Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
LQD vs VGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, LQD returned −3.4% to VGK's +10.4%; 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 $29.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGK costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.8 points.
| Measure | LQD | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.4% | +10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.3%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | 6.1%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $28.3bn | $29.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 19.0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 18, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,127 weekly returnsVGK returned more: +270.3% to +127.7%. LQD swung less: 8.6% to 20.9%. LQD fell less at its worst: −24.7% to −62.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | LQD | VGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +127.7% | +270.3% | VGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.9% | +6.2% | VGK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −5.1% | +71.8% | VGK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 8.6% | 20.9% | LQD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 6.1% | 15.1% | LQD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −24.7% | −62.1% | LQD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.31 | VGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.43 | VGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.10 | LQD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,127 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, LQD and VGK 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
LQD and VGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
LQD and VGK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. LQD follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index and VGK follows FTSE Developed Europe All Cap 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 LQD returned −3.4% and VGK +10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VGK
VGK tracks an index of European Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 1,245 positions, with the top ten at 19.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, LQD or VGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −3.4% and VGK +10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, LQD or VGK?
- VGK 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, LQD against VGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-vgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). LQD against VGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-vgk
[LQD against VGK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-vgk)
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