EEM vs. SCHF: What’s The Difference?

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) and the Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF) are both among the Top 100 ETFs. EEM is a iShares Diversified Emerging Mkts fund and SCHF is a Schwab ETFs Foreign Large Blend fund. So, what’s the difference between EEM and SCHF? And which fund is better?

The expense ratio of EEM is 0.62 percentage points higher than SCHF’s (0.68% vs. 0.06%). EEM also has a higher exposure to the technology sector and a higher standard deviation. Overall, EEM has provided lower returns than SCHF over the past ten years.

In this article, we’ll compare EEM vs. SCHF. We’ll look at fund composition and performance, as well as at their risk metrics and industry exposure. Moreover, I’ll also discuss EEM’s and SCHF’s annual returns, holdings, and portfolio growth and examine how these affect their overall returns.

Summary

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) is a Diversified Emerging Mkts fund that is issued by iShares. It currently has 30.33B total assets under management and has yielded an average annual return of 5.47% over the past 10 years. The fund has a dividend yield of 1.48% with an expense ratio of 0.68%.

The Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF) is a Foreign Large Blend fund that is issued by Schwab ETFs. It currently has 26.99B total assets under management and has yielded an average annual return of 6.43% over the past 10 years. The fund has a dividend yield of 2.16% with an expense ratio of 0.06%.

Fund Composition

Industry Exposure

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) has the most exposure to the Technology sector at 21.36%. This is followed by Financial Services and Consumer Cyclical at 18.39% and 15.16% respectively. Utilities (1.99%), Industrials (4.61%), and Healthcare (5.06%) only make up 11.66% of the fund’s total assets.

EEM’s mid-section with moderate exposure is comprised of Energy, Consumer Defensive, Basic Materials, Communication Services, and Consumer Cyclical stocks at 5.17%, 5.45%, 9.07%, 11.76%, and 15.16%.

The Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF) has the most exposure to the Financial Services sector at 17.85%. This is followed by Industrials and Technology at 14.86% and 11.55% respectively. Real Estate (3.17%), Energy (4.23%), and Communication Services (5.65%) only make up 13.05% of the fund’s total assets.

SCHF’s mid-section with moderate exposure is comprised of Basic Materials, Consumer Defensive, Consumer Cyclical, Healthcare, and Technology stocks at 8.26%, 9.41%, 10.87%, 11.05%, and 11.55%.

Holdings

EEM’s Top Holdings are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd Ordinary Shares, Tencent Holdings Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, and Meituan at 6.36%, 4.58%, 4.41%, 4.05%, and 1.24%.

Vale SA (1.04%), Naspers Ltd Class N (1.04%), and Reliance Industries Ltd Shs Dematerialised (0.97%) have a slightly smaller but still significant weight. Infosys Ltd and China Construction Bank Corp Class H are also represented in the EEM’s holdings at 0.92% and 0.83%.

SCHF’s Top Holdings are Nestle SA, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, ASML Holding NV, Roche Holding AG, and Toyota Motor Corp at 1.66%, 1.6%, 1.29%, 1.24%, and 1.02%.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (0.93%), Novartis AG (0.92%), and Shopify Inc A (0.78%) have a slightly smaller but still significant weight. AstraZeneca PLC and SAP SE are also represented in the SCHF’s holdings at 0.75% and 0.74%.

Risk Analysis

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) has a Alpha of -2.33 with a Sharpe Ratio of 0.22 and a Standard Deviation of 17.79. Its Treynor Ratio is 2.22 while EEM’s Beta is 1.08. Furthermore, the fund has a Mean Return of 0.38 and a R-squared of 83.5.

The Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF) has a Sharpe Ratio of 0.42 with a Beta of 0.99 and a Mean Return of 0.58. Its Treynor Ratio is 5.39 while SCHF’s R-squared is 98.16. Furthermore, the fund has a Alpha of 0.53 and a Standard Deviation of 15.08.

Performance

Annual Returns

EEM had its best year in 2017 with an annual return of 36.42%. EEM’s worst year over the past decade yielded -18.87% and occurred in 2011. In most years the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF provided moderate returns such as in 2014, 2016, and 2010 where annual returns amounted to -2.82%, 10.51%, and 15.93% respectively.

The year 2017 was the strongest year for SCHF, returning 25.83% on an annual basis. The poorest year for SCHF in the last ten years was 2018, with a yield of -14.39%. Most years the Schwab International Equity ETF has given investors modest returns, such as in 2016, 2010, and 2020, when gains were 2.88%, 8.6%, and 9.86% respectively.

Portfolio Growth

A $10,000 investment in EEM would have resulted in a final balance of $13,437. This is a profit of $3,437 over 10 years and amounts to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.47%.

With a $10,000 investment in SCHF, the end total would have been $17,089. This equates to a $7,089 profit over 10 years and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.43%.