SPEM

SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF

SPDR · $17.54bn in assets, October 8, 2026

Owns publicly traded companies based in emerging market countries, in proportion to their size.

SPEM, the SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF, is a $17.5 billion ETF whose main story is dollar displacement. Over the past year it returned +12.9%, against +16.8% for broad US ETFs. Figures to October 2, 2026; past performance, not a recommendation.

SPEM · the ETFFRI OCT 2Market price total return
+5.6% a yearTotal return since launch, March 2007
+12.9%Last 12 months
+12.0%Year to date
24.5%Volatility since launch

The narrative it carries

This is its only narrative.

Dollar displacement →

Stocks and bonds outside the United States, and the dollar that sets what they are worth to a US holder.

Dollar displacement · the narrative this week
41.5WARM level, 19 of 22
last four weeks
641ETFs carry it
35.5%held by the top five
VEAlargest holder, 9.6%
$2,497 bncapital, 1st of 22

The band is where this narrative’s level sits among the 22 this week. QUIET means less talked about, not falling.

Who owns the capital
VEA 9.6%IEFA 7.7%VXUS 6.6%IEMG 6.5%VWO 5.1%636 other ETFs 64.5%35.5%top five
#ETFSHAREASSETS1 YEARCOST
1VEA9.6%$235.49bn+20.7%0.03%
2IEFA7.7%$190.21bn+14.1%0.07%
3VXUS6.6%$162.13bn+18.2%0.05%
4IEMG6.5%$160.08bn+26.5%0.09%
5VWO5.1%$125.81bn+11.4%0.06%
636 other ETFs64.5%
SPEM: 0.7%

Share is each ETF’s slice of the capital carrying this narrative. 1 year is market price total return; cost is the expense ratio. See all 641 ETFs on the narrative page →

FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN

1M3MYTD1Y3Y*5Y*
SPEM−1.6%+1.5%+12.0%+12.9%+19.0%+7.2%
Dollar displacementits narrative−1.6%+1.2%+14.8%+19.3%+21.1%+9.9%
The marketbroad US ETFs+0.8%+2.6%+14.6%+16.8%+22.9%+12.9%

1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: one month to five years. YTD: year to date. * A year, annualised. A dash means the ETF has not traded for the whole period. Since it started trading on March 23, 2007: +5.6% a year.

$10,000 invested October 31, 2016

SPEM $21,975Dollar displacement $25,367The market $42,209
$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000Oct 2016Oct 2018Oct 2020Oct 2022Oct 2024$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000Oct 2016Oct 2020Oct 2024

Year by year

SPEMDollar displacementThe market
-20%0%20%40%SPEM 2019: +19.7%Narrative 2019: +21.2%The market 2019: +31.3%2019SPEM 2020: +14.6%Narrative 2020: +11.0%The market 2020: +21.4%2020SPEM 2021: +1.5%Narrative 2021: +8.7%The market 2021: +27.1%2021SPEM 2022: -17.9%Narrative 2022: -15.3%The market 2022: -19.8%2022SPEM 2023: +10.5%Narrative 2023: +16.5%The market 2023: +27.9%2023SPEM 2024: +11.4%Narrative 2024: +5.8%The market 2024: +23.1%2024SPEM 2025: +25.6%Narrative 2025: +31.7%The market 2025: +16.8%2025SPEM YTD: +12.0%Narrative YTD: +14.8%The market YTD: +14.6%YTD-20%0%20%40%SPEM 2019: +19.7%Narrative 2019: +21.2%The market 2019: +31.3%2019SPEM 2020: +14.6%Narrative 2020: +11.0%The market 2020: +21.4%2020SPEM 2021: +1.5%Narrative 2021: +8.7%The market 2021: +27.1%2021SPEM 2022: -17.9%Narrative 2022: -15.3%The market 2022: -19.8%2022SPEM 2023: +10.5%Narrative 2023: +16.5%The market 2023: +27.9%2023SPEM 2024: +11.4%Narrative 2024: +5.8%The market 2024: +23.1%2024SPEM 2025: +25.6%Narrative 2025: +31.7%The market 2025: +16.8%2025SPEM YTD: +12.0%Narrative YTD: +14.8%The market YTD: +14.6%YTD

Total return in each calendar year; this year is year to date. A year appears only if SPEM traded for all of it.

Total return on the market price, with each distribution reinvested on its ex-date. Not the NAV return the issuer publishes; the two differ when the ETF trades above or below the value of its holdings. The narrative is the asset-weighted return of the unlevered ETFs that carry it. The market is the asset-weighted return of broad US index ETFs. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Common questions

What story is SPEM selling?

SPEM’s main story is dollar displacement, which covers stocks and bonds outside the United States, and the dollar that sets what they are worth to a US holder.

Which ETFs compete with SPEM?

The ETFs whose weekly returns move most like SPEM’s over the past 3 years are VWO (1.00), SCHE (1.00) and GMF (0.98).

How has SPEM performed against its story?

Over the past year SPEM returned +12.9%, the ETFs carrying dollar displacement +19.3% and broad US ETFs +16.8%, to October 2, 2026. Its weekly returns have a correlation of 0.91 with the story. Past performance only.

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Narrative figures are from the weekly board. Performance is market price total return as of October 2, 2026. Assets are StoryVector’s weekly figure. Classification and measurement. Not investment advice. How the measurement works →