Are AGG and RSBA in the same category?

AGG is a bond ETF and RSBA is an alternatives ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or RSBA?

In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned +0.2% and RSBA −0.7%.

Which is cheaper, AGG or RSBA?

AGG is cheaper, by 0.98 percentage points a year. That is about $98 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Across categories

AGG vs RSBA: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, AGG returned +0.2% to RSBA's −0.7%, and AGG charges 0.03% to RSBA's 1.01%.

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Net assets: $139.1bn on Nov 4, 2026 for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, and $53m on Jul 31, 2026 for Return Stacked Bonds & Merger Arbitrage ETF.

AGG on its own →RSBA on its own →

At a glance

+0.2%

AGG total return, 1 year

−0.7%

RSBA total return, 1 year

0.03%

AGG expense ratio

1.01%

RSBA expense ratio

Pair scorecard

AGG costs 0.98 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points.

AGG vs RSBA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AGG	RSBA
Return
Measure	AGG	RSBA
Total return, 1 year	+0.2%	−0.7%
Total return, 52 weeks		−0.3%
Against its benchmark
Measure	AGG	RSBA
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index	not published
Treasury bills, 52 weeks		+3.7%
Against cash		3.9 points behind
Cost and size
Measure	AGG	RSBA
Expense ratio	0.03%	1.01%
Net assets, AGG as of Nov 4, 2026 and RSBA as of Jul 31, 2026	$139.1bn	$53m
Holdings
Measure	AGG	RSBA
Holdings in common	not published
Risk
Measure	AGG	RSBA
Correlation with the S&P 500’s weekly returns		+0.31
Beta to the S&P 500		+0.11: about 0.11% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fell		fell 0.14%
Down-week capture		13.5%
Weeks the S&P 500 fell		26 of 52, by 1.07% on average

Method

Side by side

AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF RSBA Return Stacked Bonds & Merger Arbitrage ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Alternatives ETF

Issuer iShares Return Stacked

What it is Tracks an index of US aggregate bonds Event driven

Total return, 1 year +0.2% −0.7%

Its benchmark over the same days +0.2% (SCHZ) −0.2% (SPTB)

Gap to its benchmark 0.0 pts vs SCHZ −0.5 pts vs SPTB

Expense ratio 0.03% 1.01%

Holdings 13462 not read by ETFIQ

Net assets, AGG as of Nov 4, 2026 and RSBA as of Jul 31, 2026 $139.1bn $53m

AGG and RSBA on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

AGG

AGG tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +0.2% with distributions reinvested, against +0.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.

RSBA

RSBA is an event driven fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.31 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.11, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.11% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. In the same weeks RSBA fell 0.14% on average, a down-week capture of 13.5%. Over the same 52 weeks RSBA returned −0.3% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 3.9 percentage points behind cash.

Questions people ask

Are AGG and RSBA in the same category?: AGG is a bond ETF and RSBA is an alternatives ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, AGG or RSBA?: In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned +0.2% and RSBA −0.7%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or RSBA?: AGG is cheaper, by 0.98 percentage points a year. That is about $98 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

AGG vs MRGR AGG vs MNA AGG vs MKTN AGG vs HFGM BND vs RSBA RSBA vs TLT GLD vs RSBA QQQ vs RSBA

Where to next

BIL, the T-bill fund these are measured against →SPY, the S&P 500 fund these are measured against →AGG on its own →RSBA on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →AGG dividend history →AGG holdings →RSBA dividend history →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

AGG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

AGG prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for AGG ↗

RSBA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

RSBA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Return Stacked website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, AGG against RSBA, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-rsba

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