BILS vs. TLT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF (BILS) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT).

BILS and TLT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. BILS is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg 3-12 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. It was launched on Sep 24, 2020. TLT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 22, 2002. Both BILS and TLT are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

BILS vs. TLT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF (BILS) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BILS vs. TLT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
BILS SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF	0.80%	4.23%	5.17%	4.92%	0.90%	-0.08%	0.00%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	0.17%	4.25%	-8.05%	2.77%	-31.23%	-4.60%	-4.08%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BILS achieves a 0.80% return, which is significantly higher than TLT's 0.17% return.

BILS

• 1D: 0.02%
• 1M: 0.26%
• YTD: 0.80%
• 6M: 1.82%
• 1Y: 3.99%
• 3Y*: 4.67%
• 5Y*: 3.17%
• 10Y*: —

TLT

• 1D: -0.10%
• 1M: -4.23%
• YTD: 0.17%
• 6M: -0.87%
• 1Y: -0.49%
• 3Y*: -2.78%
• 5Y*: -5.85%
• 10Y*: -1.38%

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

BILS vs. TLT - Expense Ratio Comparison

BILS has a 0.14% expense ratio, which is lower than TLT's 0.15% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

TLT

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

BILS

SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF

Return for Risk

BILS vs. TLT — Risk / Return Rank

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

BILS

BILS Risk / Return Rank: 100
BILS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
BILS Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
BILS Omega Ratio Rank: 100
BILS Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
BILS Martin Ratio Rank: 100

TLT

TLT Risk / Return Rank: 12
TLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 11
TLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Omega Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 14
TLT Martin Ratio Rank: 13

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.

BILS vs. TLT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF (BILS) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). 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.

	BILS	TLT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	16.39	-0.04	+16.43
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	75.13	0.02	+75.11
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	26.69	1.00	+25.69
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	132.67	0.05	+132.62
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1,118.82	0.11	+1,118.71
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BILS vs. TLT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BILS Sharpe Ratio is 16.39, which is higher than the TLT Sharpe Ratio of -0.04. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BILS and TLT, 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

	BILS	TLT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.39	-0.04	+16.43
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	10.37	-0.37	+10.74
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	-0.09	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	9.65	0.26	+9.40

Correlation

The correlation between BILS and TLT is 0.19, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

BILS vs. TLT - Dividend Comparison

BILS's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.96%, less than TLT's 4.49% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BILS SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF	3.96%	4.08%	5.01%	4.98%	1.61%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	4.49%	4.43%	4.30%	3.38%	2.67%	1.50%	1.50%	2.27%	2.63%	2.43%	2.60%	2.61%

Drawdowns

BILS vs. TLT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BILS drawdown since its inception was -0.41%, smaller than the maximum TLT drawdown of -48.35%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BILS and TLT.

Drawdown Indicators

	BILS	TLT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-0.41%	-48.35%	+47.94%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.03%	-9.23%	+9.20%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-0.40%	-43.70%	+43.30%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-48.35%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-40.17%	+40.17%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.04%	-13.62%	+13.58%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.00%	4.38%	-4.38%

Volatility

BILS vs. TLT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for SPDR Bloomberg 3-12 Month T-Bill ETF (BILS) is 0.05%, while iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) has a volatility of 3.71%. This indicates that BILS experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than TLT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BILS	TLT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.05%	3.71%	-3.66%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.15%	6.61%	-6.46%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.24%	11.44%	-11.20%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	0.31%	15.90%	-15.59%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	0.30%	14.93%	-14.63%