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IUSB vs SYSB

iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF

IUSBANasdaq

iShares Systematic Bond ETF

SYSBBCboe

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

IUSB −0.19pt a year

IUSB0.06%SYSB0.25%

Avg volume · 30D

IUSB 59.2×the volume

IUSB6.13MSYSB104K

10Y return · a year

SYSB +0.3pt

IUSB+1.7%SYSB+2.0%

IUSB vs SYSB Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+0.9%IUSB+6.3%SYSB

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. IUSB +0.9%. SYSB +6.3%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−15%−10%−5%10%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
IUSB 0.06%, better
SYSB 0.25%
Fund size
IUSB $50.2B
SYSB $1.41B
1Y total return
IUSB 0.0%, better
SYSB −0.3%
Yield (12M)
IUSB 4.32%
SYSB 4.60%, better
Holdings
IUSB 18280
SYSB 833
Avg volume (30D)
IUSB 6.13M sh, better
SYSB 104K sh
NAV per share
IUSB $44.91
SYSB $85.76
52W range

ETF.net Grade

IUSB: Cost 92, Risk 54, Mission 100, Tradability 89, Holdings 76, Durability 94. SYSB: Cost 64, Risk 50, Mission 100, Tradability 53, Holdings 47, Durability 78.
Pillar letters and Scores for IUSB, SYSB, with each pillar’s weight
PillarIUSBSYSB
Cost30% weightA92HigherB64
Mission25% weightA100A100
Risk15% weightC54HigherC50
Tradability15% weightA89HigherC53
Holdings10% weightA76HigherC47
Durability5% weightA94HigherA78

Rank among US Aggregate Bond funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. IUSB and SYSB are both graded against the same 114 US Aggregate Bond funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Aggregate Bond⁠

Category · 114 funds
See all 114 ›

IUSB ranks 2nd and SYSB 37th of 114 funds in the US Aggregate Bond Category.

  1. Rank 1AAGGiShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFScore 87
  2. Rank 2AIUSBiShares Core Universal USD Bond ETFScore 86
  3. Rank 2ASCHZSchwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFScore 86
  4. Rank 37BPABPGIM Active Aggregate Bond ETFScore 68
  5. Rank 37BSYSBiShares Systematic Bond ETFScore 68
  6. Rank 40BBDBTBluemonte Core Bond ETFScore 67

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

IUSBAiShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF

SYSBBiShares Systematic Bond ETF

In short

IUSB Most core bond funds stop at investment grade. IUSB keeps going, folding high-yield USD debt into the same wrapper across roughly 18,000 bonds, for 0.06% a year.

SYSB A quant twist on core bonds: SYSB tracks a BlackRock index that pools investment-grade and high-yield US dollar debt by rule, rather than mirroring a cap-weighted aggregate, and it charges less than the typical fund in its category.

Stated mandate

IUSB The Fund seeks to track an index of U.S.-dollar-denominated bonds spanning investment-grade and high-yield sectors.

SYSB The fund seeks to track an index of U.S. dollar-denominated bonds that includes both investment-grade and high-yield securities.

Why people hold it

  • IUSB 0.06% a year, a fraction of what the typical broad bond fund in its category charges, and iShares has run it since 2014.
  • Roughly 18,000 bonds spanning investment-grade and high-yield sectors, so one ticker covers ground a plain Agg tracker leaves on the table.ishares.com
  • Tracks its index closely, trades heavily, and sits on a multi-billion-dollar asset base. Income is paid monthly.
  • Among the strongest implementations in a crowded field of nearly 200 core bond funds.
  • SYSB Rules-based by design: one fund holding both investment-grade and high-yield dollar bonds, roughly 800 of them, instead of a plain cap-weighted aggregate.ishares.com
  • 0.25% a year undercuts the 0.36% median in its bond cohort, so the systematic engine costs less than the category's typical tracker.
  • Tracking has stayed tight to the BlackRock Universal Systematic Bond Index, and distributions go out monthly.
  • Trading since 2015 with a billion-dollar-plus asset base and iShares behind the plumbing: a real track record, not a launch-week experiment.

Worth knowing

  • IUSB That high-yield sleeve is the trade-off: more credit risk than an investment-grade-only fund, and more movement when spreads widen.
  • BND, SPAB and SCHZ charge 0.03%, half IUSB's fee, but they stay inside investment grade.
  • Payouts land monthly, but the amount floats with the coupons underneath. Nothing about the income stream is fixed.
  • SYSB You pay up for the method: core aggregate trackers such as BND, SPAB and SCHZ run 0.03%.
  • The high-yield slice brings credit risk that an investment-grade-only aggregate does not carry.
  • Moderately traded rather than one of the category's volume giants, which can mean wider spreads on larger orders.

Full IUSB profile⁠

Full SYSB profile⁠

IUSB vs SYSB Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

IUSB vs SYSB Cost

Overpaying SYSB vs IUSB

$3,889

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • IUSB 0.06%

    $1,270

  • SYSB 0.25%

    $5,159

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • IUSB 0.06%
  • SYSB 0.25%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K051015202530SYSB $5,159IUSB $1,270

Year by year

YearIUSBSYSBOverpaying
10$110$455$345
20$432$1,769$1,337
30$1,270$5,159$3,889

Expense ratio

  • 0.06%IUSB, cheaper
  • 0.25%SYSB
  • Middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
  • Median 0.34%

IUSB 10th cheapest of 114 funds

SYSB 39th cheapest of 114 funds

IUSB vs SYSB Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
IUSB 4.32%
SYSB 4.60%, better
Payout (12M)
IUSB $1.94
SYSB $3.95
Last payment
IUSB $0.15
SYSB $0.35
Ex-dividend
IUSB Oct 1, 2026
SYSB Oct 1, 2026
Paid on
IUSB Oct 6, 2026
SYSB Oct 6, 2026
Frequency
IUSB Monthly
SYSB Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

IUSBMonthly · 45 paymentsAll IUSB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 45 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.12; Mar 1, 2023 $0.12; Apr 3, 2023 $0.12; May 1, 2023 $0.13; Jun 1, 2023 $0.14; Jul 3, 2023 $0.13; Aug 1, 2023 $0.14; Sep 1, 2023 $0.13; Oct 2, 2023 $0.13; Nov 1, 2023 $0.14; Dec 1, 2023 $0.14; Dec 14, 2023 $0.15; Feb 1, 2024 $0.13; Mar 1, 2024 $0.15; Apr 1, 2024 $0.15; May 1, 2024 $0.15; Jun 3, 2024 $0.15; Jul 1, 2024 $0.15; Aug 1, 2024 $0.16; Sep 3, 2024 $0.16; Oct 1, 2024 $0.15; Nov 1, 2024 $0.16; Dec 2, 2024 $0.16; Dec 18, 2024 $0.16; Feb 3, 2025 $0.15; Mar 3, 2025 $0.16; Apr 1, 2025 $0.16; May 1, 2025 $0.16; Jun 2, 2025 $0.17; Jul 1, 2025 $0.16; Aug 1, 2025 $0.17; Sep 2, 2025 $0.16; Oct 1, 2025 $0.17; Nov 3, 2025 $0.16; Dec 1, 2025 $0.16; Dec 19, 2025 $0.16; Feb 2, 2026 $0.17; Mar 2, 2026 $0.16; Apr 1, 2026 $0.16; May 1, 2026 $0.16; Jun 1, 2026 $0.15; Jul 1, 2026 $0.16; Aug 3, 2026 $0.17; Sep 1, 2026 $0.17; Oct 1, 2026 $0.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.2520232026YTD
SYSBMonthly · 45 paymentsAll SYSB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 45 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.30; Mar 1, 2023 $0.30; Apr 3, 2023 $0.31; May 1, 2023 $0.31; Jun 1, 2023 $0.32; Jul 3, 2023 $0.31; Aug 1, 2023 $0.33; Sep 1, 2023 $0.31; Oct 2, 2023 $0.32; Nov 1, 2023 $0.33; Dec 1, 2023 $0.34; Dec 14, 2023 $0.35; Feb 1, 2024 $0.34; Mar 1, 2024 $0.34; Apr 1, 2024 $0.36; May 1, 2024 $0.36; Jun 3, 2024 $0.36; Jul 1, 2024 $0.33; Aug 1, 2024 $0.38; Sep 3, 2024 $0.37; Oct 1, 2024 $0.38; Nov 1, 2024 $0.39; Dec 2, 2024 $0.39; Dec 18, 2024 $0.39; Feb 3, 2025 $0.39; Mar 3, 2025 $0.38; Apr 1, 2025 $0.39; May 1, 2025 $0.38; Jun 2, 2025 $0.37; Jul 1, 2025 $0.40; Aug 1, 2025 $0.35; Sep 2, 2025 $0.38; Oct 1, 2025 $0.38; Nov 3, 2025 $0.37; Dec 1, 2025 $0.15; Dec 19, 2025 $0.35; Feb 2, 2026 $0.33; Mar 2, 2026 $0.34; Apr 1, 2026 $0.33; May 1, 2026 $0.35; Jun 1, 2026 $0.35; Jul 1, 2026 $0.35; Aug 3, 2026 $0.36; Sep 1, 2026 $0.34; Oct 1, 2026 $0.35. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.2520232026YTD

IUSB vs SYSB Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • IUSB
  • SYSB
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: SYSB −18.1% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−15%−10%−5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
IUSB 5.5%SYSB 4.4%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
IUSB 0.25SYSB 0.48, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
IUSB −17.4%, betterSYSB −18.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
IUSB 0.96SYSB 0.65

IUSB and SYSB in the news

All news⁠

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