- ISIN
- US92206C4096
- CUSIP
- 92206C409
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Nov 19, 2009
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Corporate Bonds
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $51B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
VCSH Performance Chart
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) is up 0.6% since the beginning of the year. VCSH is currently trading at $79 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VCSH shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,124.
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Returns By Period
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) has returned 0.62% so far this year and 4.15% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VCSH has returned 2.64% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF
- 1D
- -0.10%
- 1M
- 0.25%
- YTD
- 0.62%
- 6M
- 0.82%
- 1Y
- 4.15%
- 3Y*
- 5.56%
- 5Y*
- 2.36%
- 10Y*
- 2.64%
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%
VCSH Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 23, 2009, VCSH's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.24%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 24.1 years.
Historically, 65% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +2.8%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -3.5%. The longest winning streak lasted 14 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.
On a daily basis, VCSH closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 23, 2020 with a return of +3.5%, while the worst single day was Mar 19, 2020 at -3.4%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.40% | 0.56% | -0.83% | 0.38% | 0.27% | -0.16% | 0.62% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.59% | 0.88% | 0.41% | 0.67% | 0.24% | 0.90% | 0.09% | 1.12% | 0.44% | 0.33% | 0.57% | 0.33% | 6.77% |
| 2024 | 0.32% | -0.46% | 0.66% | -0.64% | 1.06% | 0.52% | 1.57% | 1.21% | 0.98% | -0.93% | 0.65% | -0.11% | 4.91% |
| 2023 | 1.72% | -1.35% | 1.48% | 0.53% | -0.40% | -0.13% | 0.61% | 0.09% | -0.58% | -0.10% | 2.39% | 1.83% | 6.20% |
| 2022 | -1.19% | -0.70% | -1.82% | -1.52% | 0.92% | -1.33% | 1.64% | -1.57% | -2.15% | -0.20% | 2.25% | 0.01% | -5.62% |
| 2021 | -0.17% | -0.27% | -0.18% | 0.42% | 0.29% | -0.05% | 0.32% | -0.07% | -0.22% | -0.51% | -0.28% | 0.11% | -0.63% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF has an annualized alpha of 2.52%, beta of 0.03, and R2 of 0.04 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 23, 2009.
- This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (11.09%) than losses (4.92%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- Beta of 0.03 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.04 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 0.04 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.
- Alpha
- 2.52%
- Beta
- 0.03
- R²
- 0.04
- Upside Capture
- 11.09%
- Downside Capture
- 4.92%
Expense Ratio
VCSH has an expense ratio of 0.04%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VCSH ranks 71 for risk / return — better than 71% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) 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.
| VCSH | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.15 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +0.59 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.42 | 1.37 | +0.06 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.98 | 2.78 | +0.19 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 12.06 | 12.44 | -0.38 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF provided a 4.45% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $3.51 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $3.51 | $3.47 | $3.09 | $2.39 | $1.51 | $1.47 | $1.89 | $2.33 | $2.07 | $1.79 | $1.67 | $1.64 |
Dividend yield | 4.45% | 4.35% | 3.96% | 3.09% | 2.01% | 1.81% | 2.27% | 2.87% | 2.65% | 2.26% | 2.10% | 2.08% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF. 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 | $0.30 | $0.27 | $0.30 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $1.45 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.26 | $0.29 | $0.28 | $0.30 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.29 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.59 | $3.47 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.23 | $0.23 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.55 | $3.09 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.17 | $0.16 | $0.19 | $0.18 | $0.20 | $0.19 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.23 | $0.45 | $2.39 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.15 | $0.32 | $1.51 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.10 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.10 | $0.38 | $1.47 |
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 Corporate 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 Corporate Bond ETF was 12.86%, occurring on Mar 19, 2020. Recovery took 48 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF drawdown is 0.34%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -12.86%Mar 2020 | 13d | 2mo 10d | 2mo 23dMar 2020 - May 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -9.48%Oct 2022 | 1y 2mo | 1y 6mo | 2y 9moAug 2021 - May 2024 |
2013 pullback2013 | -2.53%Jun 2013 | 1mo 22d | 4mo 3d | 5mo 25dMay 2013 - Oct 2013 |
2010 pullback2010 | -2.00%Dec 2010 | 1mo 10d | 4mo 4d | 5mo 14dNov 2010 - Apr 2011 |
2011 pullback2011 | -1.99%Oct 2011 | 2mo 6d | 3mo 10d | 5mo 16dAug 2011 - Jan 2012 |
Drawdown Indicators
| VCSH | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -12.86% | -56.78% | +43.92% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.40% | -9.10% | +7.70% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -1.40% | -18.90% | +17.50% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -9.48% | -25.43% | +15.95% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -12.86% | -33.92% | +21.06% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.34% | -1.80% | +1.46% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.96% | -10.71% | +9.75% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.35% | 2.03% | -1.68% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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