Which returned more over the last year, LQD or VCEB?

In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −3.4% and VCEB −2.3%.

Which is cheaper, LQD or VCEB?

VCEB is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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LQD vs VCEB: Differences, Returns & Fees

On May 31, 2026 LQD's duration was 8.1 years and VCEB's 6.3; VCEB charges 0.12% to LQD's 0.14%. Net assets: $28.5bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, and $1.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard ESG U.S. Corporate Bond ETF.

VCEB costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.1 points; LQD is far larger, $28.3bn against $1.2bn.

	LQD	VCEB
Expense ratio	0.14%	0.12%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$28.3bn	$1.2bn
Total return, 1 year	−3.4%	−2.3%
What it tracks	US investment grade bonds	Bloomberg MSCI US Corporate SRI Select Index
Holdings in common	57%
Below its high	7.8%, high on Sep 22, 2021	4.2%, high on Feb 26, 2026

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026.

−3.4%

LQD total return, 1 year

−2.3%

VCEB total return, 1 year

0.14%

LQD expense ratio

0.12%

VCEB expense ratio

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, LQD and VCEB hold 57% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026.

50%

half

57% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first

Holding LQD VCEB

Amazon.com Inc, due Mar 13, 2036 0.15% 0.16%

T-Mobile USA Inc, due Apr 15, 2030 0.16% 0.15%

CVS Health Corp, due Mar 25, 2048 0.17% 0.15%

Amazon.com Inc, due Mar 13, 2056 0.14% 0.13%

Meta Platforms Inc, due Nov 15, 2055 0.15% 0.13%

Amazon.com Inc, due Mar 13, 2031 0.13% 0.12%

Pfizer Investment Enterprises Pte Ltd, due May 19, 2033 0.12% 0.13%

Bank of America Corp, due Apr 25, 2034 0.12% 0.13%

Oracle Corp, due Feb 4, 2056 0.13% 0.12%

Bank of America Corp, due Jan 23, 2035 0.14% 0.12%

Wells Fargo & Co, due Jan 23, 2037 0.11% 0.15%

AbbVie Inc, due Nov 21, 2049 0.11% 0.14%

Only in LQD

Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc, due Feb 1, 2046 0.20%

Boeing Co/The, due May 1, 2050 0.14%

Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc, due Feb 1, 2036 0.12%

JPMorgan Chase & Co, due Apr 23, 2032 0.11%

Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc, due Jan 23, 2049 0.10%

Morgan Stanley, due Jan 30, 2037 0.10%

Alphabet Inc, due Nov 15, 2035 0.09%

Boeing Co/The, due May 1, 2030 0.09%

Only in VCEB

US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2028 0.41%

MORGAN STANLEY, due Apr 12, 2029 0.27%

CITIGROUP INC, due Feb 13, 2030 0.14%

WELLS FARGO CO, due Oct 23, 2029 0.13%

JPMORGAN CHASE, due Oct 23, 2029 0.13%

CHARLES SCHWAB, due Nov 14, 2031 0.13%

GOLDMAN SACHS GP, due Jan 21, 2029 0.13%

AT&T INC, due Mar 1, 2029 0.13%

Check overlap with more funds →

On the same fields

LQD

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

VCEB

Vanguard ESG U.S. Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of US investment grade bonds Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year −3.4% −2.3%

S&P 500 over the same days +17.3% +17.3%

Gap to the S&P 500 −20.6 pts −19.6 pts

Expense ratio 0.14% 0.12%

Holdings 3167 2734

Net assets, LQD as of Oct 9, 2026 and VCEB as of Sep 30, 2026 $28.5bn $1.2bn

LQD and VCEB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

LQD in plain words

LQD tracks an index of US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 7.8% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 9, 2026.

VCEB in plain words

VCEB tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned −2.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.12% a year. It sat 4.2% below its high of Feb 26, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, LQD or VCEB?: In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −3.4% and VCEB −2.3%.
Which is cheaper, LQD or VCEB?: VCEB is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

LQD vs QLTA IBDY vs LQD LQD vs SUSC BSCX vs LQD VCEB vs VCIT UCON vs VCEB SPBO vs VCEB VCEB vs VTC

LQD on its own →VCEB on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

LQD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗LQD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗iShares page for LQD ↗VCEB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗VCEB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Vanguard page for VCEB ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, LQD against VCEB, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-vceb

Open data

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