ICSH vs. ULST

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF (ICSH) and State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF (ULST).

ICSH and ULST are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. ICSH is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE BofA US 6-Month Treasury Bill Index (USD). It was launched on Dec 11, 2013. ULST is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg US Treasury Bellwether 3 Month Index. It was launched on Oct 9, 2013. Both ICSH and ULST 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

ICSH vs. ULST - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF (ICSH) and State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF (ULST). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

ICSH vs. ULST - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
ICSH iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF	0.74%	4.96%	5.52%	5.58%	0.97%	0.16%	1.61%	3.17%	2.25%	1.63%
ULST State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF	0.64%	4.80%	5.23%	5.60%	0.87%	0.25%	1.45%	3.23%	2.04%	1.19%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, ICSH achieves a 0.74% return, which is significantly higher than ULST's 0.64% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with ICSH having a 2.71% annualized return and ULST not far behind at 2.64%.

ICSH

• 1D: 0.02%
• 1M: 0.12%
• YTD: 0.74%
• 6M: 1.89%
• 1Y: 4.40%
• 3Y*: 5.21%
• 5Y*: 3.55%
• 10Y*: 2.71%

ULST

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: -0.01%
• YTD: 0.64%
• 6M: 1.68%
• 1Y: 4.08%
• 3Y*: 4.98%
• 5Y*: 3.42%
• 10Y*: 2.64%

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

ICSH vs. ULST - Expense Ratio Comparison

ICSH has a 0.08% expense ratio, which is lower than ULST's 0.20% 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%.

ULST

State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF

ICSH

iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF

Return for Risk

ICSH vs. ULST — Risk / Return Rank

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

ICSH

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

ULST

ULST Risk / Return Rank: 99
ULST Sharpe Ratio Rank: 99
ULST Sortino Ratio Rank: 99
ULST Omega Ratio Rank: 99
ULST Calmar Ratio Rank: 99
ULST Martin Ratio Rank: 99

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.

ICSH vs. ULST - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF (ICSH) and State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF (ULST). 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.

	ICSH	ULST	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	10.86	5.05	+5.80
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	25.58	9.61	+15.96
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	6.41	2.43	+3.98
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	45.33	11.10	+34.22
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	283.87	68.31	+215.57
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

ICSH vs. ULST - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ICSH Sharpe Ratio is 10.86, which is higher than the ULST Sharpe Ratio of 5.05. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ICSH and ULST, 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

	ICSH	ULST	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.86	5.05	+5.80
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	7.40	3.57	+3.83
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	2.55	1.81	+0.75
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.90	1.48	+0.42

Correlation

The correlation between ICSH and ULST is 0.16, 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

ICSH vs. ULST - Dividend Comparison

ICSH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.46%, more than ULST's 4.38% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
ICSH iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF	4.46%	4.55%	5.24%	4.78%	1.66%	0.42%	1.21%	2.61%	2.20%	1.36%	0.88%	0.54%
ULST State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF	4.38%	4.46%	5.03%	4.45%	1.70%	0.54%	1.34%	2.56%	2.13%	1.21%	0.93%	0.37%

Drawdowns

ICSH vs. ULST - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ICSH drawdown since its inception was -3.94%, smaller than the maximum ULST drawdown of -6.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ICSH and ULST.

Drawdown Indicators

	ICSH	ULST	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-3.94%	-6.20%	+2.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.10%	-0.37%	+0.27%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-0.73%	-1.22%	+0.49%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-3.94%	-6.20%	+2.26%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-0.01%	+0.01%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.08%	-0.16%	+0.08%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.02%	0.06%	-0.04%

Volatility

ICSH vs. ULST - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF (ICSH) is 0.16%, while State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF (ULST) has a volatility of 0.25%. This indicates that ICSH experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than ULST based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	ICSH	ULST	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.16%	0.25%	-0.09%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.26%	0.42%	-0.16%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.41%	0.81%	-0.40%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	0.48%	0.96%	-0.48%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	1.06%	1.47%	-0.41%