Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VYM vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VYM returned +18.0% to XBI's +41.2%, and VYM charges 0.04% to XBI's 0.35%.
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Net assets: $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, and $10.3bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.31 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.2 points; VYM is 7.6 times larger.
| Measure | VYM | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $78.9bn | $10.4bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 3% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 24, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,039 weekly returnsXBI returned more: +822.8% to +487.1%. VYM swung less: 16.7% to 29.5%. VYM fell slightly less at its worst: −56.7% to −61.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VYM | XBI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +487.1% | +822.8% | XBI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.3% | +11.8% | XBI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +220.2% | +772.5% | XBI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.7% | 29.5% | VYM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.8% | 20.1% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −56.7% | −61.5% | VYM (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.52 | 0.47 | VYM (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.73 | 0.69 | VYM (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.19 | XBI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,039 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VYM and XBI hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
3% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VYM and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VYM and XBI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index and XBI follows Biotech.
- Holdings in common. 3% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VYM returned +18.0% and XBI +41.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 23.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Are VYM and XBI in the same category?
- VYM is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, VYM or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VYM returned +18.0% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, VYM or XBI?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.31 percentage points a year. That is about $31 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, VYM against XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VYM against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xbi
[VYM against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xbi)
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