HYDB vs HYLS: Differences, Returns & Fees
HYDB's duration was 3.2 years on May 31, 2026 and HYLS's 2.9 on Jul 31, 2026; HYDB charges 0.35% to HYLS's 0.69%. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $1.5bn for iShares High Yield Systematic Bond ETF and $1.6bn for First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF.
HYDB costs 0.34 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points.
| HYDB | HYLS | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.69% |
| Net assets | $1.5bn | $1.6bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| What it tracks | BlackRock High Yield Systematic Bond Index | No index, actively managed |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Below its high | 3.6%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
HYDB and HYLS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. HYDB follows BlackRock High Yield Systematic Bond Index and HYLS follows No index, actively managed.
- Cost. HYDB charges 0.35% of assets a year and HYLS 0.69%, a gap of 0.34 points.
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 20, 2026 HYDB returned +0.3% and HYLS +0.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.1 points.
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.
Take this comparison to a client
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
Not advice. The brief uses the figures on this page, with the data date and a report id. Saved comparisons are listed on your saved page; privacy.
On the same fields
HYDB and HYLS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About HYDB
HYDB tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +0.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. It sat 3.6% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
About HYLS
HYLS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +0.2% with distributions reinvested, against +1.2% for its benchmark, the ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.69% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYDB or HYLS?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYDB returned +0.3% and HYLS +0.2%.
- Which is cheaper, HYDB or HYLS?
- HYDB is cheaper, by 0.34 percentage points a year. That is about $34 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, HYDB against HYLS, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hydb-vs-hyls
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). HYDB against HYLS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hydb-vs-hyls
[HYDB against HYLS (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hydb-vs-hyls)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.