HYG vs HYLB: Differences, Returns & Fees
HYG's duration was 3.0 years on May 31, 2026 and HYLB's 2.9 on May 29, 2026; HYLB charges 0.05% to HYG's 0.49%. Net assets: $16.2bn on Oct 20, 2026 for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, and $3.2bn on Oct 19, 2026 for Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
HYLB costs 0.44 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; HYG is 5.3 times larger.
| HYG | HYLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026 | $16.8bn | $3.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +0.7% | +1.2% |
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index |
| Holdings in common | 85% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
HYG and HYLB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and HYLB follows Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index.
- Cost. HYG charges 0.49% of assets a year and HYLB 0.05%, a gap of 0.44 points.
- Size. HYG has $16.8bn in net assets and HYLB $3.2bn (net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026); HYG is 5.3 times larger.
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, HYG and HYLB hold 85% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
half
85% in common
On the same fields
HYG and HYLB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
About HYLB
HYLB tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +1.2% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or HYLB?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +0.7% and HYLB +1.2%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or HYLB?
- HYLB is cheaper, by 0.44 percentage points a year. That is about $44 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, HYG against HYLB, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-hylb
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). HYG against HYLB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-hylb
[HYG against HYLB (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-hylb)
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