HYG — iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

Overview

The iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) is a fund within the US Bonds - Corporate category managed by iShares. Tracked by ETFValuer among five peers in this specific category, the fund holds an overall rank of #100 out of 120 ETFs across all categories and carries a C grade with a score of 53.5 out of 100. With an expense ratio of 0.49% and a dividend yield of 4.77%, the fund offers a moderate cost structure alongside a relatively high income profile. The fund trades at a price of $79.66 and manages assets under management totaling $17.6 billion. This substantial asset base suggests significant investor adoption despite the fund's mid-tier ranking within the broader ETFValuer universe. The combination of high yield and large scale positions the fund as a major player in the high-yield corporate bond space.

Over the short term, the fund posted a 1-day return of -0.13% followed by a 1-week gain of +0.07%. Monthly performance showed acceleration with a 1-month return of +0.75% and a 3-month return of +0.91%. This upward momentum continued into the 6-month period with a return of +0.94%, while year-to-date gains reached +1.20%. The 1-year return stood at +4.91%, indicating a stronger performance over the annual horizon compared to shorter intervals. Extending the view to a 3-year period, the fund achieved a cumulative return of +25.07%. The data reveals a pattern where returns generally expanded as the time horizon lengthened from one day to three years.

The fund carries a volatility label of Very Low and a beta of 0.66, suggesting it moves less than the broader market and exhibits low price fluctuation. Despite this low volatility, the Sharpe ratio is recorded at -0.02, indicating that the risk-adjusted returns have been minimal relative to the risk taken. The maximum drawdown of -4.56% represents the largest peak-to-trough decline observed during the tracked period. This combination of low volatility and a negative Sharpe ratio implies that while the fund avoids severe price swings, it has struggled to generate sufficient excess returns to compensate for the risk. The modest drawdown figure aligns with the low volatility classification, showing limited downside severity in down markets.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

HYG Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-02-28 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.55% (as of 2026-07-07) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 16.13 (as of 2026-07-07) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

High-Yield Credit Spread: 2.67% (as of 2026-07-07) — The extra yield investors demand to hold high-yield corporate bonds over Treasuries — a real-time gauge of credit risk appetite relevant to this fund’s holdings.

HYG Performance History

How HYG Compares to Other US Bonds - Corporate ETFs