# Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. (EMD): Mutual Fund Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: Western Asset · Asset class: Bond - Strategy: Thematic · Inception: 2003-12-04 Operated by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC, the Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. is an open-end mutual fund dedicated to fixed-income investments. Additional management support is provided by Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Limited, and Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. The fund's primary objective is to invest in debt instruments from emerging market countries across the globe, including fixed income securities issued by governments, government-related entities, and corporate entities, irrespective of their maturity or credit... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $9.12 | | Expense Ratio | 3.13% | | Assets Under Management | $530.1M | | NAV | — | | Holdings Count | — | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 12.50% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $1.14 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Monthly | | 52-Week Range | $9.05 – $11.30 | | Beta | 0.85 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.0950 /share - Ex-date: 2026-11-20 - Pay date: 2026-11-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does EMD invest in? Operated by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC, the Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. is an open-end mutual fund dedicated to fixed-income investments. Additional management support is provided by Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Limited, and Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. The fund's primary objective is to invest in debt instruments from emerging market countries across the globe, including fixed income securities issued by governments, government-related entities, and corporate entities, irrespective of their maturity or credit quality. Its portfolio construction relies on a combination of fundamental analysis and a top-down selection methodology. This process considers a range of factors such as currency movements, inflation and interest rate trends, economic growth forecasts, the liquidity of a nation's debt markets, its political landscape, and tax policies. The fund benchmarks its performance against the JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global. Established in the United States on December 1, 2003, it was previously known as Salomon Brothers Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. ### What is the expense ratio of EMD? Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. (EMD) charges an expense ratio of 3.13%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is EMD's dividend yield? EMD's trailing-twelve-month yield is 12.50%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### What is the duration of EMD? Effective duration measures EMD's sensitivity to interest-rate changes: a duration of 6 means a 1% rate move shifts NAV by roughly 6% in the opposite direction. EMD's current duration is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. ### What is the credit quality of EMD? EMD's credit quality breakdown (the share of holdings rated AAA through CCC and below) is published on the fund's factsheet. Higher-quality (investment-grade) funds yield less but carry less default risk than high-yield / junk bond funds. ### What is the yield to maturity of EMD? Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total return you'd earn from EMD if every bond in the portfolio is held to maturity at the current price. EMD's YTM is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. It differs from the trailing-12-month yield because YTM reflects current bond prices rather than historical income paid. ### Does EMD pay a dividend? Yes, Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. (EMD) distributes dividends to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 12.50%. Full dividend history is on this page. ### How often does EMD pay dividends? Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Fund Inc. pays dividends Monthly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### When is EMD's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for EMD was 2026-11-20. The next ex-date typically follows Monthly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will EMD's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 3.13% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does EMD charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from EMD's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does EMD cost more than a fund like VOO? EMD's strategy (current expense ratio 3.13%) is different from a broad-market index tracker like VOO, so its fee belongs to a different cohort. The Cost Verdict card above shows you where EMD sits within its own category, which is the comparison that actually matters. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to EMD? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists mutual funds following the same investment strategy as EMD (3.13%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emd/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.