HYG vs SHYG: Differences, Returns & Fees
HYG's duration was 3.0 years on May 31, 2026 and SHYG's 2.1 on Jul 31, 2026; SHYG charges 0.30% to HYG's 0.49%. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $16.2bn for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and $7.6bn for iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
SHYG costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points; HYG is 2.1 times larger.
| HYG | SHYG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.30% |
| Net assets | $16.2bn | $7.6bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +0.7% | +2.1% |
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index |
| Holdings in common | 55% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
HYG and SHYG 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 SHYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index.
- Cost. HYG charges 0.49% of assets a year and SHYG 0.30%, a gap of 0.19 points.
- Holdings in common (similar). 55% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
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 SHYG hold 55% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
55% in common
On the same fields
HYG and SHYG 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 SHYG
SHYG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or SHYG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +0.7% and SHYG +2.1%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or SHYG?
- SHYG is cheaper, by 0.19 percentage points a year. That is about $19 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 SHYG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-shyg
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). HYG against SHYG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-shyg
[HYG against SHYG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-shyg)
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