iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB) has returned 0.10% so far this year and 4.49% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, ISTB has returned 2.31% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Oct 24, 2012, ISTB's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.17%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 34.0 years.

Historically, 60% of months were positive and 40% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +2.0%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -2.0%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 8 months.

On a daily basis, ISTB closed higher 50% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +1.6%, while the worst single day was Mar 12, 2020 at -1.6%.

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.79%, beta of 0.02, and R² of 0.02 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since October 25, 2012.

• This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (8.32%) than losses (4.43%) — typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• Beta of 0.02 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.02 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
• R² of 0.02 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

ISTB has an expense ratio of 0.06%, which is considered low.

ISTB ranks 94 for risk / return — in the top 94% of ETFs on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF provided a 4.18% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.03 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the iShares Core 1-5 Year USD 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 iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF was 9.34%, occurring on Oct 20, 2022. Recovery took 431 trading sessions.

The current iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF drawdown is 0.81%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.