ETF Evaluator: Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF () Follow This ETF

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF Overview

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM) is a passively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts exchange-traded fund (ETF). Nuveen launched the ETF in 2017.

The investment seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index (the "index"). In seeking to track the investment results of the index, the advisor attempts to replicate the index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities represented in the index in approximately the same proportions as the index. The index identifies equity securities from the base index that satisfy certain ESG criteria, based on ESG performance data collected by MSCI ESG Research, Inc.

About Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NUEM)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.47 years: Philip Campagna (2017), Darren Tran (2024) and Nazar Romanyak (2024). 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 Nuveen ESG EM Equity NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has 188 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 39.5% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has 99.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.6% There is 99.5% 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). Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has -0.1% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $372 million 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.

NUEM 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 Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has an expense ratio of 0.36%, which is 30% 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. Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 58%, 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, Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF returned -3.2%, 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.

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF has a trailing yield of 3.14%, which is above the 2.41% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 13.9%, 3.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 25.0% over the past year (grade of D), 15.0% over the past three years (grade of D) and 5.7% per year over the past five years (grade of F).

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