Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IEF vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEF returned −3.2% to VXUS's +13.8%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $43.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.0 points; VXUS is 3.9 times larger.
| Measure | IEF | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.2% | +13.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $41.6bn | $163.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 14.6% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 4, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 820 weekly returnsVXUS returned more: +158.2% to +40.6%. IEF swung less: 6.3% to 16.5%. IEF fell less at its worst: −23.3% to −34.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IEF | VXUS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +40.6% | +158.2% | VXUS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.2% | +6.2% | VXUS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.8% | +62.6% | VXUS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 6.3% | 16.5% | IEF | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 4.5% | 11.8% | IEF | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −23.3% | −34.6% | IEF | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.12 | 0.35 | VXUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.16 | 0.49 | VXUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.09 | 0.18 | VXUS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 820 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IEF and VXUS 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
IEF and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IEF and VXUS 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 VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US 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 IEF returned −3.2% and VXUS +13.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 17.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 8,913 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEF or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and VXUS +13.8%.
- Which is cheaper, IEF or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, IEF against VXUS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vxus
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IEF against VXUS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vxus
[IEF against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vxus)
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