Emerging Markets vs the S&P 500 (EEM): is it outperforming?
Over the past month, EEM has outperformed the S&P 500 by 3.8 points. Here is where that puts it in the sector rotation — updated daily.
Where EEM sits on the rotation map
Emerging Markets highlighted against the 11 broad S&P 500 sectors. Vertical: 1-month spread vs the S&P 500. Horizontal: the longer, time-shifted window — the methodology explains the math.
EEM vs SPY: head-to-head returns
EEM (emerging markets) and SPY (the S&P 500) side by side over every window Zensei tracks. The spread is the difference — positive means EEM won that window.
Data as of 2026-08-28 · computed from daily adjusted closes · how we measure
The read
Emerging Markets (EEM) has just turned the corner. Over the longer, time-shifted window it trailed the S&P 500 by 6.8 points, but over the past month it has moved clearly ahead of the market — a 3.8-point edge that puts it in the Emerging quadrant. Ranked by one-month spread, it currently stands #34 of the 115 groups Zensei tracks.
On the shorter tape, EEM's momentum is weakening: the intraday trend that carried the move is cooling across the shorter windows. EEM's relative-strength line — its price ratio against the S&P 500 — is trading above its moving averages, the healthiest configuration we track. The longer trend remains healthier than the recent tape suggests — the kind of divergence worth rechecking in a week.
The exposure comes via iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, whose 16 tracked holdings are led by NU HOLDINGS LTD ORDINARY SHARES CLASS A, PDD HOLDINGS INC ADR and ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI PLC. Weighted by portfolio, the fund's holdings trade at roughly 16.3× earnings and 3.9× sales. The thing to watch from here is confirmation: emerging groups that hold a positive one-month spread long enough for the longer window to turn are the classic early-rotation entries — the ones that fail fall back quickly.
What's inside EEM
Top 5 of 16 tracked holdings, by portfolio weight.
Emerging Markets vs the market — common questions
Is emerging markets outperforming the S&P 500?
Right now, yes: over the past month EEM has outperformed the S&P 500 by 3.8 points. This page updates daily, so the answer reflects current market data rather than a dated article.
What is EEM?
EEM is iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, the fund Zensei uses to measure the emerging markets group against the S&P 500 benchmark (SPY).
Which stocks are in EEM?
EEM's largest tracked positions are NU HOLDINGS LTD ORDINARY SHARES CLASS A, PDD HOLDINGS INC ADR, ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI PLC, CREDICORP LTD, SOUTHERN COPPER CORP — 16 holdings in total. The full list, with each stock measured against the group, is part of Zensei Premium.
What quadrant is emerging markets in right now?
As of the latest daily data, emerging markets is in the Emerging quadrant — behind the market over the longer window, but ahead over the past month. The quadrant rules are documented on the Zensei methodology page.
Related sectors
Track emerging markets against the whole market
Zensei Edge maps 100+ sectors and themes against the S&P 500 — with the stocks inside each one, rotation history and alerts when leadership changes hands.