Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GOVT vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GOVT returned −1.5% to QUAL's +13.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $42.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF, and $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
GOVT costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.6 points; QUAL is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | GOVT | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.5% | +13.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $42.8bn | $48.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 97% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
GOVT and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GOVT
GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and QUAL +13.1%.
- Which is cheaper, GOVT or QUAL?
- GOVT is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, GOVT against QUAL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GOVT against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-qual
[GOVT against QUAL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-qual)
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