3 iShares ETFs Crushing the S&P 500 by 30 Points in 2026

Three funds dominate the emerging markets ex-China conversation right now, and each one has put meaningful daylight between itself and the S&P 500 so far this year.

24/7 Wall Street • Jul 5, 2026

The Ex-China Files: ETFs to Watch Amid Trump's High-Stakes Visit

Investing in emerging markets (EM) used to be synonymous with getting exposure to China. It's an ideal notion, given that it's the second largest economy and thus commands a heavy weight in standard EM benchmarks.

ETF Trends • May 13, 2026

FRDM Is A Strategy On EMs That Almost Doubles The Return

Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM) employs a semi-quantitative, freedom-weighted selection strategy, resulting in a concentrated active portfolio with 79% active share versus MSCI EM. FRDM has outperformed top passive EM ETFs by at least 1.64x, driven by high exposure to semiconductors and exclusion of China and state-owned enterprises. The ETF's largest holdings are semiconductor stocks, creating both significant upside from sector momentum and heightened risk if the memory supercycle reverses.

Seeking Alpha • May 8, 2026

FRDM: Are Emerging Market Equities Driving The U.S. Market?

The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF leverages 'freedom-weighting' to select and allocate equities from 24 emerging market countries. FRDM excludes state-owned enterprises (over 20% state ownership) and prioritizes personal and economic freedom metrics in its portfolio construction. With $2.97 billion AUM and a 0.49% expense ratio, FRDM has outperformed the market since inception, even during recent U.S. market stagnation.

Seeking Alpha • Feb 28, 2026

Emerging Market ETFs: Human Focus Outperforms

Emerging market ETFs are back in focus. Two of the ten largest U.S.-listed ETF inflow winners year-to-date are broad EM funds.

ETF Trends • Feb 19, 2026

BlackRock & State Street Rejected Her ETF. It Just Returned 5X Its Category Average.

The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF's return of 99% over the past five years is 5 times that of the iShares Emerging Markets ETF. Its strategy of excluding countries and companies with high exposure to personal, political, and economic risks gives it a high-quality tilt.

The Motley Fool • Feb 15, 2026

Emerging Markets: The Next Phase In Market-Broadening

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.

Seeking Alpha • Jan 19, 2026

How emerging-markets stocks can keep trouncing the S&P 500

Emerging-market stocks have broadly crushed the U.S. equities market this year, in one of the biggest market surprises of 2025.

Market Watch • Dec 17, 2025

The Big Squeeze: EM Mega Caps Up, Breadth Down

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.

Seeking Alpha • Dec 17, 2025

Let Freedom Ring: The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF

The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF offers exposure to democratic, capitalist emerging markets, avoiding autocratic regimes. FRDM's portfolio features world-class companies, like Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Taiwan Semiconductor.

Seeking Alpha • Dec 14, 2025