- ISIN
- US9220208394
- CUSIP
- 922020839
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Mar 28, 2016
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Intermediate Core Bond
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Min. Investment
- $50,000
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $22B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
VCOBX Performance Chart
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares (VCOBX) is up 0.8% since the beginning of the year. VCOBX is currently trading at $18 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VCOBX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,025.
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Returns By Period
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares (VCOBX) has returned 0.82% so far this year and 5.14% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VCOBX has returned 2.18% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares
- 1D
- 0.28%
- 1M
- 0.89%
- YTD
- 0.82%
- 6M
- 0.93%
- 1Y
- 5.14%
- 3Y*
- 4.94%
- 5Y*
- 0.50%
- 10Y*
- 2.18%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
VCOBX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Mar 30, 2016, VCOBX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.20%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 28.9 years.
Historically, 60% of months were positive and 40% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +4.6%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -4.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, VCOBX closed higher 49% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 10, 2022 with a return of +2.0%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -1.8%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.33% | 1.53% | -1.88% | 0.33% | 0.32% | 0.22% | 0.82% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.69% | 2.23% | 0.01% | 0.39% | -0.61% | 1.68% | -0.17% | 1.16% | 1.09% | 0.61% | 0.65% | -0.23% | 7.73% |
| 2024 | -0.20% | -1.42% | 0.91% | -2.24% | 1.71% | 0.89% | 2.36% | 1.43% | 1.41% | -1.98% | 1.03% | -1.57% | 2.21% |
| 2023 | 3.16% | -2.59% | 2.45% | 0.60% | -1.14% | -0.28% | 0.49% | -0.65% | -2.42% | -1.56% | 4.64% | 3.85% | 6.39% |
| 2022 | -2.06% | -1.33% | -2.67% | -3.96% | 0.64% | -1.83% | 2.55% | -2.73% | -4.31% | -1.27% | 3.76% | -0.46% | -13.13% |
| 2021 | -0.83% | -1.58% | -1.16% | 0.98% | 0.28% | 0.85% | 1.13% | -0.18% | -0.83% | -0.09% | 0.30% | -0.35% | -1.51% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares has an annualized alpha of 2.36%, beta of 0.00, and R2 of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since March 30, 2016.
- This fund participated in 18.14% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 13.77% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.00 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.00 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 0.00 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
- 2.36%
- Beta
- 0.00
- R²
- 0.00
- Upside Capture
- 13.77%
- Downside Capture
- 18.14%
Expense Ratio
VCOBX has an expense ratio of 0.10%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VCOBX ranks 29 for risk / return — below 29% 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.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares (VCOBX) 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.
| VCOBX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.59 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.61 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.26 | 1.37 | -0.11 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.00 | 2.78 | -0.79 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 5.66 | 12.44 | -6.78 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares provided a 4.72% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.85 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.85 | $0.87 | $0.89 | $0.81 | $0.54 | $0.26 | $0.67 | $0.63 | $0.59 | $0.44 | $0.45 |
Dividend yield | 4.72% | 4.80% | 5.04% | 4.44% | 3.01% | 1.23% | 3.09% | 3.08% | 3.10% | 2.20% | 2.29% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.34 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.08 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.10 | $0.87 |
| 2024 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.15 | $0.06 | $0.08 | $0.89 |
| 2023 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.13 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.08 | $0.81 |
| 2022 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.54 |
| 2021 | $0.01 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.05 | $0.26 |
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 Core Bond 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 Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares was 18.14%, occurring on Oct 24, 2022. Recovery took 745 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Core Bond Fund Admiral Shares drawdown is 1.03%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bear market2022 | -18.14%Oct 2022 | 1y 9mo | 2y 11mo | 4y 9moJan 2021 - Oct 2025 |
COVID crash2020 | -6.80%Mar 2020 | 10d | 2mo 2d | 2mo 12dMar 2020 - May 2020 |
2016 pullback2016 | -4.36%Dec 2016 | 2mo 16d | 8mo 5d | 10mo 21dSep 2016 - Aug 2017 |
2018 pullback2018 | -3.58%May 2018 | 8mo 11d | 8mo 26d | 1y 5moSep 2017 - Feb 2019 |
2026 pullback2026 | -2.62%May 2026 | 2mo 18d | — | 3mo 23dMar 2026 - now |
Drawdown Indicators
| VCOBX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -18.14% | -56.78% | +38.64% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -2.62% | -9.10% | +6.48% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -5.63% | -18.90% | +13.27% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -18.03% | -25.43% | +7.40% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -18.14% | -33.92% | +15.78% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -1.03% | -1.80% | +0.77% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -4.16% | -10.71% | +6.55% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.92% | 2.03% | -1.11% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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