Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBLAX) Sharpe Ratio: 0.27

VBLAX's Sharpe Ratio of 0.27 indicates that for each unit of volatility, it generates 0.27 units of excess return above the risk-free rate. The ratio is calculated using historical daily returns over the past 12 months (as of Apr 1, 2026).

Sharpe uses total volatility (standard deviation) which includes both upside and downside price movements, making it useful for comparing risk-adjusted returns across different assets.

VBLAX Sharpe Ratio Rank

Concerning

VBLAX ranks above 11.9% of all investments in our database based on Sharpe Ratio over the past 12 months, indicating weak returns relative to total risk taken. Securities are ranked from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

What moves the rank

Strong returns with low total volatility → Higher rank
High volatility (both upside and downside) → Lower rank
Consistent returns → Higher rank than volatile returns of same magnitude
Sharp drawdowns increase volatility → Lower rank

What you can do with this information

Weak risk-adjusted returns relative to category peers
Evaluate whether this holding aligns with your risk-return objectives
Consider reducing exposure or re-evaluating position size
Review higher-ranked alternatives in the same category

VBLAX Sharpe Ratio Market Positioning

The chart shows VBLAX's Sharpe Ratio relative to all mutual funds on our platform, with color zones indicating percentile rankings. Higher ratios indicate better risk-adjusted returns.

Red zone (bottom 25%): 0.65 or lower
Yellow zone (middle 50%): 0.65 to 1.37
Green zone (top 25%): 1.37 or higher
Top 1%: 3.58+
Median: 1.00 — half of all investments score higher

How it compares to other similar mutual funds

The table compares Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares's Sharpe Ratio with other mutual funds in the Total Bond Market category across multiple time periods, showing how VBLAX's risk-adjusted performance compares to similar funds.

Data shows 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods, plus each fund's all-time average, as of Apr 1, 2026.

Symbol	Name	1Y Sharpe Ratio
VUSFX	Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Admiral Shares	6.62
VUBFX	Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares	5.20
JSOSX	JPMorgan Strategic Income Opportunities Fund Class I	5.06
FJTDX	Fidelity Flex Conservative Income Bond Fund	3.38
FCNVX	Fidelity Conservative Income Bond Institutional Class	3.36
FIWDX	Fidelity Advisor Strategic Income Fund Class Z	2.18
FADMX	Fidelity Strategic Income Fund	2.14
FSRIX	Fidelity Advisor Strategic Income Fund Class I	2.12
BSIIX	BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund Class I	2.10
FYBTX	Fidelity Series Short-Term Credit Fund	2.09
VBLAX	Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares	0.27

Benchmark Against

Benchmark

S&P 500 Index

Lookback Period

How to choose period

Historical Sharpe Ratio

The chart shows VBLAX's rolling Sharpe ratio over time compared to your chosen benchmark. Rising trends indicate improving returns relative to total volatility, while declining trends may signal deteriorating risk-adjusted performance or increased volatility. Use multiple timeframes to distinguish short-term fluctuations from long-term patterns.

Identify market cycles by observing when VBLAX consistently outperforms (line above benchmark), underperforms (below benchmark), or aligns with the benchmark.

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Explore VBLAX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

VBLAX Sortino Ratio