abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF

abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM) is an actively managed fund. Its managers pick dividend-paying stocks in emerging markets, and its largest holdings were Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics as of July 31, 2026. It charges 0.70% a year, about double the 0.33% average of similar funds. It is also concentrated: its 10 largest positions made up about 49% of the fund, with South Korea and Taiwan at roughly 21% each.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, AGEM returned +21.5%, 3rd of 6 among similar funds.
• The deepest fall in its price history was 13.9% (Feb 25, 2026 to Mar 30, 2026), recovered by Apr 30, 2026.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 88 securities; the ten largest made up 48.75% of assets.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $16.9M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +9.32%, -0.48%, -0.61%.

AGEM does not track an index. abrdn's managers choose the stocks. Under normal conditions, at least 80% of net assets go into shares of emerging-market companies that pay dividends. A country counts as emerging if it is in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index or the adviser judges it similar, and this can include smaller "frontier" markets. The fund mostly holds common stock. It can also hold preferred stock and depositary receipts, which are certificates traded on another exchange that represent a foreign company's shares.

The team first narrows the field by dividend potential. It then researches cash flow and how well each company uses its cash, favoring both high payers and companies growing their dividends. Each company is rated on five quality factors: how durable the business is, how attractive the industry is, financial strength, management, and its most important environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. ESG is never the deciding factor on its own. Portfolio turnover was 83%, so trading is frequent.

The fund does not hedge currencies, so a stronger dollar lowers returns. The prospectus expects heavy exposure to Taiwan, mainland China, financials and technology. As of July 31, 2026, it held 88 companies, no derivatives and 0.69% cash. Its Samsung stake was in preferred shares. Because the fund pays out some redemptions in cash, it may distribute more capital gains than a typical ETF.

• AGEM charges 0.7% a year, versus an average of 0.33% for the similar funds below (5th of 6, cheapest first).
• The fee includes a 0.48% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $72 in the first year and $1,389 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It is a concentrated, actively managed emerging-markets fund with a one-year beta of 1.5, so it tends to swing more than the broad market.

AGEM could add emerging-market stocks and quarterly dividends to a portfolio. Its trailing 12-month yield was 2.56% as of October 27, 2026. Expect big swings. In the track record shown in its prospectus, the strategy lost 28.19% in 2022, its worst calendar year since 2016. It fell 23.57% in the first quarter of 2020, then finished that year up 17.37%. That record does not cover 2008. In price data since May 2025, the deepest drop was 13.9%, from February 25 to March 30, 2026, and it recovered by April 30. Someone who has to sell shares or draw income in a bad year could end up selling after a steep fall.

The 0.70% expense ratio is well above the 0.33% average for similar funds. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.