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WEMG

$28.06-0.46%Emerging Markets41/100
Fund Page ↗

SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Fund · State Street

Data as at 29 March 2026

TL;DR

Tracks emerging market companies with a carbon-efficiency tilt — underweighting higher-emission companies and overweighting lower-emission alternatives within each sector. Managed by State Street (SPDR).

MER (Annual Fee)
0.24%
#1 lowest in Emerging Markets
1Y Return
+9.4%
3Y Return (p.a.)
+13.0%
Dividend Yield
3.40%
Trailing 12 months
AUM
$32.2M
Assets under management
Avg Daily Turnover
$5K
Avg shares × unit price
Unit Price
$28.06
As at 29 March 2026
Provider
State Street
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Strategy

Managed by State Street Global Advisors, not BetaShares. Tracks an S&P carbon-aware emerging market index that tilts toward companies with lower carbon intensity within their industry groups. This is a tilt, not a full ESG exclusion.

Top Holdings

TSMC
9.2%
Samsung
4.6%
Tencent
4.0%
HDFC Bank
2.0%
Infosys
1.8%
Reliance Industries
1.5%
SK Hynix
1.4%
Alibaba
1.3%
Baidu
1.1%
Key Fact

WEMG is a State Street SPDR product, not BetaShares. This matters because several other ETFs with similar names on the ASX are BetaShares products. Always confirm the fund manager before investing.

Suited for

Investors who want standard emerging market exposure with a measured carbon reduction tilt, without fully excluding fossil fuel companies.

Risks

The carbon tilt may add tracking error versus a standard emerging market index. State Street's SPDR range has smaller AUM in Australia than Vanguard or BetaShares, which can mean wider bid-ask spreads.

ETFCheck Score41/100
Fees (40%)64
Fund Size (25%)0
Liquidity (20%)0
Yield (15%)100
How scores are calculated →
Other Emerging Markets ETFs
VGE
0.48% MER
44
ILF
0.48% MER
32
IEM
0.67% MER
29
EMMG
0.69% MER
3View all Emerging Markets ETFs →

Frequently Asked Questions - WEMG

Why do WEMG's bid-ask spreads widen during emerging market selloffs?+
WEMG is a smaller, less liquid emerging markets ETF on the ASX, which means market makers widen bid-ask spreads during periods of volatility or EM selloffs. When underlying markets in Asia or Latin America experience sharp declines, price discovery becomes difficult and spreads can exceed 0.50%. Australian investors trading WEMG should use limit orders rather than market orders, and consider trading during overlap hours when Asian markets are open for tighter pricing.
How does WEMG's S&P index methodology differ from IEM's MSCI benchmark?+
WEMG tracks the S&P Emerging BMI Index, while IEM follows the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Key differences include country classification - S&P and MSCI occasionally disagree on whether markets like South Korea qualify as emerging or developed. The S&P benchmark also tends to include more mid-cap and small-cap stocks, giving WEMG a slightly broader portfolio. Australian investors should compare country weightings carefully, as these methodological differences can drive meaningful return divergence.
Is WEMG's low 0.24% MER worth the trade-off in liquidity for long-term SMSF investors?+
WEMG's 0.24% MER is the lowest among ASX-listed emerging markets ETFs, saving roughly $430 annually per $100,000 invested compared to IEM. For buy-and-hold SMSF investors who rarely trade, the liquidity disadvantage matters less since they aren't frequently crossing the spread. However, trustees planning to rebalance quarterly or use dollar-cost averaging should factor in WEMG's wider spreads, which can erode some of the MER savings on each transaction.
What is WEMG's 1-year return and how does it compare to other ASX-listed EM ETFs?+
WEMG returned 8.1% over the past year, slightly outperforming IEM at 7.8% and actively managed EMMG at 7.2%. This outperformance partly reflects WEMG's lower fee drag and its broader S&P index capturing more mid-cap growth. Australian investors should note that one-year returns in emerging markets are highly volatile and can reverse quickly. WEMG's cost advantage tends to compound more meaningfully over five-to-ten-year horizons rather than single-year snapshots.