC.

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.

EMLCConflicted

1 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

No signal that the other name lacks.

FBNDConflicted

1 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

Only FBND

  • RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon

Both carry 5 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, 52-Week Low Proximity, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.

FBND 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.

EMLCNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.12%, AIQ 0 points).

FBNDNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price 0%, AIQ +1 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.

  1. 1EMLC closes the Momentum gap — currently 12 points behind, the largest single contributor to FBND's edge.
  2. 2EMLC's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3FBND's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 4 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

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

EMLC leads 4 of 6 windows
MetricEMLCFBND
1 week (5 sessions)0.2%0.6%
1 month (20 sessions)-1.5%-1.3%
3 months (63 sessions)-1.5%-2.8%
6 months (126 sessions)-3.5%-4.7%
Year to date-3.3%-5%
1 year (252 sessions)-2.2%-6.4%

Technicals

Split
MetricEMLCFBND
RSI (14)55.772.5
ADX (14)29.725.8
Price vs 50-day-1.3%-1.1%
Price vs 200-day-2.4%-3.5%
Volatility (1M, annualized)8%5.6%

Risk

FBND is the more resilient
MetricEMLCFBND
Beta0.380.13
Sharpe ratio-0.75-2.46
Sortino ratio-1.02-3.5
Max drawdown-7.8%-7.7%
Current drawdown-6.1%-6.6%
Annualized volatility7.8%4.2%
Value at risk (95%)-0.8%-0.5%

Straight answers

Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.

What is the difference between EMLC and FBND?

FBND holds 4,753 positions to EMLC's 529, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.

How much do EMLC and FBND overlap?

EMLC and FBND share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings. 509 holdings are unique to EMLC, and 4,642 holdings are unique to FBND. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.

Which ETF is more diversified, EMLC or FBND?

FBND holds more positions: 4,753 versus 529 for EMLC.

Which has the lower expense ratio?

EMLC has the lower expense ratio, 0.3% a year against 0.36% for FBND.

Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?

EMLC, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 6.4% against 4.83% for FBND.

Which ETF has been more volatile?

EMLC has been more volatile over the past year, at 7.8% annualized against 4.2% for FBND.

Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?

FBND fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -16.9% against -20.5% for EMLC.

Compare EMLC and FBND 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.