Are IBB and IEF in the same category?

IBB is a thematic ETF and IEF is a bond ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, IBB or IEF?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and IEF −3.2%.

Which is cheaper, IBB or IEF?

IEF is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IBB vs IEF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to IEF's −3.2%, and IEF charges 0.15% to IBB's 0.44%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $43.5bn for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

IBB on its own →IEF on its own →

At a glance

+37.5%

IBB total return, 1 year

−3.2%

IEF total return, 1 year

0.44%

IBB expense ratio

0.15%

IEF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEF costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 40.7 points; IEF is 4.0 times larger.

IBB vs IEF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IBB	IEF
Return
Measure	IBB	IEF
Total return, 1 year	+37.5%	−3.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IBB	IEF
Below its high		13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	IBB	IEF
What it tracks	Biotech	ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	IBB	IEF
Expense ratio	0.44%	0.15%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$11.0bn	$43.5bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	99%
Holdings
Measure	IBB	IEF
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight	40%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	50%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IBB and IEF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IBB IEF

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IBB

GILEAD SCIENCES 8.56%

AMGEN INC 8.20%

VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS 7.53%

REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS 5.64%

MODERNA 5.29%

NATERA 3.85%

ARGENX SE ADR 3.42%

ILLUMINA INC 2.93%

Only in IEF

TREASURY NOTE 8.82%

TREASURY NOTE 8.80%

TREASURY NOTE 8.74%

TREASURY NOTE 8.68%

TREASURY NOTE (OLD) 8.68%

TREASURY NOTE (2OLD) 8.65%

TREASURY NOTE 8.48%

TREASURY NOTE 8.40%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Biotech Tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond

Total return, 1 year +37.5% −3.2%

Expense ratio 0.44% 0.15%

Holdings 245 17

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $11.0bn $43.5bn

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

Alert

About each fund

IBB

By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.

IEF

IEF tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 13.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are IBB and IEF in the same category?: IBB is a thematic ETF and IEF is a bond ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, IBB or IEF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and IEF −3.2%.
Which is cheaper, IBB or IEF?: IEF is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

GOVT vs IBB IBB vs VGIT IBB vs JAAA IBB vs SHY IEF vs XBI BITO vs IEF EMB vs IEF IEF vs IWO

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IBB and IEF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IBB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IBB ↗

IEF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEF ↗

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, IBB against IEF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-ief

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