HYLB vs JNK ETF Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
HYLB (Xtrackers High Yield Bond ETF) and JNK (SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF) are both passive U.S. high yield corporate bond ETFs providing monthly income from below-investment-grade corporate bonds — HYLB offers lower expense ratio (0.15%) tracking the broader Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index, while JNK offers extreme trading liquidity, tight bid-ask spreads, and deep options market at 0.40% expense ratio.
HYLB vs JNK is cost-efficient passive high yield bond access with broader index and lower fees (Xtrackers' 0.15% expense ratio on Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index, monthly income, and 1,000+ bond diversification) versus most liquid high yield bond ETF with institutional trading advantages and deep options market (State Street's 0.40% expense ratio JNK, tight bid-ask spreads, institutional block trading efficiency, and JNK options for hedging — paying significant expense ratio premium primarily for liquidity and trading features).
HYLB holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. HYLB has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+2.39% vs +2.34% for JNK).
- Want low-cost passive high yield corporate bond income with the lowest expense ratio in the high yield ETF category (~0.15%) for long-term buy-and-hold portfolio construction
- Prioritize cost efficiency over trading liquidity for core high yield bond exposure in a retirement or income-oriented portfolio where monthly distributions are received and reinvested
- Value broad diversification across 1,000+ high yield bonds in the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index vs. JNK's focus on the very largest and most liquid high yield issues
- Need extreme ETF trading liquidity for institutional-scale high yield credit exposure that can be entered or exited rapidly with minimal market impact and tight bid-ask spreads
- Want to use JNK options for credit risk hedging, covered call income strategies, or complex credit spread positions enabled by JNK's deep and active options market
- Value JNK's 2007 inception track record through multiple credit cycles for historical performance analysis despite the higher 0.40% expense ratio
| Metric | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 39.0 | 37.0 |
| Latest closei | $35.51 | $93.61 |
| 1M returni | -2.03% | -2.13% |
| 6M returni | +1.94% | +2.21% |
| 1Y returni | +2.39% | +2.34% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.94K (+9.4%) started 2025-09-25 | $10.95K (+9.5%) started 2025-09-25 |
| 5Y ago | $16.74K (+67.4%) started 2021-09-27 | $16.86K (+68.6%) started 2021-09-27 |
| 10Y ago | $32.26K (+222.6%) started 2016-12-13 | $33.82K (+238.2%) started 2016-09-26 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.05% | 0.40% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $3.56B | $6.97B |
| Dividend yieldi | 6.51% | 6.61% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.43 | 0.44 |
| 52-week change | 2.39% | 2.34% |
| Metric | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +2.39% | +2.34% |
| 6M returni | +1.94% | +2.21% |
| 1M returni | -2.03% | -2.13% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -0.54 | -0.54 |
| Betai | 0.43 | 0.44 |
| Dividend yieldi | 6.51% | 6.61% |
| 5Y CAGR | +3.50% | +3.15% |
Over the past year, HYLB and JNK have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.96), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +2.39% | +2.34% |
| CAGRi | +2.39% | +2.34% | |
| Volatilityi | 3.80% | 3.86% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.54 | -0.54 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.73 | -0.75 | |
| Max drawdowni | 2.27% | 2.51% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.06% | 2.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.38% | 0.41% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 0.62% | 0.66% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.93% | 0.88% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 1.06% | 1.16% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +18.74% | +16.77% |
| CAGRi | +3.50% | +3.15% | |
| Volatilityi | 7.49% | 7.56% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.10 | -0.15 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.14 | -0.20 | |
| Max drawdowni | 15.54% | 16.67% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.06% | 2.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 3.44% | 3.89% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 5.43% | 6.07% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.67% | 3.43% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 6.82% | 6.64% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +53.42% | +53.75% |
| CAGRi | +4.47% | +4.40% | |
| Volatilityi | 8.08% | 8.20% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.03 | 0.02 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.04 | 0.03 | |
| Max drawdowni | 22.91% | 22.89% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.06% | 2.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 2.37% | 2.64% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 4.36% | 4.78% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.39% | 5.76% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 13.12% | 13.15% |
| Category | HYLB | JNK |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.05% | 0.40% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $3.56B | $6.97B |
| Dividend yieldi | 6.51% | 6.61% |
- Extremely low expense ratio (approximately 0.15%) for high yield bond exposure — HYLB's sub-0.20% expense ratio is significantly below the category average for actively managed high yield funds (0.50-1.00%) and competitive with or below most passive high yield ETF alternatives
- Broad diversification across 1,000+ high yield bonds reduces single-issuer default risk — no single bond issuer represents a large fraction of the fund; a single company's bankruptcy has limited impact on the overall portfolio
- Monthly income distributions suit income-oriented investors — HYLB distributes coupon income monthly, providing regular cash flow from the bond coupon payments; monthly distributions are more manageable than quarterly or semi-annual
- Extreme ETF liquidity makes JNK ideal for institutional and tactical investors who need to enter/exit high yield positions quickly — JNK's enormous AUM and established market maker relationships create consistently tight bid-ask spreads even during market stress
- Deep options market enables sophisticated hedging and income strategies — JNK has one of the most active options markets of any bond ETF; investors can buy JNK puts to hedge credit risk, sell JNK covered calls to enhance income, or implement credit spread strategies
- Long track record (2007 launch) through multiple credit cycles — JNK has data through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, 2015-2016 energy sector stress, 2020 COVID credit dislocation, and 2022 rate rise
- High yield bonds are correlated with equity risk — during economic recessions or financial crises, high yield bonds experience significant price declines as default risk rises; in 2008-2009 financial crisis, high yield bond prices fell 30-40%
- Rising interest rates reduce bond prices — all bonds lose value when interest rates rise; high yield bonds have shorter duration than investment grade (typically 4-5 years) reducing but not eliminating rate sensitivity
- Index tracking means holding distressed bonds that may default — passive index tracking requires HYLB to hold bonds as they deteriorate in credit quality until they fall out of the index; unlike active managers who can sell deteriorating credits, HYLB must hold until index reconstitution
- Higher expense ratio (0.40%) vs HYLB (0.15%) creates a persistent performance drag — the 0.25% expense ratio difference compounds significantly over long holding periods; for buy-and-hold income investors, HYLB's lower cost is a meaningful advantage
- Focus on very liquid bonds may miss higher-yielding less-liquid high yield bonds — JNK's very liquid index focuses on larger bond issuances; funds tracking broader indices may access higher yields
- JNK's index (Bloomberg High Yield Very Liquid) differs from HYLB's index in composition — different indices produce different portfolios with different credit quality, duration, yield, and sector exposure
Compare more than two at a time
This page is a fixed writeup on HYLB and JNK. Our comparison engine is the interactive version: load up to five tickers, switch timeframes, and get the correlation, drawdown, and overlap analysis that a static page can't show.
Add three more names beside HYLB and JNK, mixing stocks and ETFs in the same table — useful when the real question is which of a whole peer group to own.
AI score, forward P/E, analyst target upside, operating margin, and revenue growth are scored head-to-head, with a running tally of which ticker leads on how many metrics.
Volatility, Sharpe and Sortino ratios, maximum, current, and average drawdown, Ulcer Index, and worst single-day and single-week drops across every timeframe.
Pairwise daily-return correlation for every combination, so you can see whether two holdings actually diversify each other or just move together.
A scatter plot of forward P/E against return on equity, plus drawdown and 30-day rolling volatility charts, to separate what is cheap from what is merely beaten down.
For ETFs, a top-holdings comparison that exposes hidden overlap between funds. Every comparison exports to CSV for your own spreadsheet work.
Two comparisons a week are free without an account. A 14-day trial removes the limit and adds AI price forecasts, stock rankings, saved watchlists, and the intrinsic value calculator — no credit card required.
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.