GVI vs. ISTB

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF (GVI) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB).

GVI and ISTB are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GVI is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond. It was launched on Jan 5, 2007. ISTB is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the BBG US Universal 1-5 Year Index (USD). It was launched on Oct 18, 2012. Both GVI and ISTB 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

GVI vs. ISTB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF (GVI) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GVI vs. ISTB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GVI iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF	-0.03%	6.66%	2.92%	5.15%	-8.28%	-1.90%	6.38%	6.54%	0.77%	1.83%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF	0.10%	6.36%	4.37%	5.56%	-6.08%	-0.71%	4.75%	5.61%	1.02%	1.72%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GVI achieves a -0.03% return, which is significantly lower than ISTB's 0.10% return. Over the past 10 years, GVI has underperformed ISTB with an annualized return of 1.85%, while ISTB has yielded a comparatively higher 2.31% annualized return.

GVI

• 1D: 0.17%
• 1M: -1.20%
• YTD: -0.03%
• 6M: 1.07%
• 1Y: 4.24%
• 3Y*: 4.05%
• 5Y*: 1.12%
• 10Y*: 1.85%

ISTB

• 1D: 0.21%
• 1M: -0.81%
• YTD: 0.10%
• 6M: 1.31%
• 1Y: 4.49%
• 3Y*: 4.77%
• 5Y*: 1.87%
• 10Y*: 2.31%

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

GVI vs. ISTB - Expense Ratio Comparison

GVI has a 0.20% expense ratio, which is higher than ISTB's 0.06% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

GVI

iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF

ISTB

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

Return for Risk

GVI vs. ISTB — Risk / Return Rank

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

GVI

GVI Risk / Return Rank: 82
GVI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
GVI Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
GVI Omega Ratio Rank: 76
GVI Calmar Ratio Rank: 84
GVI Martin Ratio Rank: 82

ISTB

ISTB Risk / Return Rank: 95
ISTB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 95
ISTB Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
ISTB Omega Ratio Rank: 95
ISTB Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
ISTB Martin Ratio Rank: 94

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.

GVI vs. ISTB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF (GVI) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB). 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.

	GVI	ISTB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.55	2.32	-0.77
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.35	3.56	-1.21
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	1.47	-0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.43	3.62	-1.20
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.93	14.54	-5.62
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GVI vs. ISTB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GVI Sharpe Ratio is 1.55, which is lower than the ISTB Sharpe Ratio of 2.32. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GVI and ISTB, 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

	GVI	ISTB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.55	2.32	-0.77
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.28	0.68	-0.40
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.53	0.93	-0.40
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.77	0.84	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between GVI and ISTB is 0.73, 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

GVI vs. ISTB - Dividend Comparison

GVI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.54%, less than ISTB's 4.18% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GVI iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF	3.54%	3.48%	3.40%	2.75%	1.86%	1.46%	1.84%	2.29%	2.16%	1.91%	1.77%	1.75%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF	4.18%	4.12%	3.83%	2.97%	2.01%	1.69%	2.20%	2.75%	2.57%	2.06%	1.90%	1.58%

Drawdowns

GVI vs. ISTB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GVI drawdown since its inception was -12.93%, which is greater than ISTB's maximum drawdown of -9.34%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GVI and ISTB.

Drawdown Indicators

	GVI	ISTB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-12.93%	-9.34%	-3.59%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.79%	-1.26%	-0.53%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-12.93%	-9.34%	-3.59%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-12.93%	-9.34%	-3.59%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.20%	-0.81%	-0.39%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.87%	-1.23%	-0.64%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.49%	0.31%	+0.18%

Volatility

GVI vs. ISTB - Volatility Comparison

iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF (GVI) has a higher volatility of 1.09% compared to iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB) at 0.78%. This indicates that GVI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than ISTB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GVI	ISTB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.09%	0.78%	+0.31%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.68%	1.18%	+0.50%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.74%	1.94%	+0.80%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.97%	2.78%	+1.19%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.52%	2.50%	+1.02%