ETF Evaluator:
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Diversified Emerging Mkts Over the Last Year
| 114.0% | Nomura Focused Emerging Mrkts Eq ETF (EMEQ) |
| 81.0% | FT EM Human Flourishing ETF (FTHF) |
| 68.7% | First Trust Bloomberg Emr Mkt Dem ETF (EMDM) |
| 67.8% | Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM) |
| 59.4% | Pacific NoS Global EM Equity Active ETF (GEME) |
Risk
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ETF Details
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF Overview
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF (GEM) is a passively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts exchange-traded fund (ETF). Goldman Sachs launched the ETF in 2015.
The investment seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. The index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of emerging market issuers.
About Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF (GEM)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.57 years: Gauri Sekaria (2024) and Raj Garigipati (2015). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has 756 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 39.8% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has 95.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.0% There is 95.5% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has 3.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $3 billion average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts 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.
GEM 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 Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has an expense ratio of 0.35%, which is 32% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 32%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 44% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF returned -3.0%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of -3.0%. 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.
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF has a trailing yield of 1.93%, which is below the 2.41% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.
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.
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® EMkts Eq ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 19.7%, 2.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 34.8% over the past year (grade of B), 19.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 8.1% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 8.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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GEM 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 |
|
| GEM Return (NAV) | -3.0% | 5.1% | 34.8% | 19.0% | 8.1% | 8.6% |
| GEM Return (Price) | -5.7% | 1.7% | 34.1% | 18.3% | 7.7% | 8.4% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 2.761% | 3.422% | 0.764% | 0.647% | 0.364% | 0.256% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | -3.0% | 3.0% | 31.9% | 16.6% | 7.1% | 7.8% |
| GEM Grade (NAV) | C | B | B | B | C | B |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.1% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 1.0% | 0.9% |
| GEM Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
GEM Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GEM Return (NAV) | 19.7% | 32.0% | 6.9% | 11.3% | -20.5% | -0.2% | 13.3% | 17.3% | -13.5% | 35.6% | 9.5% |
| GEM Return (Price) | 17.8% | 33.4% | 6.7% | 11.8% | -21.3% | -0.2% | 13.2% | 17.8% | -14.2% | 36.4% | 8.8% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.096% | 0.045% | -0.040% | 0.049% | 0.043% | -0.123% | -0.002% | 3.2% | 5.3% | 2.4% | -6.9% |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | 17.1% | 29.2% | 6.7% | 12.8% | -18.8% | 2.3% | 12.7% | 18.2% | -14.6% | 33.7% | 10.9% |
| GEM Grade (NAV) | B | B | C | C | D | D | C | C | C | B | C |
| +/- Category | 2.6% | 2.7% | 0.3% | -1.5% | -1.7% | -2.5% | 0.6% | -0.9% | 1.1% | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.10 |
| R-Squared: | 80% |
| Standard Deviation: | 17.1% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.05 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.39 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,694 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,694 Mil |
| Turnover: | 32.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.35% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI EM NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 10.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Garigipati Raj (2015), Sekaria Gauri (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 756 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 39.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 95.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 95.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 3.5% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Goldman Sachs |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-2550 |
| Website: | am.gs.com |
| Inception Date: | September 25, 2015 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.35% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
