- ISIN
- US92206C1027
- CUSIP
- 92206C102
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Nov 19, 2009
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Government Bonds, Short-Term Bond
- 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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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%
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%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.22% | 0.55% | -0.49% | 0.20% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.60% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.40% | 0.73% | 0.42% | 0.85% | -0.24% | 0.59% | -0.06% | 0.89% | 0.30% | 0.32% | 0.46% | 0.30% | 5.07% |
| 2024 | 0.36% | -0.45% | 0.32% | -0.38% | 0.73% | 0.57% | 1.20% | 0.86% | 0.79% | -0.57% | 0.30% | 0.24% | 4.00% |
| 2023 | 0.74% | -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% |
| 2021 | 0.04% | -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
- R²
- 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.
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.
| VGSH | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 6mo | 1y 6mo | 3y 25dApr 2021 - May 2024 |
2018 pullback2018 | -1.09%May 2018 | 8mo 10d | 6mo 7d | 1y 2moSep 2017 - Nov 2018 |
2024 pullback2024 | -0.97%Nov 2024 | 1mo 18d | 2mo 13d | 4mo 1dSep 2024 - Jan 2025 |
2016 pullback2016 | -0.94%Dec 2016 | 5mo 12d | 7mo 15d | 1y 22dJul 2016 - Jul 2017 |
2026 pullback2026 | -0.88%Mar 2026 | 24d | — | 3mo 25dMar 2026 - now |
Drawdown Indicators
| VGSH | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest 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 DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.17% | -3.31% | +3.14% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.60% | -10.71% | +10.11% |
Ulcer IndexDepth 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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