Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VEA?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +2.9% and VEA returned +24.5%, so VEA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, HYG or VEA?

HYG charges 0.49% a year and VEA charges 0.03%, so VEA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

HYG vs VEA: how they differ

HYG and VEA hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VEA returned more over the year.

iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, HYG and VEA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in HYG	Only in VEA
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.68%	ASML Holding NV 2.37%
1261229 BC LTD 144A 0.56%	Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 1.56%
MERIDIAN ARC HOLDCO LLC 144A 0.47%	SK hynix Inc 1.40%
PR RNO PROPERTY OWNER 1 LLC 144A 0.35%	HSBC Holdings PLC 1.01%
WULF COMPUTE LLC 144A 0.29%	Novartis AG 0.91%
GALAXY HELIOS DATA CENTERS II LLC 144A 0.28%	Royal Bank of Canada 0.90%
PANTHER ESCROW ISSUER LLC 144A 0.28%	AstraZeneca PLC 0.87%
SV RNO PROPERTY OWNER 1 LLC 144A 0.28%	Nestle SA 0.82%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

HYG and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	HYG iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	VEA Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	Vanguard
What it is	US high yield bonds	Developed markets ex US
Total return, 1 year	+2.9%	+24.5%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−14.6 pts	+7.0 pts
Expense ratio	0.49%	0.03%
Holdings	1326	3870

HYG in plain words

HYG is a bond fund tracking the US high yield bonds. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year.

VEA in plain words

VEA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +24.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3870 positions, with the top ten at 13.2%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VEA?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +2.9% and VEA returned +24.5%, so VEA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, HYG or VEA?: HYG charges 0.49% a year and VEA charges 0.03%, so VEA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

HYG against VEA, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, HYG against VEA, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vea Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources