- Sector
- Financial Services
- Industry
- Asset Management
- Address
- 505 Wakara Way Salt Lake City UT United States of America 84108
- IPO Date
- Sep 28, 2007
- Business
- Wasatch Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund (WAEMX) is an open-end mutual fund that seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in high-quality small-cap growth companies located in emerging markets with market capitalizations of less than $7 billion at the time of purchase; it employs a bottom-up, fundamental research process with systematic coverage across sectors and countries, typically holding 40-70 positions. The Investor Class (WAEMX), with a net expense ratio of 1.96% and a minimum initial investment of $2,000, alongside the Institutional Class (WIEMX) launched in 2016, primarily allocates to non-U.S. equities (approximately 94%), with key geographic exposures in Emerging Asia (46%), Developed Asia (21%), Latin America (10%), and Emerging Europe (8%); top sectors include financials and technology, exemplified by holdings such as Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd., Baltic Classifieds Group PLC, AU Small Finance Bank Ltd., ASPEED Technology Inc., and Qualitas Controladora SAB de CV. Managed collaboratively by a team led by Ajay Krishnan, Dan Chace, Scott Thomas, Kevin Unger, and Anh Hoang from Wasatch Global Investors—a 100% employee-owned firm founded in 1975 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah—the fund is part of the Wasatch Funds Trust and is available to U.S. investors with a 2% redemption fee on shares held 60 days or less.
In recent developments, the fund maintained positions in Indian financials amid market volatility during Q1 2025, where it reported a quarterly decline of -8.96%, and navigated AI impacts, India's challenges, and China's growth opportunities in Q3 2025; portfolio turnover stood at 38% as of September 30, 2025, with total net assets around $210-336 million across share classes. Wasatch Global Investors bolstered its small-cap value lineup in 2025 by launching the Wasatch Global Small Cap Value Fund (WACVX/WGCVX) and Wasatch International Small Cap Value Fund (WASVX/WGSVX), hiring Mark Madsen and Karson Schrader from Grandeur Peak Global Advisors earlier in the year, while net expense ratios reflect waivers contractually agreed through January 31, 2026. The fund remains open to investors, targeting institutions, retirement plans, high-net-worth individuals, and others through Wasatch's global small- and mid-cap growth expertise.