Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
CGBL vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, CGBL returned +7.1% to PFF's −4.2%; 8% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $7.9bn for Capital Group Core Balanced ETF and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.
Pair scorecard
CGBL costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.3 points; PFF is 1.5 times larger.
| Measure | CGBL | PFF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.1% | −4.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.4%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | 7.1%, high on May 8, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.33% | 0.45% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $7.9bn | $11.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 8% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 59.3% | 22.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, CGBL and PFF hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
8% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
CGBL and PFF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.1% with distributions reinvested, against +7.5% for its benchmark, the 60%/40% S&P 500 Index/Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index.
CGBL is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.33% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 48% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 77 positions, with the top ten at 59.3%. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
PFF
PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, CGBL or PFF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CGBL returned +7.1% and PFF −4.2%.
- Which is cheaper, CGBL or PFF?
- CGBL is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, CGBL against PFF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgbl-vs-pff
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). CGBL against PFF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgbl-vs-pff
[CGBL against PFF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgbl-vs-pff)
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