BCV vs. BND

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Bancroft Fund Ltd. (BCV) and Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND).

BND is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index. It was launched on Apr 3, 2007.

Performance

BCV vs. BND - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Bancroft Fund Ltd. (BCV) and Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BCV vs. BND - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
BCV Bancroft Fund Ltd.	1.24%	33.45%	19.78%	5.56%	-33.67%	-0.04%	29.82%	50.48%	-4.02%	13.43%
BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF	0.09%	7.08%	1.38%	5.65%	-13.11%	-1.86%	7.71%	8.84%	-0.12%	3.57%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BCV achieves a 1.24% return, which is significantly higher than BND's 0.09% return. Over the past 10 years, BCV has outperformed BND with an annualized return of 11.06%, while BND has yielded a comparatively lower 1.68% annualized return.

BCV

• 1D: 2.28%
• 1M: -2.63%
• YTD: 1.24%
• 6M: 3.69%
• 1Y: 36.36%
• 3Y*: 17.36%
• 5Y*: 2.48%
• 10Y*: 11.06%

BND

• 1D: 0.04%
• 1M: -1.30%
• YTD: 0.09%
• 6M: 0.74%
• 1Y: 3.96%
• 3Y*: 3.60%
• 5Y*: 0.25%
• 10Y*: 1.68%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

BCV vs. BND — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BCV

BCV Risk / Return Rank: 84
BCV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 87
BCV Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
BCV Omega Ratio Rank: 84
BCV Calmar Ratio Rank: 85
BCV Martin Ratio Rank: 83

BND

BND Risk / Return Rank: 50
BND Sharpe Ratio Rank: 49
BND Sortino Ratio Rank: 46
BND Omega Ratio Rank: 39
BND Calmar Ratio Rank: 67
BND Martin Ratio Rank: 48

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.

BCV vs. BND - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Bancroft Fund Ltd. (BCV) and Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BCV	BND	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.79	0.93	+0.87
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.26	1.32	+0.94
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.16	+0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.97	1.75	+1.22
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.62	4.78	+2.84
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BCV vs. BND - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BCV Sharpe Ratio is 1.79, which is higher than the BND Sharpe Ratio of 0.93. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BCV and BND, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BCV	BND	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.79	0.93	+0.87
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.14	0.04	+0.09
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.54	0.30	+0.24
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.32	0.59	-0.27

Correlation

The correlation between BCV and BND is -0.00. This indicates that the assets' prices tend to move in opposite directions. Negative correlation can be particularly beneficial for diversification and risk management, as one asset may offset the losses of the other during market fluctuations.

Dividends

BCV vs. BND - Dividend Comparison

BCV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.08%, more than BND's 3.93% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BCV Bancroft Fund Ltd.	6.08%	5.93%	7.23%	8.01%	7.81%	15.63%	10.35%	6.59%	12.88%	5.33%	6.27%	9.81%
BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF	3.93%	3.86%	3.67%	3.09%	2.60%	2.12%	2.38%	2.72%	2.81%	2.54%	2.51%	2.57%

Drawdowns

BCV vs. BND - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BCV drawdown since its inception was -50.88%, which is greater than BND's maximum drawdown of -18.58%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BCV and BND.

Drawdown Indicators

	BCV	BND	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-50.88%	-18.58%	-32.30%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.76%	-2.44%	-9.32%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-47.78%	-17.91%	-29.87%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-48.67%	-18.58%	-30.09%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.52%	-2.54%	-5.98%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.66%	-3.07%	-10.59%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.58%	0.90%	+3.68%

Volatility

BCV vs. BND - Volatility Comparison

Bancroft Fund Ltd. (BCV) has a higher volatility of 8.52% compared to Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) at 1.63%. This indicates that BCV's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BND based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BCV	BND	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.52%	1.63%	+6.89%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.04%	2.52%	+12.52%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.41%	4.30%	+16.11%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.21%	6.00%	+12.21%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.36%	5.52%	+14.84%