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Is Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 06/07/2017, smart beta exchange traded fund Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
NUEM is managed by Nuveen, and this fund has amassed over $445.09 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index.
The Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index uses a rules-based methodology to arrive at a diversified portfolio of equity securities issued by companies located in countries with emerging markets that adhere to predetermined ESG, controversial business involvement and low-carbon screen criteria.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.36% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.32%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
When you look at individual holdings, Taiwan Semiconductor Manuaccounts for about 16.84% of the fund's total assets, followed by Sk Hynix Inc and U.s. Dollars.
The top 10 holdings account for about 45.64% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.66% and is up about 8.29% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 11/10/2026), respectively. NUEM has traded between $34.89 and $44.14 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.74 and standard deviation of 20.79% for the trailing three-year period. With about 301 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares has $13.08 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $17.79 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGU changes 0.15%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Is Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 06/07/2017, smart beta exchange traded fund Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
NUEM is managed by Nuveen, and this fund has amassed over $445.09 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index.
The Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index uses a rules-based methodology to arrive at a diversified portfolio of equity securities issued by companies located in countries with emerging markets that adhere to predetermined ESG, controversial business involvement and low-carbon screen criteria.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.36% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.32%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
When you look at individual holdings, Taiwan Semiconductor Manuaccounts for about 16.84% of the fund's total assets, followed by Sk Hynix Inc and U.s. Dollars.
The top 10 holdings account for about 45.64% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.66% and is up about 8.29% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 11/10/2026), respectively. NUEM has traded between $34.89 and $44.14 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.74 and standard deviation of 20.79% for the trailing three-year period. With about 301 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares has $13.08 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $17.79 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGU changes 0.15%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.