Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYG returned +1.3% to VDE's +58.8%; 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 $10.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Energy ETF.
Pair scorecard
VDE costs 0.40 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 57.5 points; HYG is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | VDE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +58.8% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $16.8bn | $10.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 81% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 67.1% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HYG and VDE 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 VDE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
VDE
VDE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +58.8% with distributions reinvested, against +59.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 81% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 67.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VDE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and VDE +58.8%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or VDE?
- VDE is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 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 VDE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vde
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against VDE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vde
[HYG against VDE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vde)
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