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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and MBB −0.8%.

Which is cheaper, IEF or MBB?

MBB is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IEF vs MBB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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On Aug 31, 2026 IEF's duration was 7.0 years and MBB's 5.7; MBB charges 0.04% to IEF's 0.15%.

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Net assets: $43.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $35.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MBS ETF.

IEF on its own →MBB on its own →

At a glance

−3.2%

IEF total return, 1 year

−0.8%

MBB total return, 1 year

0.15%

IEF expense ratio

0.04%

MBB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

MBB costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; IEF is 1.2 times larger.

IEF vs MBB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEF	MBB
Return
Measure	IEF	MBB
Total return, 1 year	−3.2%	−0.8%
Drawdown
Measure	IEF	MBB
Below its high	13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
Measure	IEF	MBB
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index	Bloomberg U.S. MBS Index
Cost and size
Measure	IEF	MBB
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.04%
Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026	$43.4bn	$35.6bn
Holdings
Measure	IEF	MBB
Holdings in common	0%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Mar 23, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,022 weekly returns

IEF MBB

Return

Total return edge IEF +80.3% +63.4%

Annualized edge IEF +3.0% +2.5%

Price return edge IEF +9.3% −9.6%

Risk

Volatility edge MBB 6.6% 4.2%

Max drawdown edge MBB −23.3% −17.4%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge IEF (slight) 0.25 0.24

Sortino edge Tie 0.35 0.35

Calmar edge MBB (slight) 0.13 0.15

Reading

IEF returned more: +80.3% to +63.4%. MBB swung less: 4.2% to 6.6%. MBB fell less at its worst: −17.4% to −23.3%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IEF vs MBB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEF	MBB	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+80.3%	+63.4%	IEF	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+3.0%	+2.5%	IEF	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+9.3%	−9.6%	IEF	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	6.6%	4.2%	MBB	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	4.7%	2.9%	MBB	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−23.3%	−17.4%	MBB	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.25	0.24	IEF (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.35	0.35	Tie	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.13	0.15	MBB (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,022 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IEF and MBB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IEF MBB

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IEF

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2036 9.31%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2035 8.74%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2034 8.63%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2035 8.52%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2034 8.31%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2035 8.25%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2035 8.21%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2034 8.12%

Only in MBB

Ginnie Mae, due Sep 1, 2056 1.05%

Freddie Mac Pool, due May 1, 2051 0.98%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 0.85%

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security, TBA, due Sep 1, 2056 0.70%

Ginnie Mae, due Sep 1, 2056 0.53%

Ginnie Mae II Pool, due Nov 20, 2054 0.51%

Ginnie Mae II Pool, due Oct 20, 2051 0.51%

Ginnie Mae II Pool, due Dec 20, 2051 0.50%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF MBB iShares MBS ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Tracks an index of mortgage-backed securities

Total return, 1 year −3.2% −0.8%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.1% (SPMB)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +0.3 pts vs SPMB

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.04%

Holdings 17 10813

Net assets, IEF as of Oct 27, 2026 and MBB as of Oct 28, 2026 $43.5bn $35.5bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-6FF5F004DC

IEF and MBB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. IEF follows ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index and MBB follows Bloomberg U.S. MBS Index.
Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IEF returned −3.2% and MBB −0.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.4 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

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.

MBB

MBB tracks an index of mortgage-backed securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −0.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.1% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. MBS Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IEF or MBB?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and MBB −0.8%.
Which is cheaper, IEF or MBB?: MBB is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IEF vs MINT IEF vs TIP IEF vs VBIL IEF vs PFF MBB vs VGIT GOVT vs MBB MBB vs VGSH JAAA vs MBB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IEF and MBB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEF and MBB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEF ↗

iShares page for MBB ↗

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

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