Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs SPHQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to SPHQ's +14.1%, and SPHQ 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 $18.7bn for Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF.
Pair scorecard
SPHQ costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.4 points; SPHQ is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +14.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.4%, high on Jun 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.0bn | $18.7bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 43.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 16, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,088 weekly returnsIBB returned more: +748.5% to +599.2%. SPHQ swung less: 18.0% to 22.6%. IBB fell less at its worst: −37.5% to −56.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | SPHQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +748.5% | +599.2% | IBB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.8% | +9.7% | IBB (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +712.2% | +432.7% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.6% | 18.0% | SPHQ | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.8% | 13.0% | SPHQ | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.5% | −56.9% | IBB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.49 | 0.51 | SPHQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.70 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.29 | 0.17 | IBB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,088 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and SPHQ 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
IBB and SPHQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and SPHQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and SPHQ follows S&P 500 Quality Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IBB returned +37.5% and SPHQ +14.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 23.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
SPHQ
SPHQ tracks the S&P 500 Quality. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% 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 102 positions, with the top ten at 43.3%. It sat 6.4% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and SPHQ in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and SPHQ is a stock 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 SPHQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and SPHQ +14.1%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or SPHQ?
- SPHQ 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.
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, IBB against SPHQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-sphq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against SPHQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-sphq
[IBB against SPHQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-sphq)
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