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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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PFF vs USO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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PFF is an equity index fund and USO a commodity futures fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, USO returned +133.3% against −4.2%.

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Net assets: $11.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF, and $1.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for United States Oil Fund, LP.

PFF on its own →USO on its own →
At a glance
−4.2%
PFF total return, 1 year
+133.3%
USO total return, 1 year
0.45%
PFF expense ratio
0.86%
USO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

PFF costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 137.5 points; PFF is 6.2 times larger.

PFF vs USO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasurePFFUSO
Return
Total return, 1 year−4.2%+133.3%
Drawdown
Below its high7.1%, high on May 8, 202682.3%, high on Jul 14, 2008
Benchmark
What it tracksICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities IndexOil futures
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.45%0.86%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$11.8bn$1.9bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund22.7%

Method

Side by side

PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF USO United States Oil Fund, LP
Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF
Issuer iShares USCF
What it is Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities Holds oil futures
Total return, 1 year −4.2% +133.3%
Its benchmark over the same days +13.6% (MLRG) not measured
Gap to its benchmark −17.8 pts vs MLRG not measured
Expense ratio 0.45% 0.86%
Holdings 453 not counted
Net assets, PFF as of Oct 27, 2026 and USO as of Oct 28, 2026 $11.8bn $1.9bn

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

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About each fund
PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% 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 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

USO

USO holds oil futures. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +133.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.86% a year. It sat 82.3% below its high of Jul 14, 2008 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PFF or USO?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and USO +133.3%.
Which is cheaper, PFF or USO?
PFF is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
BWET vs PFFPFF vs SIVRPFF vs SLVGLDM vs PFFEMB vs USOUSO vs VGLTTIP vs USOBINC vs USO
Where to next
PFF on its own →USO on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →PFF dividend history →PFF holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
iShares page for PFF ↗
USCF website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PFF against USO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-uso

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