ETF Evaluator:
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF (CEW)
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 07)
Best Performing in Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond Over the Last Year
| 10.9% | First Trust Emerging Mkts Lcl Ccy Bd ETF (FEMB) |
| 9.9% | WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF (CEW) |
| 9.8% | WisdomTree Emerging Markets Lcl Dbt ETF (ELD) |
| 9.7% | iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF (LEMB) |
| 9.1% | Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond () |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF Overview
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF (CEW) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). WisdomTree launched the ETF in 2009.
The investment seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in selected emerging market countries available to foreign investors and changes to the value of these currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.
The fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to selected emerging market countries. It generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. The fund is non-diversified.
About WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF (CEW)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.41 years: Marlene Walker-Smith (2025), David Nieman (2020), William Newton (2024) and Bryan Steele (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: JPM ELMI+ TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Equal-Weighted Emerging Cur Comp TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has 37 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 72.7% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.3% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 2.3% (2.3% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has 97.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $17 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
CEW Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has an expense ratio of 0.55%, which is 15% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 12%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 33% for the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF returned 1.6%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category had an average return of 0.6%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF has a trailing yield of 2.38%, which is below the 4.31% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strat ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 4.0%, 1.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 9.9% over the past year (grade of A), 6.3% over the past three years (grade of A) and 3.9% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 2.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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CEW Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| CEW Return (NAV) | 1.6% | 1.7% | 9.9% | 6.3% | 3.9% | 2.4% |
| CEW Return (Price) | 2.0% | 1.6% | 9.8% | 6.4% | 3.9% | 2.4% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.346% | 0.129% | 0.079% | -0.015% | -0.010% | 0.025% |
| Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond Avg | 0.6% | 1.7% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 2.2% | 2.0% |
| CEW Grade (NAV) | A | B | A | A | A | B |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 0.4% |
| CEW Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
CEW Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CEW Return (NAV) | 4.0% | 13.9% | -0.5% | 8.8% | -1.4% | -6.7% | -0.0% | 4.8% | -5.0% | 10.4% | 5.0% |
| CEW Return (Price) | 4.2% | 14.5% | -1.3% | 9.1% | -1.7% | -6.6% | -0.1% | 4.8% | -5.1% | 11.1% | 4.1% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.057% | 0.039% | 1.472% | 0.027% | 0.205% | -0.017% | 1.301% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 6.3% | -17.3% |
| Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond Avg | 2.7% | 15.9% | -2.2% | 10.0% | -8.5% | -7.6% | 3.7% | 8.5% | -5.8% | 11.8% | 5.6% |
| CEW Grade (NAV) | A | F | A | D | A | A | F | F | A | F | F |
| +/- Category | 1.3% | -1.9% | 1.7% | -1.2% | 7.1% | 0.8% | -3.7% | -3.7% | 0.8% | -1.3% | -0.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.60 |
| R-Squared: | 37% |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.5% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.77 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.45 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Low |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 2.4% |
| Total Assets: | $ 18 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 18 Mil |
| Turnover: | 12.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.55% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | JPM ELMI+ TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Nieman David (2020), Newton William (2024), Walker-Smith Marlene (2025), Steele Bryan (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 37 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 72.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 2.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 97.4% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | WisdomTree |
| Phone Number: | 866-909-9473 |
| Website: | www.wisdomtree.com |
| Inception Date: | May 6, 2009 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.55% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.48% |
