- ISIN
- US92206C5085
- CUSIP
- 92206C508
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Nov 19, 2009
- Category
- Corporate Bonds
- Min. Investment
- $5,000,000
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
Share Price Chart
Loading charts...
Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs
Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.
Performance
VSTBX Performance Chart
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares (VSTBX) is up 0.7% since the beginning of the year. VSTBX is currently trading at $26 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VSTBX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,129.
Loading charts...
Returns By Period
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares (VSTBX) has returned 0.73% so far this year and 4.27% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VSTBX has returned 2.99% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares
- 1D
- 0.15%
- 1M
- 0.34%
- YTD
- 0.73%
- 6M
- 0.88%
- 1Y
- 4.27%
- 3Y*
- 5.73%
- 5Y*
- 2.45%
- 10Y*
- 2.99%
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%
VSTBX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 19, 2009, VSTBX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.26%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 22.2 years.
Historically, 68% of months were positive and 32% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +2.9%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -4.0%. The longest winning streak lasted 16 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.
On a daily basis, VSTBX closed higher 48% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 26, 2020 with a return of +1.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 19, 2020 at -1.5%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.38% | 0.60% | -0.86% | 0.41% | 0.25% | -0.04% | 0.73% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.55% | 0.95% | 0.41% | 0.70% | 0.15% | 0.94% | 0.15% | 1.05% | 0.44% | 0.37% | 0.55% | 0.30% | 6.75% |
| 2024 | 0.46% | -0.48% | 0.63% | -0.61% | 1.05% | 0.53% | 1.59% | 1.11% | 1.06% | -0.57% | 0.66% | -0.14% | 5.37% |
| 2023 | 1.67% | -1.20% | 1.29% | 0.68% | -0.37% | -0.22% | 0.66% | 0.12% | -0.55% | -0.10% | 2.30% | 1.80% | 6.17% |
| 2022 | -1.21% | -0.78% | -1.75% | -1.44% | 0.81% | -1.32% | 1.51% | -1.26% | -2.18% | -0.33% | 2.15% | 0.02% | -5.73% |
| 2021 | 0.01% | -0.27% | -0.33% | 0.53% | 0.35% | -0.09% | 0.35% | -0.06% | -0.20% | -0.53% | -0.21% | 0.05% | -0.41% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares has an annualized alpha of 3.15%, beta of 0.00, and R2 of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 19, 2009.
- This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (11.34%) than losses (3.66%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- 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
- 3.15%
- Beta
- 0.00
- R²
- 0.00
- Upside Capture
- 11.34%
- Downside Capture
- 3.66%
Expense Ratio
VSTBX has an expense ratio of 0.05%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VSTBX ranks 81 for risk / return — in the top 81% of mutual funds 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 Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares (VSTBX) 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.
| VSTBX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.45 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.03 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.49 | 1.37 | +0.13 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 3.35 | 2.78 | +0.57 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 13.18 | 12.44 | +0.74 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares provided a 4.44% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.17 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 | $1.17 | $1.15 | $1.11 | $0.80 | $0.50 | $0.49 | $0.63 | $1.46 | $0.69 | $0.60 | $0.52 | $0.59 |
Dividend yield | 4.44% | 4.34% | 4.29% | 3.09% | 2.00% | 1.80% | 2.27% | 5.40% | 2.67% | 2.27% | 1.96% | 2.25% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional 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 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.48 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $1.15 |
| 2024 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.18 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $1.11 |
| 2023 | $0.06 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.08 | $0.07 | $0.08 | $0.80 |
| 2022 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.50 |
| 2021 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.09 | $0.49 |
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.
Loading charts...
Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional 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 Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares was 9.34%, occurring on Oct 20, 2022. Recovery took 393 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares drawdown is 0.24%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bear market2022 | -9.34%Oct 2022 | 1y 2mo | 1y 6mo | 2y 9moAug 2021 - May 2024 |
COVID crash2020 | -7.46%Mar 2020 | 18d | 2mo 13d | 3mo 1dMar 2020 - Jun 2020 |
2011 pullback2011 | -2.21%Oct 2011 | 2mo 6d | 3mo 11d | 5mo 17dAug 2011 - Jan 2012 |
2013 pullback2013 | -1.97%Jun 2013 | 1mo 22d | 4mo | 5mo 22dMay 2013 - Oct 2013 |
2010 pullback2010 | -1.96%Dec 2010 | 1mo 23d | 3mo 21d | 5mo 14dNov 2010 - Apr 2011 |
Drawdown Indicators
| VSTBX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -9.34% | -56.78% | +47.44% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.31% | -9.10% | +7.79% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -1.31% | -18.90% | +17.59% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -9.34% | -25.43% | +16.09% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -9.34% | -33.92% | +24.58% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.24% | -1.80% | +1.56% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.95% | -10.71% | +9.76% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.33% | 2.03% | -1.70% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
Loading charts...
Build a portfolio with VSTBX
Add Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Institutional Shares to a portfolio and analyze allocations for your target — whether that's maximizing returns, minimizing drawdowns, or balancing risk across holdings.
Open Portfolio Analyzer with VSTBX