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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, IEF or PFF?

IEF is cheaper, by 0.30 percentage points a year. That is about $30 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IEF vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEF returned −3.2% to PFF's −4.2%, and IEF charges 0.15% to PFF's 0.45%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $43.5bn for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

IEF on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

−3.2%

IEF total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.15%

IEF expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEF costs 0.30 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.0 point; IEF is 3.7 times larger.

IEF vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEF	PFF
Return
Measure	IEF	PFF
Total return, 1 year	−3.2%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IEF	PFF
Below its high	13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IEF	PFF
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	IEF	PFF
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$43.5bn	$11.8bn
Holdings
Measure	IEF	PFF
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		22.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 5, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,020 weekly returns

IEF PFF

Return

Total return edge PFF +80.8% +94.0%

Annualized edge PFF +3.1% +3.4%

Price return edge IEF +10.1% −42.8%

Risk

Volatility edge IEF 6.6% 20.9%

Max drawdown edge IEF −23.3% −65.4%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge IEF 0.25 0.19

Sortino edge IEF 0.36 0.28

Calmar edge IEF 0.13 0.05

Reading

PFF returned more: +94.0% to +80.8%. IEF swung less: 6.6% to 20.9%. IEF fell less at its worst: −23.3% to −65.4%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IEF vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEF	PFF	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+80.8%	+94.0%	PFF	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+3.1%	+3.4%	PFF	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+10.1%	−42.8%	IEF	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	6.6%	20.9%	IEF	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	4.7%	14.0%	IEF	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−23.3%	−65.4%	IEF	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.25	0.19	IEF	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.36	0.28	IEF	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.13	0.05	IEF	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,020 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IEF and PFF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IEF PFF

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 PFF

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 3.93%

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.95%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.33%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.28%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 7.25% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK SERIES L 1.45%

CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII FIXED/FLOAT TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES 1.31%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.29%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities 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 Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year −3.2% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.45%

Holdings 17 453

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $43.5bn $11.8bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-D0BA3015FC

IEF and PFF 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 PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
Number of holdings. IEF holds 17 positions and PFF holds 453.

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.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IEF or PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, IEF or PFF?: IEF is cheaper, by 0.30 percentage points a year. That is about $30 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IEF vs SPSB IEF vs VGLT IEF vs VUSB IEF vs TIP PFF vs VGIT GOVT vs PFF MBB vs PFF PFF vs VGSH

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IEF and PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEF ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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 PFF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-pff

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