PHYL vs SHYG: Differences, Returns & Fees
PHYL's duration was 3.0 years on May 29, 2026 and SHYG's 2.1 on Jul 31, 2026; SHYG charges 0.30% to PHYL's 0.39%. Net assets: $1.5bn on Oct 19, 2026 for PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF, and $7.6bn on Oct 20, 2026 for iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
SHYG costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points; SHYG is 5.1 times larger.
| PHYL | SHYG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.30% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026 | $1.5bn | $7.6bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +0.8% | +2.1% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index |
| Holdings in common | 30% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
PHYL and SHYG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. PHYL follows No index, actively managed and SHYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index.
- Holdings in common. 30% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
- Size. PHYL has $1.5bn in net assets and SHYG $7.6bn (net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026); SHYG is 5.1 times larger.
Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, PHYL and SHYG hold 30% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
30% in common
On the same fields
PHYL and SHYG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About PHYL
PHYL is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +0.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.9% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.
About SHYG
SHYG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PHYL or SHYG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PHYL returned +0.8% and SHYG +2.1%.
- Which is cheaper, PHYL or SHYG?
- SHYG is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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, PHYL against SHYG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/phyl-vs-shyg
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). PHYL against SHYG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/phyl-vs-shyg
[PHYL against SHYG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/phyl-vs-shyg)
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