IJH vs. TLT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT).

IJH and TLT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IJH is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. It was launched on May 22, 2000. TLT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 22, 2002. Both IJH and TLT 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

IJH vs. TLT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IJH vs. TLT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IJH iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF	2.56%	7.42%	13.92%	16.40%	-13.11%	24.72%	13.60%	26.10%	-11.19%	16.26%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	0.17%	4.25%	-8.05%	2.77%	-31.23%	-4.60%	18.15%	14.12%	-1.61%	9.18%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IJH achieves a 2.56% return, which is significantly higher than TLT's 0.17% return. Over the past 10 years, IJH has outperformed TLT with an annualized return of 10.48%, while TLT has yielded a comparatively lower -1.38% annualized return.

IJH

• 1D: 2.96%
• 1M: -5.32%
• YTD: 2.56%
• 6M: 4.23%
• 1Y: 17.32%
• 3Y*: 12.06%
• 5Y*: 6.57%
• 10Y*: 10.48%

TLT

• 1D: -0.10%
• 1M: -4.23%
• YTD: 0.17%
• 6M: -0.87%
• 1Y: -0.49%
• 3Y*: -2.78%
• 5Y*: -5.85%
• 10Y*: -1.38%

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

IJH vs. TLT - Expense Ratio Comparison

IJH has a 0.05% expense ratio, which is lower than TLT's 0.15% 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%.

TLT

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

IJH

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF

Return for Risk

IJH vs. TLT — Risk / Return Rank

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

IJH

IJH Risk / Return Rank: 53
IJH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 49
IJH Sortino Ratio Rank: 52
IJH Omega Ratio Rank: 50
IJH Calmar Ratio Rank: 54
IJH Martin Ratio Rank: 59

TLT

TLT Risk / Return Rank: 12
TLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 11
TLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Omega Ratio Rank: 10
TLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 14
TLT Martin Ratio Rank: 13

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.

IJH vs. TLT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). 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.

	IJH	TLT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.83	-0.04	+0.87
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.30	0.02	+1.28
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.18	1.00	+0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.24	0.05	+1.19
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.37	0.11	+5.26
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IJH vs. TLT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IJH Sharpe Ratio is 0.83, which is higher than the TLT Sharpe Ratio of -0.04. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IJH and TLT, 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

	IJH	TLT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.83	-0.04	+0.87
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.33	-0.37	+0.70
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.50	-0.09	+0.59
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.44	0.26	+0.19

Correlation

The correlation between IJH and TLT is -0.25. This indicates that the assets' prices tend to move in opposite directions. Negative correlation can be particularly beneficial for diversification and risk management, as one asset may offset the losses of the other during market fluctuations.

Dividends

IJH vs. TLT - Dividend Comparison

IJH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.32%, less than TLT's 4.49% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IJH iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF	1.32%	1.36%	1.33%	1.46%	1.68%	1.18%	1.28%	1.63%	1.72%	1.19%	1.60%	1.56%
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF	4.49%	4.43%	4.30%	3.38%	2.67%	1.50%	1.50%	2.27%	2.63%	2.43%	2.60%	2.61%

Drawdowns

IJH vs. TLT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IJH drawdown since its inception was -55.07%, which is greater than TLT's maximum drawdown of -48.35%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IJH and TLT.

Drawdown Indicators

	IJH	TLT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-55.07%	-48.35%	-6.72%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.16%	-9.23%	-4.93%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-24.10%	-43.70%	+19.60%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-42.18%	-48.35%	+6.17%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.13%	-40.17%	+34.04%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.61%	-13.62%	+6.01%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.28%	4.38%	-1.10%

Volatility

IJH vs. TLT - Volatility Comparison

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) has a higher volatility of 6.49% compared to iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) at 3.71%. This indicates that IJH's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than TLT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IJH	TLT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.49%	3.71%	+2.78%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.91%	6.61%	+5.30%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	21.07%	11.44%	+9.63%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	19.75%	15.90%	+3.85%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.16%	14.93%	+6.23%