CSHP vs. IAU

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF (CSHP) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU).

CSHP and IAU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. CSHP is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on Jul 17, 2024. IAU is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price. It was launched on Jan 21, 2005.

Performance

CSHP vs. IAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF (CSHP) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

CSHP vs. IAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
CSHP iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF	0.98%	4.10%	2.24%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	10.48%	63.95%	7.28%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, CSHP achieves a 0.98% return, which is significantly lower than IAU's 10.48% return.

CSHP

• 1D: -0.00%
• 1M: 0.39%
• YTD: 0.98%
• 6M: 1.98%
• 1Y: 4.11%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

IAU

• 1D: 1.72%
• 1M: -10.66%
• YTD: 10.48%
• 6M: 23.05%
• 1Y: 52.36%
• 3Y*: 33.88%
• 5Y*: 22.19%
• 10Y*: 14.27%

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

CSHP vs. IAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

CSHP has a 0.20% expense ratio, which is lower than IAU's 0.25% 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%.

IAU

iShares Gold Trust

CSHP

iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF

Return for Risk

CSHP vs. IAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

CSHP

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

IAU

IAU Risk / Return Rank: 86
IAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
IAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
IAU Omega Ratio Rank: 85
IAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 86
IAU Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

CSHP vs. IAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF (CSHP) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). 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.

	CSHP	IAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	10.92	1.90	+9.01
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	27.40	2.33	+25.07
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	6.43	1.35	+5.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	58.55	2.72	+55.84
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	348.21	9.95	+338.25
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

CSHP vs. IAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current CSHP Sharpe Ratio is 10.92, which is higher than the IAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.90. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of CSHP and IAU, 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

	CSHP	IAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.92	1.90	+9.01
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	1.26	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.90	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	10.59	0.65	+9.95

Correlation

The correlation between CSHP and IAU is 0.03, 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

CSHP vs. IAU - Dividend Comparison

CSHP's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.19%, while IAU has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024
CSHP iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF	4.85%	5.39%	1.96%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

CSHP vs. IAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum CSHP drawdown since its inception was -0.08%, smaller than the maximum IAU drawdown of -45.14%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for CSHP and IAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	CSHP	IAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-0.08%	-45.14%	+45.06%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.07%	-19.18%	+19.11%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-20.93%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-21.82%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-11.71%	+11.71%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	0.00%	-15.98%	+15.98%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.01%	5.23%	-5.22%

Volatility

CSHP vs. IAU - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Enhanced Short-Term Bond Active ETF (CSHP) is 0.15%, while iShares Gold Trust (IAU) has a volatility of 10.44%. This indicates that CSHP experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than IAU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	CSHP	IAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.15%	10.44%	-10.29%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.26%	24.15%	-23.89%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.38%	27.64%	-27.26%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	0.41%	17.70%	-17.29%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	0.41%	15.83%	-15.42%