Is JPMorgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Equity ETF (JPEM) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Launched on 01/07/2015, the JPMorgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Equity ETF (JPEM) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.Fund Sponsor & IndexBecause the fund has amassed over $368.78 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. JPEM is managed by J.P. Morgan. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the FTSE Emerging Diversified Factor Index before fees and expenses.The JP Morgan Diversified Factor Emerging Markets Equity Index reflects the performance of emerging market securities representing a diversified set of factor characteristics which include Value, Price, Momentum, Earnings, Revisions and Quality characteristics.Cost & Other ExpensesWhen considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.Annual operating expenses for JPEM are 0.44%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 4.64%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsEven though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.Taking into account individual holdings, China Construction Bankaccounts for about 1.5% of the fund's total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor and Naspers Ltd Common Stock (NPN).The top 10 holdings account for about 10.65% of total assets under management.Performance and RiskThe ETF has added roughly 19.94% so far this year and is up about 18.74% in the last one year (as of 11/28/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $48.41 and $61.34The ETF has a beta of 0.52 and standard deviation of 11.74% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 570 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .AlternativesJPMorgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $103.66 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $116.98 billion. VWO has an expense ratio of 0.07% and IEMG changes 0.09%.Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFsBottom LineTo learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JPMorgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Equity ETF (JPEM): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks