iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF

ESGE

Market cap $5.89B

Emerging markets equity returns have been driven by extreme mega-cap concentration, with index breadth collapsing to historic lows and masking weakness across much of the opportunity set. This concentration has distorted relative results for active managers, particularly those constrained by diversification rules or broad benchmarks, as small-cap underperformance and index construction limit flexibility.

By Jeff Weniger, CFA, Head of Equity Strategy Key Takeaways South Korea's classification as an “emerging” or “developed” market affects funds' allocations, with some emerging markets funds having no exposure to the country. The “Korea Discount” refers to the low valuations placed on South Korea's stocks relative to stocks in other countries.

Emerging markets continued to expand at a solid pace midway into the first quarter of 2024, supported by broad-based expansion across both manufacturing and service sectors.

Emerging markets have taken solace in the view that the U.S. hiking cycle is over, helping deliver strong returns in 2023. Slowing global inflation has been due to sharply lower core goods inflation, while service prices have remained stickier.

While 2023 proved to be a challenging year for US sustainable funds including ETFs, the underlying principles of ESG investing remain relevant and are increasingly being incorporated into mainstream investment strategies.