ETF Evaluator: iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF (LEMB) Follow This ETF

iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF Overview

iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF (LEMB) is a passively managed Taxable Bond Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2011.

The investment seeks to track the investment results of the J.P. Morgan GBI-EM Global Diversified 15% Cap 4% Floor Index composed of local currency denominated, emerging market sovereign bonds. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index, and the fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the underlying index that BFA believes will help the fund track the underlying index. The index tracks the performance of local currency-denominated sovereign bond markets of emerging market countries. The fund is non-diversified.

About iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF (LEMB)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.51 years: James Mauro (2011), Jonathan Graves (2025) and Marcus Tom (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: JPM EMBI Global Diversified TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and JPM GBI-EM Gbl Div 15%Cap 4% Flr TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has 491 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 11.7% 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.

iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has 99.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% 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 99.5% (0.0% domestic bond, 99.5% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $720 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.

LEMB 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 iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category. iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has an expense ratio of 0.30%, which is 37% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 29%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 33% for the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF returned 0.6%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Emerging-Markets Local-Currency Bond category had an average return of 0.1%. 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.

iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF has a trailing yield of 2.40%, which is below the 4.23% 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.

iShares JP Morgan EM Local Ccy Bd ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 2.3%, 0.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 8.0% over the past year (grade of B), 6.1% over the past three years (grade of D) and 1.2% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 1.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).

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