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ISIN
US9219376038
CUSIP
921937603
Issuer
Vanguard
Inception Date
Nov 12, 2001
Region
North America (U.S.)
Min. Investment
$3,000
Index Tracked
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index
Domicile
United States
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Bond
Assets Under Management
$394B

Share Price Chart


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Performance

VBTLX Performance Chart

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) is up 0.1% since the beginning of the year. VBTLX is currently trading at $10 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VBTLX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $998.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) has returned 0.11% so far this year and 4.36% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VBTLX has returned 1.51% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.67% annually.


Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares

1D
-0.41%
1M
1.29%
YTD
0.11%
6M
0.24%
1Y
4.36%
3Y*
3.98%
5Y*
-0.05%
10Y*
1.51%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
1.08%
1M
2.00%
YTD
9.57%
6M
10.71%
1Y
25.41%
3Y*
19.37%
5Y*
12.48%
10Y*
13.67%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

VBTLX Monthly Returns History

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 12, 2001, VBTLX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.28%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 20.7 years.

Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +4.5%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -4.2%. The longest winning streak lasted 9 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.

On a daily basis, VBTLX closed higher 45% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 10, 2022 with a return of +2.0%, while the worst single day was Mar 17, 2020 at -1.7%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20260.23%1.54%-1.69%0.13%0.34%-0.41%0.11%
20250.64%2.09%0.02%0.42%-0.70%1.58%-0.29%1.17%1.05%0.64%0.63%-0.28%7.17%
2024-0.22%-1.38%0.83%-2.43%1.71%0.94%2.32%1.34%1.32%-2.43%1.14%-1.75%1.26%
20233.20%-2.54%2.57%0.56%-1.08%-0.36%-0.05%-0.57%-2.48%-1.56%4.52%3.71%5.74%
2022-2.16%-1.12%-2.81%-3.84%0.59%-1.49%2.32%-2.76%-4.17%-1.37%3.70%-0.60%-13.16%
2021-0.95%-1.50%-1.37%0.96%0.25%0.78%1.22%-0.19%-0.90%-0.02%0.34%-0.40%-1.81%

Benchmark Metrics

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares has an annualized alpha of 3.93%, beta of -0.04, and R2 of 0.03 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 12, 2001.

  • This fund captured 10.02% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -3.73%) - a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
  • Beta of -0.04 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.03 this fund 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 fund's risk.
  • R2 of 0.03 means this fund 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.

Alpha
3.93%
Beta
-0.04
0.03
Upside Capture
10.02%
Downside Capture
-3.73%

Expense Ratio

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


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

VBTLX ranks 20 for risk / return — below 20% of mutual funds on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.


VBTLX Risk / Return Rank: 2020
Overall Rank
VBTLX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2020
Sharpe Ratio Rank
VBTLX Sortino Ratio Rank: 2121
Sortino Ratio Rank
VBTLX Omega Ratio Rank: 1919
Omega Ratio Rank
VBTLX Calmar Ratio Rank: 2222
Calmar Ratio Rank
VBTLX Martin Ratio Rank: 1919
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.

Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.


VBTLXBenchmarkDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility

-0.89

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk

-1.04

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.20

1.37

-0.17

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

1.55

2.81

-1.25

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

4.43

12.55

-8.13

Dividends

Dividend History

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares provided a 3.99% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.38 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.


2.00%2.50%3.00%3.50%4.00%$0.00$0.10$0.20$0.30$0.4020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$0.38$0.38$0.35$0.30$0.25$0.22$0.28$0.30$0.27$0.28$0.27$0.30

Dividend yield

3.99%3.87%3.69%3.10%2.59%1.96%2.39%2.74%2.57%2.56%2.53%2.82%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.00$0.16
2025$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.38
2024$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.35
2023$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.03$0.30
2022$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.25
2021$0.00$0.02$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.04$0.22

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 Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares. 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 Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares was 18.81%, occurring on Oct 24, 2022. The portfolio has not yet recovered.

The current Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares drawdown is 2.48%.


Related event

Drawdown

Fall

Recovery

Underwater

Bear market2022
-18.81%Oct 2022
2y 2mo
5y 10moAug 2020 - now
COVID crash2020
-6.53%Mar 2020
10d2mo 23d
3mo 3dMar 2020 - Jun 2020
Financial crisis2007–2009
-5.42%Oct 2008
1mo 20d1mo 17d
3mo 7dSep 2008 - Dec 2008
2013 pullback2013
-4.98%Sep 2013
4mo 6d8mo 11d
1y 12dMay 2013 - May 2014
2003 pullback2003
-4.74%Aug 2003
1mo 29d5mo 2d
7mo 1dJun 2003 - Jan 2004

Drawdown Indicators


VBTLXBenchmarkDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-18.81%

-56.78%

+37.97%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-2.89%

-9.10%

+6.21%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-6.00%

-18.90%

+12.90%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-18.14%

-25.43%

+7.29%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-18.81%

-33.92%

+15.11%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-2.48%

-1.43%

-1.05%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-2.67%

-10.71%

+8.04%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

1.01%

2.03%

-1.02%

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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Portfolio Analyzer

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Add Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares to a portfolio and analyze allocations for your target — whether that's maximizing returns, minimizing drawdowns, or balancing risk across holdings.

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