BSV vs. SPSB
BSV (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares) and SPSB (SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF) are both exchange-traded funds - BSV is a Short-Term Bond fund tracking the Bloomberg U.S. 1–5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index, while SPSB is a Corporate Bonds fund tracking the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-3 Year Corporate Bond Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, BSV returned 1.95%/yr vs 2.63%/yr for SPSB. A 0.57 correlation means they provide meaningful diversification when combined. BSV charges 0.03%/yr vs 0.07%/yr for SPSB.
Performance
BSV vs. SPSB - Performance Comparison
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Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, BSV achieves a 0.29% return, which is significantly lower than SPSB's 0.84% return. Over the past 10 years, BSV has underperformed SPSB with an annualized return of 1.95%, while SPSB has yielded a comparatively higher 2.63% annualized return.
BSV
- 1D
- -0.08%
- 1M
- 0.06%
- YTD
- 0.29%
- 6M
- 0.52%
- 1Y
- 3.68%
- 3Y*
- 4.41%
- 5Y*
- 1.62%
- 10Y*
- 1.95%
SPSB
- 1D
- -0.07%
- 1M
- 0.26%
- YTD
- 0.84%
- 6M
- 1.17%
- 1Y
- 4.29%
- 3Y*
- 5.29%
- 5Y*
- 2.69%
- 10Y*
- 2.63%
BSV vs. SPSB - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares | 0.29% | 6.00% | 3.78% | 4.90% | -5.49% | -1.09% | 4.70% | 4.98% | 1.34% | 1.20% |
SPSB SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | 0.84% | 5.86% | 5.25% | 5.60% | -3.31% | -0.20% | 3.83% | 5.21% | 1.45% | 1.58% |
Correlation
The correlation between BSV and SPSB is 0.88, indicating a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Combining them offers limited diversification - they tend to fall together during downturns.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.88 |
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period | 0.89 |
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.88 |
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.75 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Dec 18, 2009 | 0.57 |
Over the past year, BSV and SPSB have become more correlated (0.88) than their long-term average of 0.57, meaning their price movements have been converging.
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Return for Risk
BSV vs. SPSB — Risk / Return Rank
BSV
SPSB
BSV vs. SPSB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV) and SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF (SPSB). 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.
| BSV | SPSB | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -1.21 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -2.08 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.39 | 1.72 | -0.33 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.87 | 4.94 | -2.07 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 10.07 | 22.90 | -12.83 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| BSV | SPSB | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 2.05 | 3.25 | -1.21 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.60 | 1.36 | -0.76 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.83 | 0.86 | -0.04 |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.85 | 0.87 | -0.02 |
Drawdowns
BSV vs. SPSB - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum BSV drawdown since its inception was -8.54%, smaller than the maximum SPSB drawdown of -11.75%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BSV and SPSB.
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Drawdown Indicators
| BSV | SPSB | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -8.54% | -11.75% | +3.21% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.29% | -0.87% | -0.42% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -1.53% | -0.87% | -0.66% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -8.54% | -5.96% | -2.58% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -8.54% | -11.75% | +3.21% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.63% | -0.14% | -0.49% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.97% | -0.54% | -0.43% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.37% | 0.19% | +0.18% |
Volatility
BSV vs. SPSB - Volatility Comparison
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV) has a higher volatility of 0.52% compared to SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF (SPSB) at 0.35%. This indicates that BSV's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPSB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| BSV | SPSB | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 0.52% | 0.35% | +0.17% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 1.26% | 0.94% | +0.32% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 1.81% | 1.33% | +0.48% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 2.72% | 1.98% | +0.74% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 2.37% | 3.06% | -0.69% |
BSV vs. SPSB - Expense Ratio Comparison
BSV has a 0.03% expense ratio, which is lower than SPSB's 0.07% 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%.
Dividends
BSV vs. SPSB - Dividend Comparison
BSV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.00%, less than SPSB's 4.41% yield.
| Position | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares | 4.00% | 3.83% | 3.38% | 2.46% | 1.50% | 1.45% | 1.79% | 2.29% | 1.99% | 1.65% | 1.48% | 1.40% |
SPSB SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | 4.41% | 4.55% | 4.85% | 4.05% | 1.92% | 1.19% | 1.94% | 2.77% | 2.36% | 1.94% | 1.65% | 1.43% |
Frequently Asked Questions
BSV and SPSB have a correlation of 0.88, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
BSV has higher volatility (0.52%) compared to SPSB (0.35%). In terms of maximum drawdown, BSV dropped -8.54% vs SPSB's -11.75%.
On 10-year performance, SPSB leads with 2.63% vs 1.95% for BSV. On fees, BSV is cheaper at 0.03% per year. On volatility, SPSB has been the lower-risk option at 0.35%. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.
Over the 10-year period, SPSB has performed better with a 2.63% return vs 1.95%. Past performance does not guarantee future results, so compare this with risk, fees, and fund exposure.
BSV is cheaper with a 0.03% expense ratio, compared with 0.07% for SPSB.
SPSB has the higher dividend yield at 4.41%, compared with 4.00% for BSV.
BSV is categorized as Short-Term Bond, while SPSB is Corporate Bonds. BSV tracks Bloomberg U.S. 1–5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index, while SPSB tracks Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-3 Year Corporate Bond Index. They also come from different issuers: Vanguard and State Street. Their fees differ too: 0.03% for BSV and 0.07% for SPSB.
SPSB currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (3.25 vs 2.05), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.
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