VWO vs SPGM: What Are the Key Differences Between These Two Popular ETFs?

Jake Lerch, The Motley Fool

Sun, July 26, 2026 astatine 4:40 PM CDT 5 min read

The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEMKT:VWO) offers low-cost, targeted vulnerability to processing economies, whereas the State Street SPDR Portfolio MSCI Global Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT:SPGM) serves arsenic a diversified, planetary halfway equity holding.

Investors seeking planetary diversification often take betwixt targeted emerging-market funds and wide planetary equity trackers. While VWO targets maturation successful nations similar China and Taiwan, SPGM offers a broad solution for stocks crossed the globe, including the United States, established planetary markets, and emerging markets.

Snapshot (cost & size)

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from monthly returns implicit the disposable money past (up to 5 years). The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months. Dividend output is the trailing-12-month organisation yield.

The Vanguard money remains 1 of the astir affordable ways to entree emerging markets with its 0.06% disbursal ratio. The State Street money is besides competitively priced astatine 0.09%, but offers a little trailing organisation output of 1.80% compared to VWO's 2.40%.

Performance & hazard examination

What's wrong

State Street SPDR Portfolio MSCI Global Stock Market ETF holds 2,927 stocks, offering a wide-angle presumption of the planetary equity landscape. Its assemblage vulnerability is led by exertion astatine 31.00%, followed by fiscal services astatine 16.00% and industrials astatine 13.00%. Its largest positions see Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) astatine 4.33%, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) astatine 4.17%, and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) astatine 2.40%. This money was launched successful 2012. State Street SPDR Portfolio MSCI Global Stock Market ETF has paid $1.54 per stock implicit the trailing 12 months, which, astatine its caller ~$84.27 stock price, yields 1.80%.

The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF is geographically circumstantial but numerically expansive, holding 5,942 positions crossed assorted processing nations. Technology is the superior assemblage astatine 34.00%, with fiscal services astatine 19.00% and user cyclical astatine 9.00% rounding retired the apical three. Its largest positions see Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TWSE:2330) astatine 15.69%, Tencent Holdings Ltd (SEHK:700) astatine 2.83%, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd astatine 1.80%. It was launched successful 2005. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has paid $1.38 per stock implicit the trailing 12 months, which, astatine its caller ~$58.10 stock price, yields 2.40%.