Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VYM vs XYLD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VYM returned +18.0% to XYLD's +15.8%, and VYM charges 0.04% to XYLD's 0.60%.
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Net assets: $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, and $3.4bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.56 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.2 points.
| Measure | VYM | XYLD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +15.8% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 15.2% | rose 4.3% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 9.1% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 93% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | Benchmark: S&P 500, measured through SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.60% |
| Net assets, VYM as of Sep 30, 2026 and XYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 | $78.9bn | $3.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 36% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 90% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VYM and XYLD hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
36% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VYM and XYLD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
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%.
XYLD
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XYLD paid 10.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +13.6% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 2.2 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.1%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
Questions people ask
- Are VYM and XYLD in the same category?
- VYM is a stock ETF and XYLD is an option-income 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 XYLD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VYM returned +18.0% and XYLD +15.8%.
- Which is cheaper, VYM or XYLD?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.56 percentage points a year. That is about $56 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 XYLD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xyld
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VYM against XYLD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xyld
[VYM against XYLD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xyld)
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