FALN vs HYG: Differences, Returns & Fees
FALN's duration was 4.6 years on Jul 31, 2026 and HYG's 3.0 on May 31, 2026; FALN charges 0.25% to HYG's 0.49%. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $1.6bn for iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF and $16.2bn for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
FALN costs 0.24 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.5 points; HYG is 10.4 times larger.
| FALN | HYG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.49% |
| Net assets | $1.6bn | $16.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | −0.8% | +0.7% |
| What it tracks | Bloomberg US High Yield Fallen Angel 3% Capped Index | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index |
| Holdings in common | 3% | |
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
FALN and HYG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FALN follows Bloomberg US High Yield Fallen Angel 3% Capped Index and HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 3% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- Number of holdings. FALN holds 156 positions and HYG holds 1334.
Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, FALN and HYG hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
3% in common
On the same fields
FALN and HYG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About FALN
FALN tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned −0.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
About HYG
HYG tracks an index of US high yield bonds. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +0.7% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FALN or HYG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FALN returned −0.8% and HYG +0.7%.
- Which is cheaper, FALN or HYG?
- FALN is cheaper, by 0.24 percentage points a year. That is about $24 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, FALN against HYG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/faln-vs-hyg
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). FALN against HYG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/faln-vs-hyg
[FALN against HYG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/faln-vs-hyg)
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