Which returned more over the last year, HYMB or PFF?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYMB returned −1.0% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, HYMB or PFF?

HYMB is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

HYMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share on X Download as PDF

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HYMB returned −1.0% to PFF's −4.2%, and HYMB charges 0.35% to PFF's 0.45%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about HYMB and PFF

Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $3.8bn for State Street SPDR Nuveen ICE High Yield Municipal Bond ETF and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

HYMB on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

−1.0%

HYMB total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.35%

HYMB expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

HYMB costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.2 points; PFF is 3.1 times larger.

HYMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	HYMB	PFF
Return
Measure	HYMB	PFF
Total return, 1 year	−1.0%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	HYMB	PFF
Below its high	4.7%, high on Jul 2, 2026	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	HYMB	PFF
What it tracks	ICE US Select High Yield Crossover Municipal Index	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	HYMB	PFF
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$3.8bn	$11.8bn
Holdings
Measure	HYMB	PFF
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		22.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 21, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 809 weekly returns

HYMB PFF

Return

Total return edge HYMB (slight) +84.8% +78.4%

Annualized edge HYMB (slight) +4.0% +3.8%

Price return edge HYMB −4.7% −27.5%

Risk

Volatility edge HYMB 8.7% 10.7%

Max drawdown edge HYMB −22.5% −27.2%

Downside capture 88.6% 63.8%

Beta 1.31 0.70

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge HYMB 0.31 0.25

Sortino edge HYMB 0.42 0.35

Treynor 0.021 0.056

Calmar edge HYMB 0.18 0.14

Against the benchmark

Alpha +1.9% a year −3.5% a year

Alpha t-stat 1.23 −0.90

Information ratio 0.33 −0.37

Tracking error 6.4% 17.7%

Each against its own benchmark: HYMB against AGG, Apr 21, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026; PFF against MLRG, Apr 5, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

HYMB returned slightly more: +84.8% to +78.4%. HYMB swung less: 8.7% to 10.7%. HYMB fell less at its worst: −22.5% to −27.2%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: HYMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	HYMB	PFF	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+84.8%	+78.4%	HYMB (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+4.0%	+3.8%	HYMB (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−4.7%	−27.5%	HYMB	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	8.7%	10.7%	HYMB	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	6.4%	7.6%	HYMB	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−22.5%	−27.2%	HYMB	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	104.0%	37.7%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	88.6%	63.8%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.31	0.70	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.49	0.34	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.31	0.25	HYMB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.42	0.35	HYMB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.021	0.056		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.18	0.14	HYMB	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	AGG	MLRG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+1.9% a year	−3.5% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	1.23	−0.90	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−1.2% to +5.0%	−11.0% to +4.0%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.33	−0.37		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	6.4%	17.7%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 809 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, HYMB and PFF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first HYMB PFF

Only in one fund ↓

Only in HYMB

PUERTO RICO SALES TAX FING CORP SALES TAX REVENUE, due Jul 1, 2058 2.49%

PUERTO RICO SALES TAX FING CORP SALES TAX REVENUE, due Jul 1, 2058 1.52%

BUCKEYE OH TOBACCO SETTLEMENT FING AUTH, due Jun 1, 2055 1.25%

PUERTO RICO CMWLTH, due Jul 1, 2041 0.63%

PUERTO RICO SALES TAX FING CORP SALES TAX REVENUE, due Jul 1, 2053 0.61%

PUERTO RICO CMWLTH, due Jul 1, 2046 0.54%

NEW YORK ST LIBERTY DEV CORP LIBERTY REVENUE, due Nov 15, 2044 0.46%

MET PIER & EXPOSITION AUTH IL REVENUE, due Dec 15, 2042 0.43%

Only in PFF

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 3.93%

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.95%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.33%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.28%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 7.25% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK SERIES L 1.45%

CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII FIXED/FLOAT TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES 1.31%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.29%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

HYMB State Street SPDR Nuveen ICE High Yield Municipal Bond ETF PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Tracks an index of Nuveen ICE High Yield Municipal Bond Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year −1.0% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.4% (AGG) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark +0.4 pts vs AGG −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.45%

Holdings 2105 453

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $3.8bn $11.8bn

HYMB and PFF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-182329F383

HYMB and PFF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. HYMB follows ICE US Select High Yield Crossover Municipal Index and PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 HYMB returned −1.0% and PFF −4.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.2 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.

Your saved page · Privacy.

Alert

About each fund

HYMB

HYMB tracks an index of Nuveen ICE High Yield Municipal Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. It sat 4.7% below its high of Jul 2, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, HYMB or PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HYMB returned −1.0% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, HYMB or PFF?: HYMB is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

HYMB vs SPSB EMB vs HYMB HYMB vs VGLT HYMB vs VUSB PFF vs VTEB MUB vs PFF PFF vs PGX PFF vs VRP

Where to next

HYMB on its own →PFF on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →HYMB dividend history →HYMB holdings →PFF dividend history →PFF holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

HYMB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

HYMB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, HYMB against PFF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hymb-vs-pff

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.