Is FEMX a good ETF?
FEMX is the Fidelity Global Emerging Markets Active ETF from Fidelity. We classify it under EM, Market-Cap, and Active. With about $191 million in assets it is a solidly established fund.
The management fee of 0.98% is high, which is common for active, geared or thematic strategies and only worth paying if the approach justifies it. For comparison, similar ETFs average around 0.69%. If cost is your priority, AVTE (0.45%), VGE (0.48%), and EMKT (0.69%) cover similar ground for less.
Things to watch
- A 0.98% management fee is high and compounds against you over time.
- Pricier than similar ETFs, which average around 0.69%.
- Cheaper alternatives exist: AVTE, VGE, and EMKT.
What FEMX's categories mean for you
How each category this ETF belongs to tends to behave across market cycles.
Emerging markets — developing economies such as China, India, Brazil and Taiwan. High growth potential with materially higher volatility, currency and political risk.
- Market regime
- Often trades at cheaper valuations than developed markets and performs well in global risk-on phases and when the US dollar is weak. Can endure long stretches of underperformance.
- In a portfolio
- A satellite growth allocation for patient investors with a long horizon and tolerance for big swings.
Holdings are weighted by company size, so the largest companies carry the most weight. These funds are cheap, tax-efficient and self-rebalancing.
- Market regime
- Works in almost any regime as a low-maintenance core. The trade-off is concentration — you automatically own more of whatever has already become expensive at the top of a bull market.
- In a portfolio
- The classic buy-and-hold core of most portfolios. Well suited to long-term, hands-off investing.
Actively managed: a portfolio manager hand-picks holdings trying to beat the index, rather than simply tracking it. You pay more in fees for the chance of outperformance.
- Market regime
- Can add value in volatile, falling or inefficient markets where stock-picking and downside protection matter. In long, broad bull markets most active funds struggle to keep up with the cheap index after fees.
- In a portfolio
- Only worth holding if you have genuine conviction in the strategy — decades of evidence show the majority of active funds underperform their benchmark over 10+ years once fees are counted.
General information only, generated from the fund's published data — not personal financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Consider your own circumstances or seek licensed advice before investing.