What Is IUSG? iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF
Last updated September 2026
Short answer
IUSG is iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF, an ETF that tracks the S&P U.S. Growth Index at a 0.04% expense ratio. IUSG holds US large-cap growth companies screened by S&P, and its portfolio is close to indistinguishable from the other large growth funds: Nvidia at 13.0%, Microsoft at 7.4%, Apple at 5.7%, Alphabet at 5.6% and 4.5% across share classes, and Broadcom at 4.8%. What sets it apart is the fee. At 0.04% it is roughly a quarter of what IVW charges for materially the same exposure, which makes it the cheapest mainstream way to express this particular tilt.
IUSG is issued by iShares and tracks the S&P U.S. Growth Index. It charges a 0.04% expense ratio, holds approximately $32.2B in assets under management, yields about 0.49%, and launched in 2000.
Three funds, one trade, three prices
IVW tracks the S&P 500 Growth Index at 0.18%. VONG tracks the Russell 1000 Growth Index at 0.06%. IUSG tracks the S&P U.S. Growth Index at 0.04%. All three are led by Nvidia at around 13-14%, all three run technology above half the portfolio, and all three rise and fall with the same handful of companies.
On a $50,000 position the annual fee is roughly $90, $30 and $20 respectively. Nothing about the exposure justifies that spread. If you want large-cap US growth and have no constraint forcing a particular fund, the cheapest one is the rational default.
What you are actually buying
Technology is 51% of the fund and communication services another 15%. Nvidia alone is 13.0%. Roughly six companies account for close to 40% of the portfolio.
That concentration is not a defect in the fund; it is the honest output of screening a market where the largest companies have grown enormously. But it does mean the diversification implied by holding hundreds of names is largely illusory. This is a concentrated position on US mega-cap technology, and it should be sized as one.
IUSG holdings: top 10
Approximate weights as of August 2026. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.
How do I invest in IUSG?
There are three common ways to get IUSG exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of IUSG directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so IUSG sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. IUSG trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.
New to buying funds? See how to buy an ETF, step by step.
Is IUSG a good buy?
Whether IUSG is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks the S&P U.S. Growth Index, so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is IUSG a buy?
The bottom line on IUSG
IUSG gives you the S&P U.S. Growth Index exposure in one ticker at a 0.04% expense ratio. Most investors use it as a core holding and layer more concentrated thematic portfolios on top.
More on IUSG
Whether IUSG is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is IUSG a buy?
IUSG yields 0.49% as of August 2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see IUSG dividend: yield and schedule.
New to funds like IUSG? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.
Wondering how IUSG fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in IUSG with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how IUSG fits what you actually hold: what it overlaps with, what it leaves you exposed to, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is IUSG?
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IUSG is the iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF. It holds US large-cap companies that S&P screens as growth. It charges 0.04%, holds about $32.2B, and launched in 2000.
IUSG vs IVW vs VONG: which growth fund?
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The exposure is nearly identical, so cost decides. IUSG charges 0.04%, VONG 0.06% and IVW 0.18%. All three are led by Nvidia at 13-14% with technology above half the portfolio. On a $50,000 holding that is roughly $20, $30 and $90 a year for the same trade.
What does IUSG hold?
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Nvidia at 13.0%, Microsoft at 7.4%, Apple at 5.7%, Alphabet at 5.6% and 4.5% across its two share classes, and Broadcom at 4.8%. Technology is 51% of the fund and communication services 15%.
Is IUSG diversified?
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Less than the holding count suggests. About six companies are close to 40% of the fund and technology is 51%. Holding hundreds of names does not diversify you when the top few dominate the weight. Treat it as a concentrated sector-like position.
Why is IUSG so much cheaper than IVW?
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Different index licences and different competitive positioning, not different exposure. iShares prices its Core range aggressively to win long-term holders. The result is that two iShares funds offering nearly the same growth exposure charge 0.04% and 0.18%.
Does IUSG pay a dividend?
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About 0.49%, typically quarterly. Growth companies reinvest earnings rather than distributing them, so income is not a reason to hold this fund.
What would hurt IUSG most?
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Rising interest rates or a downturn in large-cap technology. Growth valuations rest on earnings expected years ahead, which are worth less when rates rise, and with technology at 51% a sector problem becomes a fund problem immediately.
Is IUSG a good core holding?
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Not by itself. It has no value exposure, no small caps and nothing outside the US. As a deliberate tilt alongside a broad core it does a clear job; as a standalone allocation it concentrates you in one end of one market.
What is IUSG's expense ratio?
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IUSG has an expense ratio of 0.04% per year as of August 2026, charged by iShares and deducted from the fund's value rather than billed to you separately. On a $10,000 position that is roughly $4 a year. Fees compound over time, so on a long-term holding the expense ratio is one of the few return drivers you control. It is worth comparing against other funds that track the S&P U.S. Growth Index before you choose.
How do I compare IUSG to similar ETFs?
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Put a few fields side by side: the expense ratio (fees compound over decades), the index or strategy it tracks, the top holdings and how much they overlap with what you already own, the dividend yield, and the AUM, liquidity, and bid-ask spread that affect trading costs. For index funds, tracking error (how closely it follows its index) and tax efficiency matter too. IUSG's figures are above; the full method is in Walnut's guide on how to compare ETFs.
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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Holdings weights and fund statistics on this page are approximations stamped to August 2026; verify current figures against iShares's fund page or your broker before investing.