PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF

MFEM

Market cap $146M

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.

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.

I evaluate the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF, comparing it to my current Wasatch mutual funds and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF. The PIMCO ETF uses a factor-based index focusing on value, low volatility, quality, momentum, and size, skewing its portfolio toward value stocks. The MFEM ETF's quarterly distributions range from $0.10 to $0.25, with a recent yield of 3.8%.

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.