ETF Versus

SCHE vs VWO

Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF vs Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (SCHE) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.85%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $11.3B ER: 0.07% Yield: 2.85% Since: Jan 14, 2010
VWO Vanguard

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund (VWO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to stocks in emerging market economies with higher growth potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.76%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $107.3B ER: 0.06% Yield: 2.76% Since: Mar 4, 2005

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.06% vs 0.07%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (19.2% vs 19.4%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric SCHE VWO
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 2.9% 2.8%
Fund Family N/A Vanguard
Category Emerging Markets Emerging Markets

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 75 85 95 105 115 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
SCHE +2.8%
VWO +3.0%

Performance Comparison

Period SCHE VWO Difference
1 Month -5.17% -5.29% +0.12%
3 Months -1.40% -1.31% -0.09%
6 Months -2.10% -1.06% -1.04%
YTD -1.40% -1.31% -0.09%
1 Year +19.19% +19.38% -0.19%
3 Years +34.09% +33.62% +0.47%
5 Years +2.77% +3.00% -0.23%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SCHE Fees VWO Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $140 $120 $20
$10.000 20 years $600 $515 $85
$10.000 30 years $1.938 $1.664 $275
$50.000 10 years $698 $598 $99
$50.000 30 years $9.692 $8.318 $1.373
$100.000 30 years $19.383 $16.637 $2.747

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SCHE VWO
Annualized Volatility 17.7% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -35.8% -35.9%
Sharpe Ratio -0.13 -0.14

Dividend Comparison

Metric SCHE VWO
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.94 $1.45
Dividend Yield 2.85% 2.68%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

7 of top 8 holdings overlap (88% overlap in top holdings)

SCHE Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233014.35%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07004.03%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.89%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE1.00%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23080.94%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.94%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.93%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
PDD Holdings Inc.PDD0.78%

VWO Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233012.71%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07003.44%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99882.74%
HDFC Bank Limited!nse/HDFCBANK0.93%
Reliance Industries Limited!nse/RELIANCE0.88%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23170.78%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24540.76%
China Construction Bank Corporation!hkg/09390.75%

Which One Should You Choose?

Either works if...

you just need broad emerging markets exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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