- ISIN
- US9220317294
- CUSIP
- 922031729
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Feb 24, 2015
- Category
- Total Bond Market
- Min. Investment
- $3,000
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $16B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
VUBFX Performance Chart
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares (VUBFX) is up 1.4% since the beginning of the year. VUBFX is currently trading at $10 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VUBFX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,182.
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Returns By Period
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares (VUBFX) has returned 1.37% so far this year and 4.19% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VUBFX has returned 2.60% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares
- 1D
- 0.00%
- 1M
- 0.15%
- YTD
- 1.37%
- 6M
- 1.47%
- 1Y
- 4.19%
- 3Y*
- 5.29%
- 5Y*
- 3.40%
- 10Y*
- 2.60%
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%
VUBFX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 4, 2016, VUBFX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.21%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 27.5 years.
Historically, 85% of months were positive and 15% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +0.9%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -1.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 36 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 8 months.
On a daily basis, VUBFX closed higher 19% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 31, 2024 with a return of +0.4%, while the worst single day was Jun 13, 2022 at -0.3%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.40% | 0.25% | -0.06% | 0.37% | 0.35% | 0.05% | 1.37% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.32% | 0.39% | 0.29% | 0.49% | 0.29% | 0.58% | 0.48% | 0.27% | 0.47% | 0.38% | 5.04% |
| 2024 | 0.49% | 0.21% | 0.45% | 0.23% | 0.54% | 0.42% | 0.83% | 0.72% | 0.61% | 0.52% | 0.41% | 0.42% | 5.99% |
| 2023 | 0.65% | -0.05% | 0.70% | 0.29% | 0.22% | 0.23% | 0.57% | 0.37% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.90% | 0.74% | 5.43% |
| 2022 | -0.37% | -0.16% | -0.56% | -0.15% | 0.26% | -0.22% | 0.21% | -0.08% | -0.26% | -0.04% | 0.50% | 0.34% | -0.53% |
| 2021 | 0.15% | -0.10% | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.03% | -0.07% | -0.07% | -0.06% | -0.05% | 0.03% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares has an annualized alpha of 2.58%, beta of -0.00, and R2 of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 04, 2016.
- This fund captured 6.24% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -3.79%) - a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated 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
- 2.58%
- Beta
- -0.00
- R²
- 0.00
- Upside Capture
- 6.24%
- Downside Capture
- -3.79%
Expense Ratio
VUBFX has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VUBFX ranks 99 for risk / return — in the top 99% 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 Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares (VUBFX) 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.
| VUBFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +3.38 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +8.97 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 4.11 | 1.37 | +2.74 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 14.09 | 2.78 | +11.30 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 79.11 | 12.44 | +66.67 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares provided a 4.42% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.44 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.44 | $0.46 | $0.54 | $0.40 | $0.13 | $0.04 | $0.15 | $0.26 | $0.21 | $0.14 | $0.10 |
Dividend yield | 4.42% | 4.62% | 5.42% | 4.06% | 1.28% | 0.43% | 1.52% | 2.58% | 2.13% | 1.43% | 0.98% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor 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 | $0.04 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.18 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.46 |
| 2024 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.08 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.54 |
| 2023 | $0.02 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.40 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.13 |
| 2021 | $0.01 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.04 |
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 Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor 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 Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares was 1.86%, occurring on Jun 14, 2022. Recovery took 186 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund Investor Shares drawdown is 0.10%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bear market2022 | -1.86%Jun 2022 | 8mo 13d | 9mo 2d | 1y 5moOct 2021 - Mar 2023 |
COVID crash2020 | -1.59%Mar 2020 | 12d | 2mo 13d | 2mo 25dMar 2020 - Jun 2020 |
2025 selloff2025 | -0.30%Apr 2025 | 2d | 16d | 18dApr 2025 - Apr 2025 |
2026 pullback2026 | -0.30%Mar 2026 | 9d | 18d | 27dMar 2026 - Apr 2026 |
2023 pullback2023 | -0.20%Mar 2023 | 0s | 1d | 1dMar 2023 - Mar 2023 |
Drawdown Indicators
| VUBFX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -1.86% | -56.78% | +54.92% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -0.30% | -9.10% | +8.80% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -0.30% | -18.90% | +18.60% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -1.86% | -25.43% | +23.57% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -1.86% | -33.92% | +32.06% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.10% | -1.80% | +1.70% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.17% | -10.71% | +10.54% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.05% | 2.03% | -1.98% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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