Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs VCLT: Differences, Returns & Fees
HYG's duration was 2.9 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VCLT's 12.0 on May 31, 2026; VCLT charges 0.03% to HYG's 0.49%.
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Net assets: $17.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, and $7.5bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCLT costs 0.46 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.2 points; HYG is 2.2 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | VCLT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | −5.9% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 17.8%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $16.8bn | $7.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsHYG returned more: +137.2% to +101.2%. HYG swung less: 9.0% to 12.5%. HYG fell less at its worst: −20.7% to −34.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HYG | VCLT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +137.2% | +101.2% | HYG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.2% | +4.2% | HYG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −10.7% | −6.3% | VCLT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 9.0% | 12.5% | HYG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 6.1% | 8.7% | HYG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −20.7% | −34.0% | HYG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.27 | HYG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.65 | 0.39 | HYG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.12 | HYG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HYG and VCLT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
HYG and VCLT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HYG and VCLT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and VCLT follows Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 HYG returned +1.3% and VCLT −5.9% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.2 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.
VCLT
VCLT tracks an index of Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 17.8% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VCLT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and VCLT −5.9%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or VCLT?
- VCLT 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 VCLT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vclt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against VCLT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vclt
[HYG against VCLT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vclt)
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