Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs VGSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to VGSH's +1.7%, and VGSH charges 0.03% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGSH costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 35.8 points; VGSH is 3.1 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | VGSH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +1.7% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $11.2bn | $35.1bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| 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 Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsIBB returned more: +714.7% to +26.7%. VGSH swung less: 1.3% to 22.6%. VGSH fell less at its worst: −5.5% to −37.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | VGSH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +714.7% | +26.7% | IBB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.2% | +1.4% | IBB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +682.5% | −3.7% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.6% | 1.3% | VGSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.5% | 0.9% | VGSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.5% | −5.5% | VGSH | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.59 | −0.09 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.87 | −0.14 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.35 | 0.26 | IBB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and VGSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and VGSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and VGSH do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and VGSH follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IBB returned +37.5% and VGSH +1.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 35.8 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.
VGSH
VGSH tracks an index of Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against +1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and VGSH in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and VGSH 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 VGSH?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and VGSH +1.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or VGSH?
- VGSH is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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 VGSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vgsh
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against VGSH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vgsh
[IBB against VGSH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vgsh)
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