Are IEI and XBI in the same category?

IEI is a bond ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, IEI or XBI?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEI returned −1.1% and XBI +41.2%.

Which is cheaper, IEI or XBI?

IEI is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IEI vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEI returned −1.1% to XBI's +41.2%, and IEI charges 0.15% to XBI's 0.35%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $17.0bn for iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF and $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.

IEI on its own →XBI on its own →

At a glance

−1.1%

IEI total return, 1 year

+41.2%

XBI total return, 1 year

0.15%

IEI expense ratio

0.35%

XBI expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEI costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 42.3 points; IEI is 1.7 times larger.

IEI vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IEI	XBI
Return
Measure	IEI	XBI
Total return, 1 year	−1.1%	+41.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IEI	XBI
Below its all-time high		8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021
Benchmark
Measure	IEI	XBI
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index	Biotech
Cost and size
Measure	IEI	XBI
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$17.0bn	$10.3bn
Active share vs the S&P 500		98%
Holdings
Measure	IEI	XBI
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight		13%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		18%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IEI and XBI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IEI XBI

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IEI

TREASURY NOTE 2.95%

TREASURY NOTE (2OLD) 2.36%

TREASURY NOTE 2.31%

TREASURY NOTE 2.29%

TREASURY NOTE 2.27%

TREASURY NOTE 2.25%

TREASURY NOTE 2.20%

Only in XBI

MODERNA INC 2.24%

TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP 1.86%

NATERA INC 1.82%

BIOGEN INC 1.75%

HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC 1.75%

UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORP 1.71%

AMGEN INC 1.68%

ABBVIE INC 1.67%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IEI iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF XBI State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Thematic ETF

Issuer iShares State Street

What it is Tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond Biotech

Total return, 1 year −1.1% +41.2%

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.35%

Holdings 82 165

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $17.0bn $10.3bn

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

Alert

About each fund

IEI

IEI tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

XBI

By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.

Questions people ask

Are IEI and XBI in the same category?: IEI is a bond ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, IEI or XBI?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEI returned −1.1% and XBI +41.2%.
Which is cheaper, IEI or XBI?: IEI is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IBB vs IEI CGBL vs IEI BINC vs IEI HGER vs IEI SHY vs XBI VGSH vs XBI HYG vs XBI IGIB vs XBI

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IEI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEI ↗

XBI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XBI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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, IEI against XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iei-vs-xbi

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