# HYG ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What HYG holds, its 0.49% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund holds bonds from companies with lower credit ratings, often called high yield or junk bonds. It charges 0.49% a year. From April 2007 to October 2026 it returned about 4.8% a year, and its worst drop was −34.3%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.49% a year (about $49 on $10,000).
- Started trading on April 4, 2007.
- Worst drop since 2007: −34.3%.
- 6 Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does HYG hold?

This fund holds bonds from companies with lower credit ratings, often called high yield or junk bonds. These bonds pay more interest because there is a bigger chance a company may not pay back. The fund's price can drop when the economy is weak.

It tracks the iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index. It had 1,334 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).

| Fact | HYG |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF |
| Issuer | iShares (BlackRock) |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% a year |
| Started trading | April 4, 2007 |
| Tracks | iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index |
| Type | US bonds, ETF |
| Holdings | 1,334 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the [iShares (BlackRock) fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239565/ishares-iboxx-high-yield-corporate-bond-etf) |

## What is the HYG expense ratio?

HYG charges 0.49% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.49% fee comes to about $49 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has HYG done since 2007?

From April 2007 to October 2026, HYG returned about 4.8% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $24,726 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | HYG |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 147.3% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 4.8% |
| Worst drop from a high | −34.3% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 10.8% |
| Last 12 months | 1.3% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 8.1% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 3.2% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 4.2% |

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## HYG returns by year

| Year | HYG return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | −0.4% |
| 2025 | 8.6% |
| 2024 | 8.0% |
| 2023 | 11.5% |
| 2022 | −11.0% |
| 2021 | 3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.5% |
| 2019 | 14.1% |
| 2018 | −2.0% |
| 2017 | 6.1% |
| 2016 | 13.4% |
| 2015 | −5.0% |
| 2014 | 1.9% |
| 2013 | 5.8% |
| 2012 | 11.1% |
| 2011 | 6.8% |
| 2010 | 11.9% |
| 2009 | 28.5% |
| 2008 | −17.5% |
| 2007 (part of the year) | 1.6% |

## What was HYG's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. HYG's worst fall was −34.3%, from September 19, 2007 to November 20, 2008. It got back to that high on December 2, 2009.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold HYG?

6 classic strategies hold HYG at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

- [Bold Asset Allocation (BAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/bold-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller, 2022
- [Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/defensive-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2018
- [Protective Asset Allocation (PAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/protective-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2016
- [Composite Dual Momentum](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/composite-dual-momentum.md), by Gary Antonacci, 2012
- [Vigilant Asset Allocation G12 (VAA-G12)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/vigilant-asset-allocation-g12.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2017
- [Bond UI1 (Paul Novell’s unemployment bond strategy)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/novell-bond-ui1.md), by Paul Novell, 2019

## How does HYG compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for HYG:

- [USHY](https://tactfolio.com/etf/ushy.md): iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 0.08% a year
- [JNK](https://tactfolio.com/etf/jnk.md): State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF, 0.4% a year
- [VCIT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/vcit.md): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF, 0.03% a year
- [LQD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/lqd.md): iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, 0.14% a year

See [all 4 HYG alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/hyg.md), compared on the same dates as HYG.

## Test HYG in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add HYG, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for HYG. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from iShares (BlackRock). We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [Portfolio rebalancing](https://tactfolio.com/learn/portfolio-rebalancing): What portfolio rebalancing is, why a 60/40 mix drifts, calendar vs threshold methods, and how taxes and costs fit in.
- [Risk parity](https://tactfolio.com/learn/risk-parity): Risk parity balances risk instead of dollars. See a simple stock and bond example, why funds use leverage, and what went wrong in 2022.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of HYG?

HYG charges 0.49% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $49 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did HYG start trading?

HYG started trading on April 4, 2007. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).

### What does HYG track?

HYG tracks the iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index. This fund holds bonds from companies with lower credit ratings, often called high yield or junk bonds.

### How much has HYG returned per year?

From April 2007 to October 2026, HYG returned about 4.8% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −34.3%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use HYG?

6 of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold HYG, including Bold Asset Allocation (BAA), Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA), Protective Asset Allocation (PAA).

## Sources

- [iShares (BlackRock): iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239565/ishares-iboxx-high-yield-corporate-bond-etf)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.