ETF Versus

EEM vs IWF

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF vs iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

EEM iShares

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.72%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 2.12%. Launched in 2003, the fund has a 23-year track record.

AUM: $24.5B ER: 0.72% Yield: 2.12% Since: Apr 7, 2003
IWF iShares

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.39%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $108.0B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.39% Since: May 22, 2000

Quick Verdict

IWF is significantly cheaper at 0.18% vs 0.72% expense ratio, saving you approximately $1.040 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, EEM has significantly outperformed with a 30.5% return vs 18.2%. Income investors may prefer EEM for its higher yield (2.1% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric EEM IWF
Expense Ratio 0.72% 0.18%
Dividend Yield 2.1% 0.4%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Emerging Markets US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

60 87 114 141 168 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
EEM +5.8%
IWF +71.3%

Performance Comparison

Period EEM IWF Difference
1 Month -6.94% -4.73% -2.21%
3 Months +1.76% -8.83% +10.59%
6 Months +5.53% -8.48% +14.01%
YTD +1.76% -8.83% +10.59%
1 Year +30.54% +18.20% +12.34%
3 Years +44.74% +75.80% -31.06%
5 Years +5.84% +71.26% -65.42%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EEM Fees IWF Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $1.397 $357 $1.040
$10.000 20 years $5.836 $1.529 $4.307
$10.000 30 years $18.296 $4.912 $13.384
$50.000 10 years $6.984 $1.786 $5.199
$50.000 30 years $91.478 $24.558 $66.920
$100.000 30 years $182.957 $49.116 $133.840

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric EEM IWF
Annualized Volatility 18.6% 21.4%
Max Drawdown -39.5% -33.1%
Sharpe Ratio -0.09 0.40

Dividend Comparison

Metric EEM IWF
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.22 $1.69
Dividend Yield 2.12% 0.39%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

EEM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233013.38%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/0059305.37%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.82%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006603.17%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.55%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.95%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23080.88%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.87%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.82%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.75%

IWF Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.62%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IWF if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose EEM if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose EEM if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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