Are IBB and SPSB in the same category?

IBB is a thematic ETF and SPSB 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 SPSB?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and SPSB +2.2%.

Which is cheaper, IBB or SPSB?

SPSB is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IBB vs SPSB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to SPSB's +2.2%, and SPSB charges 0.04% to IBB's 0.44%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $11.3bn for State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF.

IBB on its own →SPSB on its own →

At a glance

+37.5%

IBB total return, 1 year

+2.2%

SPSB total return, 1 year

0.44%

IBB expense ratio

0.04%

SPSB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPSB costs 0.40 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 35.3 points.

IBB vs SPSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IBB	SPSB
Return
Measure	IBB	SPSB
Total return, 1 year	+37.5%	+2.2%
Benchmark
Measure	IBB	SPSB
What it tracks	Biotech	Bloomberg U.S. 1-3 Year Corporate Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	IBB	SPSB
Expense ratio	0.44%	0.04%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$11.0bn	$11.3bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	99%
Holdings
Measure	IBB	SPSB
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 SPSB 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 SPSB

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 SPSB

SALESFORCE INC SR UNSECURED 03/29 4.65 0.66%

AERCAP IRELAND CAP/GLOBA COMPANY GUAR 10/28 3 0.47%

PFIZER INVESTMENT ENTER COMPANY GUAR 05/28 4.45 0.45%

AMAZON.COM INC SR UNSECURED 03/29 4 0.45%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP SR UNSECURED 12/28 VAR 0.45%

NVIDIA CORP SR UNSECURED 06/29 4.35 0.43%

GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC SR UNSECURED 05/29 VAR 0.38%

ORACLE CORP SR UNSECURED 02/29 4.55 0.37%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF SPSB State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares State Street

What it is Biotech Tracks an index of Short Term Corporate Bond

Total return, 1 year +37.5% +2.2%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.4% (AGG)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +3.6 pts vs AGG

Expense ratio 0.44% 0.04%

Holdings 245 1684

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $11.0bn $11.3bn

IBB and SPSB 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.

SPSB

SPSB tracks an index of Short Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.2% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year.

Questions people ask

Are IBB and SPSB in the same category?: IBB is a thematic ETF and SPSB 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 SPSB?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and SPSB +2.2%.
Which is cheaper, IBB or SPSB?: SPSB is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IBB vs IGSB BSV vs IBB IBB vs VCSH IBB vs PFF SPSB vs XBI BITO vs SPSB PDBC vs SPSB CGBL vs SPSB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IBB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IBB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IBB ↗

SPSB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

SPSB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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

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