Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
LQD vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, LQD returned −3.4% to QUAL's +13.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $30.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, and $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
LQD costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.5 points; QUAL is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | LQD | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.4% | +13.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.3%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 23, 2026 | $30.2bn | $48.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 97% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, LQD and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
LQD and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
LQD
LQD tracks an index of US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 6.3% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, LQD or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −3.4% and QUAL +13.1%.
- Which is cheaper, LQD or QUAL?
- LQD is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 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, LQD against QUAL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). LQD against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-qual
[LQD against QUAL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-qual)
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