Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HYG vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYG returned +1.3% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $17.5bn for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLF costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.3 points; XLF is 2.9 times larger.
| Measure | HYG | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $17.5bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.4% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HYG and XLF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
HYG and XLF 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.
XLF
XLF tracks an index of Financials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 77 positions, with the top ten at 57.4%. It sat 3.8% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HYG or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYG returned +1.3% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, HYG or XLF?
- XLF is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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 XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HYG against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-xlf
[HYG against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hyg-vs-xlf)
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