NUBD vs. GBF

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) and iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF (GBF).

NUBD and GBF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. NUBD is a passively managed fund by Nuveen that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg MSCI U.S. Aggregate ESG Select Index. It was launched on Sep 29, 2017. GBF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index. It was launched on Jan 11, 2007. Both NUBD and GBF 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

NUBD vs. GBF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) and iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF (GBF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NUBD vs. GBF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NUBD Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	-0.01%	6.75%	1.31%	5.42%	-12.90%	-2.19%	7.17%	8.22%	0.32%	0.26%
GBF iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF	0.09%	6.41%	0.99%	5.79%	-13.85%	-2.30%	8.76%	9.47%	-0.52%	0.49%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NUBD achieves a -0.01% return, which is significantly lower than GBF's 0.09% return.

NUBD

• 1D: 0.04%
• 1M: -1.45%
• YTD: -0.01%
• 6M: 0.63%
• 1Y: 3.85%
• 3Y*: 3.40%
• 5Y*: 0.05%
• 10Y*: —

GBF

• 1D: -0.01%
• 1M: -1.35%
• YTD: 0.09%
• 6M: 0.44%
• 1Y: 3.51%
• 3Y*: 3.20%
• 5Y*: -0.04%
• 10Y*: 1.58%

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

NUBD vs. GBF - Expense Ratio Comparison

NUBD has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is lower than GBF'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%.

GBF

iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF

NUBD

Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

Return for Risk

NUBD vs. GBF — Risk / Return Rank

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

NUBD

NUBD Risk / Return Rank: 48
NUBD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 49
NUBD Sortino Ratio Rank: 47
NUBD Omega Ratio Rank: 39
NUBD Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
NUBD Martin Ratio Rank: 44

GBF

GBF Risk / Return Rank: 43
GBF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
GBF Sortino Ratio Rank: 40
GBF Omega Ratio Rank: 34
GBF Calmar Ratio Rank: 55
GBF Martin Ratio Rank: 42

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.

NUBD vs. GBF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) and iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF (GBF). 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.

	NUBD	GBF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.94	0.83	+0.10
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.34	1.19	+0.14
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.16	1.15	+0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.65	1.53	+0.12
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.48	4.29	+0.18
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NUBD vs. GBF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NUBD Sharpe Ratio is 0.94, which is comparable to the GBF Sharpe Ratio of 0.83. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NUBD and GBF, 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

	NUBD	GBF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.94	0.83	+0.10
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.01	-0.01	+0.01
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.30	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.29	0.58	-0.29

Correlation

The correlation between NUBD and GBF is 0.89, 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

NUBD vs. GBF - Dividend Comparison

NUBD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.92%, more than GBF's 3.77% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NUBD Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	3.92%	3.90%	3.51%	2.99%	2.83%	2.05%	2.21%	2.66%	3.08%	0.58%	0.00%	0.00%
GBF iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF	3.77%	3.81%	3.94%	3.03%	2.13%	1.22%	1.64%	2.64%	2.59%	2.31%	2.09%	2.04%

Drawdowns

NUBD vs. GBF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NUBD drawdown since its inception was -19.45%, roughly equal to the maximum GBF drawdown of -19.67%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NUBD and GBF.

Drawdown Indicators

	NUBD	GBF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-19.45%	-19.67%	+0.22%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.50%	-2.50%	0.00%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.90%	-18.45%	+0.55%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-19.67%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.13%	-4.96%	+0.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.10%	-3.66%	-2.44%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.92%	0.89%	+0.03%

Volatility

NUBD vs. GBF - Volatility Comparison

Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) and iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF (GBF) have volatilities of 1.59% and 1.64%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NUBD	GBF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.59%	1.64%	-0.05%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.49%	2.53%	-0.04%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.13%	4.23%	-0.10%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	5.97%	5.92%	+0.05%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	5.14%	5.27%	-0.13%