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Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV)
Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV)

ETF · Currency in USD · Last updated May 13, 2025

The Vanguard Short-Term Government Bond ETF (BSV) is a passively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) by Vanguard that aims to track the performance of the Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index. This index includes a diverse range of short-term government and credit securities within the United States, with an average maturity of less than five years.

BSV was first introduced on April 3, 2007, with an annual expense ratio of 0.04%.

ETF Info

ISIN

US9219378273

CUSIP

921937827

Issuer

Vanguard

Inception Date

Apr 3, 2007

Region

North America (U.S.)

Category

Total Bond Market

Leveraged

1x

Index Tracked

Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index

Home Page

advisors.vanguard.com

Asset Class

Bond

Expense Ratio

BSV has an expense ratio of 0.04%, which is considered low.

Share Price Chart

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Compare to other instruments

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.

Popular comparisons:
BSV vs. BND BSV vs. VCSH BSV vs. SCHO BSV vs. SHY BSV vs. BLV BSV vs. BIL BSV vs. IEF BSV vs. SPTS BSV vs. ISTB BSV vs. UPRO
Popular comparisons:
BSV vs. BND BSV vs. VCSH BSV vs. SCHO BSV vs. SHY BSV vs. BLV BSV vs. BIL BSV vs. IEF BSV vs. SPTS BSV vs. ISTB BSV vs. UPRO

Performance

Performance Chart

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Returns By Period

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) returned 2.06% year-to-date (YTD) and 5.94% over the past 12 months. Over the past 10 years, BSV returned 1.71% annually, underperforming the S&P 500 benchmark at 10.69%.

BSV

YTD

2.06%

1M

0.51%

6M

2.56%

1Y

5.94%

5Y*

1.02%

10Y*

1.71%

^GSPC (Benchmark)

YTD

-0.64%

1M

8.97%

6M

-2.62%

1Y

11.90%

5Y*

15.76%

10Y*

10.69%

*Annualized

Monthly Returns

The table below presents the monthly returns of BSV, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20250.43%0.98%0.51%0.96%-0.82%2.06%
20240.30%-0.67%0.42%-0.70%0.91%0.66%1.50%1.08%0.87%-1.05%0.48%-0.05%3.78%
20231.24%-1.20%1.92%0.38%-0.47%-0.56%0.34%0.21%-0.44%0.03%1.79%1.62%4.90%
2022-1.03%-0.53%-1.93%-0.99%0.76%-0.86%1.01%-1.40%-1.80%-0.21%1.41%0.02%-5.49%
2021-0.06%-0.39%-0.19%0.25%0.21%-0.19%0.38%-0.07%-0.30%-0.52%-0.06%-0.24%-1.18%
20200.89%0.95%0.45%0.79%0.57%0.29%0.36%-0.02%0.01%-0.13%0.23%0.23%4.70%
20190.62%0.09%0.97%0.16%0.92%0.70%0.03%1.14%-0.26%0.42%-0.08%0.20%4.98%
2018-0.48%-0.29%0.23%-0.22%0.36%0.05%0.06%0.38%-0.16%0.06%0.37%0.99%1.34%
20170.29%0.19%0.11%0.42%0.25%-0.09%0.35%0.34%-0.31%-0.03%-0.27%-0.04%1.20%
20160.79%0.32%0.45%0.09%-0.21%1.01%0.17%-0.27%0.19%-0.26%-1.01%0.07%1.33%
20150.95%-0.48%0.45%-0.05%0.12%-0.13%0.14%-0.08%0.51%-0.08%-0.29%-0.15%0.92%
20140.53%0.16%-0.30%0.25%0.41%-0.04%-0.24%0.35%-0.15%0.40%0.27%-0.17%1.48%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank

With an overall rank of 96, BSV is among the top 4% of ETFs on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.

The Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank of BSV is 9696
Overall Rank
The Sharpe Ratio Rank of BSV is 9797
Sharpe Ratio Rank
The Sortino Ratio Rank of BSV is 9898
Sortino Ratio Rank
The Omega Ratio Rank of BSV is 9797
Omega Ratio Rank
The Calmar Ratio Rank of BSV is 9696
Calmar Ratio Rank
The Martin Ratio Rank of BSV is 9494
Martin Ratio Rank
The risk-adjusted ranks indicate the investment's position relative to the market. A rank closer to 100 signifies top-performing investments, while a rank closer to 0 might suggest underperformance, based on the selected ratio. The values are calculated based on the past 12 months of returns.

Risk-Adjusted Performance Indicators

The charts below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (^GSPC). These indicators evaluate an investment's returns against its associated risks.

The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk.

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF Sharpe ratios as of May 13, 2025 (values are recalculated daily):

  • 1-Year: 2.59
  • 5-Year: 0.39
  • 10-Year: 0.73
  • All Time: 0.81

These values reflect how efficiently the investment has delivered returns relative to its volatility over different time periods. All figures are annualized and based on daily total returns (including price changes and dividends).

The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF compared to the selected benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time. For deeper analysis or to customize the calculation, use the Sharpe ratio tool.

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Dividends

Dividend History

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF provided a 3.57% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.78 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.

1.50%2.00%2.50%3.00%$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.5020142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Dividend$2.78$2.61$1.89$1.13$1.10$1.48$1.84$1.57$1.30$1.19$1.12$1.16

Dividend yield

3.57%3.38%2.46%1.50%1.36%1.79%2.29%1.99%1.65%1.49%1.40%1.45%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2025$0.00$0.25$0.22$0.25$0.24$0.96
2024$0.00$0.20$0.19$0.20$0.20$0.22$0.22$0.23$0.23$0.22$0.23$0.47$2.61
2023$0.00$0.13$0.12$0.14$0.14$0.15$0.15$0.17$0.17$0.17$0.19$0.38$1.89
2022$0.00$0.07$0.07$0.10$0.07$0.08$0.09$0.09$0.10$0.10$0.11$0.23$1.13
2021$0.00$0.10$0.08$0.09$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.07$0.08$0.07$0.07$0.29$1.10
2020$0.00$0.15$0.14$0.14$0.14$0.13$0.12$0.12$0.12$0.11$0.11$0.20$1.48
2019$0.00$0.16$0.14$0.15$0.16$0.16$0.15$0.16$0.16$0.16$0.15$0.30$1.84
2018$0.00$0.12$0.11$0.13$0.12$0.13$0.12$0.13$0.14$0.13$0.14$0.28$1.57
2017$0.00$0.10$0.09$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.11$0.23$1.30
2016$0.00$0.09$0.09$0.10$0.09$0.10$0.10$0.10$0.10$0.10$0.10$0.22$1.19
2015$0.00$0.08$0.08$0.11$0.09$0.09$0.09$0.09$0.09$0.09$0.09$0.23$1.12
2014$0.08$0.07$0.09$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.08$0.35$1.16

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF was 8.62%, occurring on Oct 20, 2022. Recovery took 445 trading sessions.

The current Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF drawdown is 0.82%.

Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-8.62%Aug 4, 2021307Oct 20, 2022445Jul 31, 2024752
-7.02%Sep 16, 200820Oct 13, 200828Nov 20, 200848
-4.65%Mar 9, 20209Mar 19, 202015Apr 9, 202024
-2.75%Jan 16, 200936Mar 10, 200984Jul 9, 2009120
-2.27%Mar 20, 200860Jun 13, 200857Sep 4, 2008117

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.

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