Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs VYMI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYG returned +1.3% to VYMI's +22.3%; 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 $21.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYMI costs 0.42 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.0 points; VYMI is 1.3 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +22.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.6%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $16.8bn | $21.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 13.8% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 11, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 554 weekly returnsVYMI returned more: +188.1% to +64.6%. HYG swung less: 9.2% to 15.9%. HYG fell less at its worst: −20.7% to −38.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HYG | VYMI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +64.6% | +188.1% | VYMI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.8% | +10.4% | VYMI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −6.2% | +86.8% | VYMI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 9.2% | 15.9% | HYG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 6.3% | 11.4% | HYG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −20.7% | −38.3% | HYG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.29 | 0.55 | VYMI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.43 | 0.78 | VYMI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.23 | 0.27 | VYMI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 554 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HYG and VYMI 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 VYMI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HYG and VYMI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. HYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and VYMI follows FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield 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 VYMI +22.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 21.0 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.
VYMI
VYMI tracks an index of International High Dividend Yield. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +22.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,509 positions, with the top ten at 13.8%. It sat 4.6% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or VYMI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and VYMI +22.3%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or VYMI?
- VYMI is cheaper, by 0.42 percentage points a year. That is about $42 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 VYMI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vymi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against VYMI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vymi
[HYG against VYMI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-vymi)
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