iShares JPMorgan EM Corporate Bond ETF

CEMB

Market cap $427M

Emerging market bond ETFs are drawing increased institutional interest, prompting asset managers to staff up with specialized teams. Allspring Global Investments became the latest firm to make such a move this month, acquiring a team from GIA Partners to manage $1.1 billion in emerging market assets, according to Pensions & Investments reporting.

At the same time developed markets have been generating policy and macro noise, emerging markets have been quietly outperforming. The inextricable relationship between the direction of U.S. monetary policy and emerging market risk assets remains powerful, but this time the rally is not just about the Fed.

CEMB is an ETF that tracks the performance of US dollar-denominated bonds issued by emerging market corporate entities. Emerging market corporate bonds have had superior risk-adjusted returns compared to US corporate bonds and emerging market sovereign bonds over the past 10 years. Higher economic growth in emerging markets in 2024 is expected to benefit companies with outstanding debt, leading to increased profits and lower default probabilities.

Q4 Report: Tax-Exempt Bond Funds Hit Second Highest Quarterly Return As Fixed Income Rebounds From Q3 Loss