EM stocks finally outperformed domestic peers last year. If the situation in Iran is resolved sooner than later, more of the same could be in store in 2026. The same goes for developing world debt, which has been luring advisors and investors with yields well in excess of what’s found in the U.S.
Those above-average yields aren’t confined to emerging markets sovereigns. High income is available with corporate bonds issued by developing world issuers and for market participants that want broad exposure, ETFs such as the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund (EMCB ) are practical options. The actively managed EMCB turned 14 years old earlier this month.
In what may surprise some investors, emerging markets (EM) corporate debt is one of the world’s largest fixed income segments. However, it’s also accurate to say that status isn’t fully appreciated by many U.S. market participants. There are good reasons to alter that perspective.
EMCB: Big Yield and More EM Benefits
EMCB sports a 30-day SEC of 5.07%, confirming it’s delivering on the promise of income. Additionally, the ETF’s effective duration is 3.97 years, putting it in the intermediate-term category. That’s a good place to be. Bonds with that designation often have lower correlations to stocks than short- and longer dated peers, meaning this ETF can serve as a credible diversification tool.
As noted above, EMCB is an actively managed ETF. It has potential to allow managers to more swiftly respond to credit and duration opportunities than an index-based rival can. That flexibility is also meaningful at a time when developing economies delivered solid growth over the prior decade.
“Through this period, emerging market economies, including frontier countries, have on average grown by more than 4% and companies domiciled in these countries have generally benefited as well,” noted UBS. “This growth has not been achieved solely through increased government spending. As per IMF data, net government debt on average for advanced economies is above 80% while for emerging and middle-income economies it hovers close to 45%.”
Another advantage of active management is the potential to avoid defaults. For its part, EMCB allocates about 57% of its roster to investment-grade.
“Corporate defaults have also been decreasing over the last couple of years. The outlook from credit rating agencies for emerging-market debt has become more positive than negative, with ratings upgrades on an improving trajectory,” added UBS.
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