BRTR vs. BND

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Blackrock Total Return ETF (BRTR) and Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND).

BRTR and BND are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. BRTR is an actively managed fund by BlackRock. It was launched on Dec 12, 2023. 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

BRTR vs. BND - Performance Comparison

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

BRTR vs. BND - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
BRTR Blackrock Total Return ETF	-0.32%	8.11%	1.29%	0.43%
BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF	0.09%	7.08%	1.38%	0.34%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BRTR achieves a -0.32% return, which is significantly lower than BND's 0.09% return.

BRTR

• 1D: 0.11%
• 1M: -1.97%
• YTD: -0.32%
• 6M: 0.67%
• 1Y: 4.55%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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)

BRTR vs. BND - Expense Ratio Comparison

BRTR has a 0.38% expense ratio, which is higher than BND's 0.03% expense ratio.

BRTR

Blackrock Total Return ETF

BND

Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

Return for Risk

BRTR vs. BND — Risk / Return Rank

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

BRTR

BRTR Risk / Return Rank: 52
BRTR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
BRTR Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
BRTR Omega Ratio Rank: 48
BRTR Calmar Ratio Rank: 53
BRTR Martin Ratio Rank: 49

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.

BRTR vs. BND - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Blackrock Total Return ETF (BRTR) 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.

	BRTR	BND	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.07	0.93	+0.14
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.49	1.32	+0.17
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.19	1.16	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.45	1.75	-0.30
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.89	4.78	+0.11
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BRTR vs. BND - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BRTR Sharpe Ratio is 1.07, which is comparable to the BND Sharpe Ratio of 0.93. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BRTR 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

	BRTR	BND	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.07	0.93	+0.14
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.04	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.30	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.87	0.59	+0.28

Correlation

The correlation between BRTR and BND is 0.96, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

BRTR vs. BND - Dividend Comparison

BRTR's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.84%, more than BND's 3.93% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BRTR Blackrock Total Return ETF	4.84%	4.86%	5.58%	0.22%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
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

BRTR vs. BND - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BRTR drawdown since its inception was -5.07%, smaller than the maximum BND drawdown of -18.58%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BRTR and BND.

Drawdown Indicators

	BRTR	BND	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-5.07%	-18.58%	+13.51%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-3.26%	-2.44%	-0.82%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-17.91%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-18.58%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.39%	-2.54%	+0.15%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.32%	-3.07%	+1.75%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.97%	0.90%	+0.07%

Volatility

BRTR vs. BND - Volatility Comparison

Blackrock Total Return ETF (BRTR) has a higher volatility of 1.75% compared to Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) at 1.63%. This indicates that BRTR'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

	BRTR	BND	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.75%	1.63%	+0.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.59%	2.52%	+0.07%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.28%	4.30%	-0.02%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	4.75%	6.00%	-1.25%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	4.75%	5.52%	-0.77%