Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYG returned +1.3% to VBR's +17.6%; 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 $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBR costs 0.44 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.3 points; VBR is 2.1 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $16.8bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 30% | |
| 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 returnsVBR returned more: +386.8% to +148.8%. HYG swung less: 11.1% to 22.8%. HYG fell less at its worst: −33.0% to −61.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HYG | VBR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +148.8% | +386.8% | VBR | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.8% | +8.4% | VBR | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −26.2% | +220.9% | VBR | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 11.1% | 22.8% | HYG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 8.1% | 16.1% | HYG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.0% | −61.3% | HYG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.34 | 0.40 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.46 | 0.57 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.14 | HYG (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 VBR 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 VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HYG and VBR do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and VBR follows Morningstar US Small Cap Value 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 VBR +17.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.3 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.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or VBR?
- VBR 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.
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 VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vbr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against VBR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vbr
[HYG against VBR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vbr)
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