Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IEFA vs PULS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEFA returned +12.3% to PULS's +4.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $190.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, and $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
IEFA costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.3 points; IEFA is 9.6 times larger.
| Measure | IEFA | PULS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.3% | +4.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI EAFE IMI Index | No index, actively managed |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $190.1bn | $19.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 12.3% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returnsIEFA returned more: +86.0% to +32.2%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 17.8%. PULS fell less at its worst: −5.9% to −33.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IEFA | PULS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +86.0% | +32.2% | IEFA | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.5% | +3.3% | IEFA | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +42.7% | −0.9% | IEFA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.8% | 1.9% | PULS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.7% | 1.6% | PULS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.8% | −5.9% | PULS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.34 | 0.27 | IEFA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.48 | 0.32 | IEFA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.22 | 0.57 | PULS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IEFA and PULS hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IEFA and PULS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
No client brief for this pair: the two funds' holdings are dated 151 days apart.
IEFA
IEFA tracks the MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 2,629 positions, with the top ten at 12.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
PULS
PULS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEFA or PULS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEFA returned +12.3% and PULS +4.0%.
- Which is cheaper, IEFA or PULS?
- IEFA is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 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, IEFA against PULS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-puls
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IEFA against PULS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-puls
[IEFA against PULS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-puls)
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