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ISIN
US92206C1027
CUSIP
92206C102
Issuer
Vanguard
Inception Date
Nov 19, 2009
Region
North America (U.S.)
Leveraged
1x (No leverage)
Index Tracked
Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index
Domicile
United States
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Bond
Assets Under Management
$34B

Share Price Chart


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Performance

VGSH Performance Chart

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) is up 0.6% since the beginning of the year. VGSH is currently trading at $58 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VGSH shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,098.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) has returned 0.60% so far this year and 3.03% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VGSH has returned 1.71% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.70% annually.


Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF

1D
0.14%
1M
0.25%
YTD
0.60%
6M
0.72%
1Y
3.03%
3Y*
4.25%
5Y*
1.88%
10Y*
1.71%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
-0.10%
1M
-1.54%
YTD
7.49%
6M
6.15%
1Y
20.78%
3Y*
19.17%
5Y*
11.44%
10Y*
13.70%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

VGSH Monthly Returns History

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 23, 2009, VGSH's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.12%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 48.2 years.

Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was Mar 2023 with a return of +1.7%, while the worst month was Mar 2022 at -1.4%. The longest winning streak lasted 9 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 9 months.

On a daily basis, VGSH closed higher 48% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 13, 2023 with a return of +1.0%, while the worst single day was Jun 13, 2022 at -0.5%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20260.22%0.55%-0.49%0.20%0.10%0.02%0.60%
20250.40%0.73%0.42%0.85%-0.24%0.59%-0.06%0.89%0.30%0.32%0.46%0.30%5.07%
20240.36%-0.45%0.32%-0.38%0.73%0.57%1.20%0.86%0.79%-0.57%0.30%0.24%4.00%
20230.74%-0.75%1.69%0.23%-0.39%-0.48%0.29%0.47%-0.11%0.35%1.05%1.16%4.31%
2022-0.72%-0.40%-1.42%-0.48%0.56%-0.59%0.39%-0.75%-1.18%-0.14%0.67%0.16%-3.86%
20210.04%-0.02%-0.08%0.07%0.08%-0.20%0.18%-0.01%-0.12%-0.30%-0.06%-0.18%-0.60%

Benchmark Metrics

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.59%, beta of -0.01, and R2 of 0.03 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 23, 2009.

  • This ETF captured 3.10% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -3.54%) - a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
  • Beta of -0.01 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.03 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 0.03 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
1.59%
Beta
-0.01
0.03
Upside Capture
3.10%
Downside Capture
-3.54%

Expense Ratio

VGSH has an expense ratio of 0.03%, which is considered low.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

VGSH ranks 82 for risk / return — in the top 82% 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.


VGSH Risk / Return Rank: 8282
Overall Rank
VGSH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8181
Sharpe Ratio Rank
VGSH Sortino Ratio Rank: 8989
Sortino Ratio Rank
VGSH Omega Ratio Rank: 8787
Omega Ratio Rank
VGSH Calmar Ratio Rank: 7474
Calmar Ratio Rank
VGSH Martin Ratio Rank: 7676
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 Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) 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.


VGSHBenchmarkDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility

+0.65

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk

+1.38

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.48

1.30

+0.18

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

3.44

2.29

+1.14

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

13.16

10.15

+3.02

Dividends

Dividend History

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF provided a 3.87% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.25 per share.


1.00%2.00%3.00%4.00%$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.5020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$2.25$2.35$2.43$1.93$0.66$0.40$1.07$1.39$1.08$0.66$0.51$0.42

Dividend yield

3.87%4.00%4.18%3.31%1.15%0.66%1.74%2.28%1.79%1.10%0.84%0.69%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.19$0.17$0.19$0.18$0.18$0.90
2025$0.00$0.21$0.19$0.21$0.20$0.20$0.19$0.20$0.20$0.19$0.19$0.38$2.35
2024$0.00$0.20$0.19$0.20$0.20$0.21$0.20$0.21$0.21$0.20$0.21$0.40$2.43
2023$0.00$0.12$0.12$0.14$0.14$0.15$0.16$0.17$0.17$0.18$0.19$0.38$1.93
2022$0.00$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.04$0.05$0.06$0.06$0.07$0.09$0.21$0.66
2021$0.00$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.01$0.01$0.22$0.40

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 Treasury 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 Treasury ETF was 5.70%, occurring on Oct 20, 2022. Recovery took 393 trading sessions.

The current Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF drawdown is 0.17%.


Related event

Drawdown

Fall

Recovery

Underwater

Bear market2022
-5.70%Oct 2022
1y 6mo1y 6mo
3y 25dApr 2021 - May 2024
2018 pullback2018
-1.09%May 2018
8mo 10d6mo 7d
1y 2moSep 2017 - Nov 2018
2024 pullback2024
-0.97%Nov 2024
1mo 18d2mo 13d
4mo 1dSep 2024 - Jan 2025
2016 pullback2016
-0.94%Dec 2016
5mo 12d7mo 15d
1y 22dJul 2016 - Jul 2017
2026 pullback2026
-0.88%Mar 2026
24d
3mo 25dMar 2026 - now

Drawdown Indicators


VGSHBenchmarkDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-5.70%

-56.78%

+51.08%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-0.88%

-9.10%

+8.22%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-0.97%

-18.90%

+17.93%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-5.66%

-25.43%

+19.77%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-5.70%

-33.92%

+28.22%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-0.17%

-3.31%

+3.14%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-0.60%

-10.71%

+10.11%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

0.23%

2.05%

-1.82%

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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Portfolio Analyzer

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