Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYG returned +1.3% to VB's +14.4%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $17.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.46 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.1 points; VB is 4.6 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $16.8bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 22% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.9% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returnsVB returned more: +424.4% to +148.8%. HYG swung less: 11.1% to 22.4%. HYG fell less at its worst: −33.0% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HYG | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +148.8% | +424.4% | VB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.8% | +8.8% | VB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −26.2% | +292.4% | VB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 11.1% | 22.4% | HYG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 8.1% | 15.8% | HYG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.0% | −58.8% | HYG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.34 | 0.42 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.46 | 0.60 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.15 | VB (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,018 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HYG and VB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
HYG and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HYG and VB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 HYG returned +1.3% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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HYG
HYG tracks an index of US high yield bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.46 percentage points a year. That is about $46 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.
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ETFIQ, HYG against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vb
[HYG against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vb)
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