iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF vs United Microelectronics Corp — how do they compare? iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF trades at $79.43, while United Microelectronics Corp trades at $21.14 (market cap $51.00B). The key difference: United Microelectronics Corp pays a 2.03% dividend while iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| IEMG | UMC | |
|---|---|---|
Sector | Broad Market / Factor | Technology |
52-Week High | $86.00 | $28.02 |
52-Week Low | $59.90 | $6.58 |
Market Cap | — | $51.00B |
Enterprise Value | — | $48.57B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.03% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
IEMG trades at $77.21, up 0.3% with a bearish technical signal from moving averages and oscillators. The ETF shows strong recent performance with 35% gains over the past year, driven by emerging market inflows and AI-focused technology exposure. Recent news highlights record capital flows into emerging markets and IEMG's 40% technology weighting, though some analysts caution about elevated volatility and concentration risks.
The outlook remains mixed with attractive emerging market valuations and growth opportunities balanced against geopolitical risks and market volatility. Key catalysts include continued AI-driven technology performance and emerging market economic growth, while risks involve US-China tensions and potential market corrections given the ETF's recent strong run.
UMC trades at $20.41, down 3.95% for the day, with a bearish technical signal but oversold RSI readings. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $0.20, beating expectations, and maintains strong profitability with a 20.25% net margin. Recent news highlights mass production of silicon photonics ICs and a new 14nm eHV platform, signaling innovation in semiconductor technology.
Outlook is mixed: analyst consensus leans Hold (53%) amid high valuation multiples (P/E 34.5), but earnings beats and specialty tech growth offer upside. Risks include competitive pressures and margin compression from 32.1% in 2022 to 17.0% in 2025. Cash flow improved to $5.66B net in 2025, supporting dividend payments.
Trailing returns across standard periods
IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index, providing broad exposure to large, mid, and small-cap stocks across over 20 emerging market countries. It is designed as a low-cost core holding for investors seeking diversified growth from economies outside of developed markets.
Read more on IEMG →Founded in 1980, United Microelectronics is the world's third-largest dedicated chip foundry, with 7% market share in 2021, according to Gartner, after TSMC and GlobalFoundries. UMC's headquarters are in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and it operates 12 fabs in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan and Singapore, with additional sales offices in Europe, the U.S. and South Korea. UMC features a diverse customer base including Texas Instruments, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Xilinx and Realtek, supplying a wide range of products applied in communications, display, memory, automotive and more. UMC employs about 20,000 people.
Read more on UMC →