Are IBB and IEI in the same category?

IBB is a thematic ETF and IEI 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 IEI?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and IEI −1.1%.

Which is cheaper, IBB or IEI?

IEI 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 IEI: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to IEI's −1.1%, and IEI 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 $17.0bn for iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

IBB on its own →IEI on its own →

At a glance

+37.5%

IBB total return, 1 year

−1.1%

IEI total return, 1 year

0.44%

IBB expense ratio

0.15%

IEI expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEI costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 38.6 points; IEI is 1.5 times larger.

IBB vs IEI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IBB	IEI
Return
Measure	IBB	IEI
Total return, 1 year	+37.5%	−1.1%
Benchmark
Measure	IBB	IEI
What it tracks	Biotech	ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	IBB	IEI
Expense ratio	0.44%	0.15%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$11.0bn	$17.0bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	99%
Holdings
Measure	IBB	IEI
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 IEI 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 IEI

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 IEI

TREASURY NOTE 2.95%

TREASURY NOTE (2OLD) 2.36%

TREASURY NOTE 2.31%

TREASURY NOTE 2.29%

TREASURY NOTE 2.27%

TREASURY NOTE 2.25%

TREASURY NOTE 2.20%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF IEI iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Biotech Tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond

Total return, 1 year +37.5% −1.1%

Expense ratio 0.44% 0.15%

Holdings 245 82

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $11.0bn $17.0bn

IBB and IEI 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.

IEI

IEI tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Are IBB and IEI in the same category?: IBB is a thematic ETF and IEI 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 IEI?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and IEI −1.1%.
Which is cheaper, IBB or IEI?: IEI 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

IBB vs SHY IBB vs VGSH IBB vs IGIB IBB vs TIP IEI vs XBI EMB vs IEI BOND vs IEI IEI vs PDBC

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IBB and IEI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IBB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IBB ↗

IEI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEI ↗

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 IEI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-iei

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