AGG vs IEF: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
AGG and IEF are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. AGG is iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, while IEF is iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF. AGG is broader by holdings count, with 13,395 positions versus 18 for IEF. IEF is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has AGG ahead on AIQ Score, 64 versus 62.
What is the main difference between AGG and IEF?
AGG holds 13,395 positions to IEF's 18, and 5% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | AGG | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Holdings | 13,395 | 18 |
| Top-10 concentration | 3.8% | 84.8% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 4.16% | 4.12% |
| Average volume | 9,555,111 | 8,070,999 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -5.8% | -7.5% |
| YTD return | -4.6% | -6.1% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | -0.3% | -1.6% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.2% | -9.3% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -17.3% | -20.4% |
| Beta | 0.14 | 0.13 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.29 | -2.25 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.19 | -3.30 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 64/100 | 62/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Momentum | 55/100 | 58/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 93/100 | 87/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF vs iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
AGG leads
AGG leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Quality.
Fragile: 1 of 4 evidence groups support AGG, and its current signal state is conflicted.
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors AGG over IEF, 64 versus 62 as of Oct 21, 2026. AGG's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and quality. AGG also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor AGG today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. AGG lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.
Compare iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
AGG vs IEF: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | AGG | IEF | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.03% | 0.15% | AGG |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 13,395 | 18 | AGG |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 3.8% | 84.8% | AGG |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 4.16% | 4.12% | Similar |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -17.3% | -20.4% | AGG |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 4.2% | 5.1% | Similar |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare AGG and IEF against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience93 vs 87AGG +6
- Quality75 vs 71AGG +4
- Momentum55 vs 58Even
- Value45 vs 45Even
1 of 4 evidence groups favor AGG. AGG’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and quality.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +3
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +5
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
AGG's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — AGG and IEF both carry a full feed there.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | AGG | IEF | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.15% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 13,395 | 18 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 9,555,111 | 8,070,999 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 4.2% | 5.1% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.2% | -9.3% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.29 | -2.25 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.14 | 0.13 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
AGG and IEF share 4.92% of their weighted exposure across 16 common holdings.
13,344 holdings are unique to AGG, and every IEF holding is also in AGG. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
IEF is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 84.78% of the fund, against 3.79% for AGG (18 holdings vs 13,395). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | AGG | IEF | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| TREASURY NOTE 4.63% 02/15/2035 | 0.39% | 8.79% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE (OLD) 4.38% 05/15/2036 | 0.39% | 8.65% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.25% 11/15/2034 | 0.39% | 8.77% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.38% 05/15/2034 | 0.38% | 8.45% | 0.38% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.25% 08/15/2035 | 0.37% | 8.3% | 0.37% |
| TREASURY NOTE (2OLD) 4.13% 02/15/2036 | 0.37% | 9.36% | 0.37% |
| TREASURY NOTE 3.88% 08/15/2034 | 0.37% | 6.76% | 0.37% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.50% 11/15/2033 | 0.37% | 7.05% | 0.37% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What AGG adds that IEF doesn’t
| Holding | AGG | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY NOTE 4.00% 02/28/2030 | 0.38% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 3.88% 07/15/2028 | 0.37% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 3.50% 10/15/2028 | 0.35% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 3.88% 06/15/2028 | 0.35% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 3.63% 08/15/2028 | 0.31% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 2.88% 05/15/2032 | 0.31% | Not held |
What IEF adds that AGG doesn’t
| Holding | IEF | AGG |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY NOTE (2OLD) 4.13% 02/15/2036 | 9.36% | 0.37% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.63% 02/15/2035 | 8.79% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.25% 11/15/2034 | 8.77% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.00% 11/15/2035 | 8.66% | 0.36% |
| TREASURY NOTE (OLD) 4.38% 05/15/2036 | 8.65% | 0.39% |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.38% 05/15/2034 | 8.45% | 0.38% |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor AGG. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 64 vs 62 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Even | Value 45 vs 45 |
| Technicals | Even | Price vs 50-day -0.8% vs -1.1%; vs 200-day -3.2% vs -4.1% |
| Risk Resilience | AGG | Risk Resilience 93 vs 87 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of AGG and IEF and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 1 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on AGG.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20AGG lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- AGG +2
- 64 vs 62
- 7 sessions ago
- AGG +2
- 62 vs 60
- 30 sessions ago
- AGG +2
- 56 vs 54
- 90 sessions ago
- AGG +2
- 58 vs 56
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
AGG and IEF carry the same 6 signals, so the signals do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, Death Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, 52-Week Low Proximity, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
AGG leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.03%, AIQ +1 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.02%, AIQ +1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1IEF closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 6 points behind, the largest single contributor to AGG's edge.
- 2IEF's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3AGG's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
AGG leads 4 of 6 windows| Metric | AGG | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1% | -1% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -2.4% | -3.1% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -4.2% | -5.4% |
| Year to date | -4.6% | -6.1% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -5.8% | -7.5% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | AGG | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 65.7 | 68.6 |
| ADX (14) | 30.9 | 32.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | -0.8% | -1.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | -3.2% | -4.1% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Risk
AGG is the more resilient| Metric | AGG | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.14 | 0.13 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.29 | -2.25 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.19 | -3.3 |
| Max drawdown | -7.2% | -9.3% |
| Current drawdown | -6% | -7.9% |
| Annualized volatility | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -0.5% | -0.5% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between AGG and IEF?
AGG holds 13,395 positions to IEF's 18, and 5% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do AGG and IEF overlap?
AGG and IEF share 4.92% of their weighted exposure across 16 common holdings. 13,344 holdings are unique to AGG, and every IEF holding is also in AGG. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, AGG or IEF?
AGG holds more positions: 13,395 versus 18 for IEF.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
AGG has the lower expense ratio, 0.03% a year against 0.15% for IEF.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
Their trailing 12-month distribution yields are similar: 4.16% for AGG and 4.12% for IEF.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
Their volatility over the past year is similar: 4.2% annualized for AGG and 5.1% for IEF.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
AGG fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -17.3% against -20.4% for IEF.
Compare AGG and IEF with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.