# First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF (EMDM): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emdm for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: Emerging Markets Equity - Strategy: Passive Index · Inception: 2023-03-02 EMDM tracks an index of stocks providing exposure to emerging market countries that Freedom House designates as electoral democracies. Freedom House is a non-profit, US organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Countries that are able to meet high standards for political rights and civil liberties, are considered to be electoral democracies. The standards require respect for the rule of law and civil liberties such as, the right to assemble, fair voting practices, and basic political competition. The top 100 companies by market cap f... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $38.42 | | Expense Ratio | 0.75% | | Assets Under Management | $40.9M | | NAV | $38.91 | | Holdings Count | 100 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 3.55% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $1.37 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Quarterly | | 52-Week Range | $28.54 – $45.03 | | Beta | 1.24 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.1847 /share - Ex-date: 2026-09-24 - Pay date: 2026-09-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does EMDM invest in? EMDM tracks an index of stocks providing exposure to emerging market countries that Freedom House designates as electoral democracies. Freedom House is a non-profit, US organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Countries that are able to meet high standards for political rights and civil liberties, are considered to be electoral democracies. The standards require respect for the rule of law and civil liberties such as, the right to assemble, fair voting practices, and basic political competition. The top 100 companies by market cap from countries meeting these standards are selected for the index. Components are weighted based on the sum of their market cap and overall electoral democracy score. As a result, the portfolio favors large-cap companies from nations with higher democracy scores. The index is reconstituted annually in April and rebalanced semi-annually in April and October. ### What is the expense ratio of EMDM? First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF (EMDM) charges an expense ratio of 0.75%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### How big is EMDM? First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF (EMDM) manages $40.9M in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is EMDM actively managed or an index fund? EMDM is a passive index fund. It tracks a published benchmark by holding the constituents in their published weights. Index funds typically charge low expense ratios (EMDM's is 0.75%) because there's no security selection cost. ### When was EMDM launched? First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF (EMDM) launched in March 2023 and is managed by First Trust. ### How has EMDM performed? EMDM's total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is charted at the top of this page. Switch the price chart to Total Return and pick a 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year window to read the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over each horizon. ### Does EMDM pay a dividend? First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF (EMDM) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is 3.55%. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab. ### How often does EMDM pay dividends? First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF pays dividends Quarterly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### What is EMDM's dividend yield? EMDM's trailing-twelve-month yield is 3.55%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### When is EMDM's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for EMDM was 2026-09-24. The next ex-date typically follows Quarterly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will EMDM's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.75% 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 EMDM charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from EMDM'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 EMDM cost more than a fund like VOO? EMDM is a passive index fund (current expense ratio 0.75%). Differences from broad-market ETFs like VOO usually come from index licensing fees, asset class (bond funds typically run cheaper than equity), or fund scale (smaller funds spread fixed operating costs across less AUM). ### Are there cheaper alternatives to EMDM? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as EMDM (0.75%) 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/emdm - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emdm/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emdm/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emdm/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/emdm/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.