The Best Short-Term Bond ETFs

The table below compares the performance and other essential indicators like dividend yield and expense ratio of Short-Term Bond ETFs.

Short-Term Bond ETFs and funds invest in fixed-income securities with relatively short maturities, typically one to three years. Their shorter duration makes them less sensitive to interest-rate changes than longer-dated bonds, offering lower volatility and more stable principal value while generating modest income — often used as a step up in yield from cash and money market holdings.

Number of ETFs: 66
Avg. Expense Ratio: 0.25%
Avg. Dividend Yield: 4.14%
Avg. 1 Year Return: 3.77%
Median Risk/Return Score: 88 / 100

14 results

Symbol	Full Name	Category	Inception	Expense Ratio	YTD Return	10Y Return (Annualized)	Dividend Yield	Risk / Return Rank
CAGS.TO	CI Canadian Short-Term Aggregate Bond Index ETF	Short-Term Bond	Jun 22, 2017	—	1.10%	—	3.28%	63
DCS.TO	Desjardins Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF	Short-Term Bond	Apr 3, 2017	—	1.16%	—	2.77%	69
HBIL.TO	Hamilton U.S. T-Bill YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF (CAD Hedg...	Derivative Income, Short-Term Bond	Sep 12, 2024	0.35%	0.48%	—	6.26%	56
MCSB.TO	Mackenzie Canadian Short Term Fixed Income ETF	Short-Term Bond	Nov 22, 2017	—	1.31%	—	3.12%	58
QSB.TO	Mackenzie Canadian Short-Term Bond Index ETF	Short-Term Bond	Jan 29, 2018	—	1.24%	—	2.83%	67
RCDB.NEO	RBC Canadian Discount Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond	Jun 12, 2019	0.17%	1.31%	—	2.17%	58
RUSB.TO	RBC Short Term U.S. Corporate Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond, Corporate Bonds	Oct 19, 2017	—	3.39%	—	4.12%	37
TCSB.TO	TD Select Short Term Corporate Bond Ladder ETF	Short-Term Bond	Nov 8, 2018	0.28%	1.56%	—	3.66%	78
TSTX-U.TO	Global X 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Bond Index ETF	Short-Term Bond	Oct 7, 2025	0.15%	0.34%	—	2.67%	—
TUSB.TO	TD Select U.S. Short Term Corporate Bond Ladder ET...	Short-Term Bond, Corporate Bonds	Nov 8, 2018	—	3.63%	—	4.56%	54
VSC.TO	Vanguard Canadian Short-Term Corporate Bond Index ...	Short-Term Bond	Nov 2, 2012	0.11%	1.35%	2.64%	3.71%	77
XSB.TO	iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF	Short-Term Bond, Canadian Government Bonds	Nov 20, 2000	0.10%	1.17%	1.97%	3.10%	65
ZSDB.TO	BMO Short-Term Discount Bond ETF	Short-Term Bond	Jan 24, 2022	0.09%	0.94%	—	1.35%	12
ZSU.TO	BMO Short-Term US IG Corporate Bond Hedged to CAD ...	Short-Term Bond	Feb 10, 2014	—	-0.27%	1.60%	4.31%	25

Best Short-Term Bond ETFs by Risk/Return Score

The top Short-Term Bond ETFs by PortfoliosLab Risk/Return Score are MYCF (99) and FLDB (98). The score measures risk-adjusted performance over the past year, accounting for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
MYCF	State Street My2026 Corporate Bond ETF	99	47.54M	Sep 2024
FLDB	Fidelity Low Duration Bond ETF	98	409.03M	Feb 2024
FLDR	Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF	98	1.91B	Jun 2018
MYCG	State Street My2027 Corporate Bond ETF	98	36.15M	Sep 2024
DCMB	Doubleline Commercial Real Estate ETF	97	162.33M	Mar 2023

Best-Performing Short-Term Bond ETFs Over 5 Years

The top Short-Term Bond ETFs is NEAR (3.91%). Across the lineup, Short-Term Bond ETFs show an average 1-year return of 3.77% and an average 5-year return of 2.14%, providing a clearer view of performance across different investment horizons.

Symbol	Name	Return 5Y	AUM	Inception
NEAR	iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF	3.91%	4.80B	Sep 2013
FLDR	Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF	3.71%	1.91B	Jun 2018
USTB	VictoryShares Short-Term Bond ETF	3.51%	2.28B	Oct 2017
STOT	State Street DoubleLine Short Duration Total Retur...	2.82%	484.95M	Apr 2016
LDSF	First Trust Low Duration Strategic Focus ETF	2.46%	161.84M	Jan 2019

Lowest-Cost Short-Term Bond ETFs

The top Short-Term Bond ETFs is SPTS (0.03%). With an average expense ratio of 0.25%, Short-Term Bond ETFs remain a low-cost option for investors seeking broad market exposure, sector allocations, and diversified portfolio building blocks.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
SPTS	SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF	0.03%	6.08B	Nov 2011
BSV	Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares	0.03%	69.90B	Apr 2007
SCHO	Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	0.03%	12.74B	Aug 2010
VGSH	Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF	0.03%	33.80B	Nov 2009
BBSB	JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Treasury Bond 1-3 Year ...	0.04%	55.20M	Apr 2023

Highest-Yield Short-Term Bond ETFs

The top Short-Term Bond ETFs is TSEC (7.39%). Across the lineup, Short-Term Bond ETFs show an average dividend yield of 4.14%, offering investors a steady stream of income through regular dividend payments, making them attractive for income-seeking portfolios.

Symbol	Name	Dividend Yield	AUM	Inception
TSEC	Touchstone Securitized Income ETF	7.39%	122.71M	Jul 2023
JSI	Janus Henderson Securitized Income ETF	5.86%	1.51B	Nov 2023
SDCP	Virtus Newfleet Short Duration Core Plus Bond ETF	5.56%	13.43M	Nov 2023
MSTI	Madison Short-Term Strategic Income ETF	5.34%	49.12M	Sep 2023
LODI	AAM SLC Low Duration Income ETF	4.96%	77.26M	Dec 2024

Top ETFs Categories

Global Equities · 596 ETFs Europe Equities · 575 ETFs Leveraged Equities · 553 ETFs Derivative Income · 492 ETFs Large Cap Blend Equities · 475 ETFs Asia Pacific Equities · 429 ETFs Technology Equities · 412 ETFs Defined Outcome · 343 ETFs S&P 500 · 300 ETFs Corporate Bonds · 283 ETFs Emerging Markets Equities · 280 ETFs Dividend · 273 ETFs Government Bonds · 262 ETFs Large Cap Growth Equities · 246 ETFs Foreign Large Cap Equities · 230 ETFs Large Cap Value Equities · 201 ETFs High Yield Bonds · 198 ETFs Cryptocurrency · 193 ETFs Options Trading · 164 ETFs Precious Metals · 159 ETFs Health & Biotech Equities · 152 ETFs Energy Equities · 151 ETFs Municipal Bonds · 149 ETFs ESG · 147 ETFs REIT · 146 ETFs Japan Equities · 140 ETFs Emerging Markets Bonds · 136 ETFs Financials Equities · 135 ETFs Nasdaq-100 · 133 ETFs European Government Bonds · 126 ETFs

Top ETFs Comparisons

Compare the top ETFs symbols based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol name

XSB.TO vs. XBB.TO XSB.TO vs. ZAG.TO XSB.TO vs. VSB.TO XSB.TO vs. XSH.TO XSB.TO vs. XCB.TO VSC.TO vs. VSB.TO VSC.TO vs. ZCS.TO VSC.TO vs. TPRF.TO VSC.TO vs. ITA VSC.TO vs. VDY.TO HBIL.TO vs. HBND.TO HBIL.TO vs. SGOV HBIL.TO vs. CBIL.TO HBIL.TO vs. HYLD-U.TO HBIL.TO vs. TLT TCSB.TO vs. TCSH.TO TCSB.TO vs. TDB.TO TCSB.TO vs. TEQT.TO TCSB.TO vs. TBNK.TO TCSB.TO vs. TQCD.TO ZSDB.TO vs. ZEB.TO ZSDB.TO vs. CBIL.TO ZSDB.TO vs. ZSP.TO ZSDB.TO vs. ZMMK.TO ZSDB.TO vs. ZCN.TO TSTX-U.TO vs. HSAV.TO TSTX-U.TO vs. CBIL.TO TSTX-U.TO vs. CASH.TO TSTX-U.TO vs. HBNK.TO TSTX-U.TO vs. CHPS.TO RCDB.NEO vs. RPF.TO RCDB.NEO vs. RIDH.TO RCDB.NEO vs. RBNK.TO RCDB.NEO vs. RCDC.TO RCDB.NEO vs. RUD.TO CAGS.TO vs. CMNY.TO CAGS.TO vs. VXM-B.TO CAGS.TO vs. ONEQ.TO CAGS.TO vs. EHE.TO CAGS.TO vs. CGXF.TO ZSU.TO vs. ZCN.TO ZSU.TO vs. ZEB.TO ZSU.TO vs. ZMMK.TO ZSU.TO vs. ZAG.TO ZSU.TO vs. ZLB.TO RUSB.TO vs. MCSB.TO RUSB.TO vs. QSB.TO RUSB.TO vs. TUSB.TO RUSB.TO vs. RBO.TO RUSB.TO vs. DCS.TO

Risk vs. Return Scatterplot

The Risk vs. Return Scatterplot allows you to quickly compare funds, stocks, and ETFs in one view. It displays the yearly return of an instrument on one axis and the risk (volatility) on the other.

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