NUSA vs. ISTB

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB).

NUSA and ISTB are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. NUSA is a passively managed fund by Nuveen that tracks the performance of the ICE BofA Enhanced Yield US Broad Bond (1-5 Y). It was launched on Mar 31, 2017. 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 NUSA 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

NUSA vs. ISTB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NUSA vs. ISTB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NUSA Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	0.18%	5.89%	3.52%	5.19%	-5.91%	-1.04%	4.85%	5.62%	1.40%	1.00%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF	0.13%	6.36%	4.37%	5.56%	-6.08%	-0.71%	4.75%	5.61%	1.02%	0.94%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NUSA achieves a 0.18% return, which is significantly higher than ISTB's 0.13% return.

NUSA

• 1D: -0.07%
• 1M: -0.59%
• YTD: 0.18%
• 6M: 1.07%
• 1Y: 3.87%
• 3Y*: 4.29%
• 5Y*: 1.59%
• 10Y*: —

ISTB

• 1D: 0.03%
• 1M: -0.61%
• YTD: 0.13%
• 6M: 1.16%
• 1Y: 4.38%
• 3Y*: 4.78%
• 5Y*: 1.88%
• 10Y*: 2.32%

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

NUSA vs. ISTB - Expense Ratio Comparison

NUSA has a 0.15% 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%.

NUSA

Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

ISTB

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

Return for Risk

NUSA vs. ISTB — Risk / Return Rank

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

NUSA

NUSA Risk / Return Rank: 90
NUSA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
NUSA Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
NUSA Omega Ratio Rank: 89
NUSA Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
NUSA Martin Ratio Rank: 88

ISTB

ISTB Risk / Return Rank: 94
ISTB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 93
ISTB Sortino Ratio Rank: 96
ISTB Omega Ratio Rank: 94
ISTB Calmar Ratio Rank: 93
ISTB Martin Ratio Rank: 93

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.

NUSA vs. ISTB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA) 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.

	NUSA	ISTB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.99	2.27	-0.28
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.06	3.47	-0.42
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.39	1.45	-0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.01	3.60	-0.59
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.54	14.26	-2.73
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NUSA vs. ISTB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NUSA Sharpe Ratio is 1.99, which is comparable to the ISTB Sharpe Ratio of 2.27. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NUSA 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

	NUSA	ISTB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.99	2.27	-0.28
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.57	0.68	-0.11
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.93	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.82	0.84	-0.02

Correlation

The correlation between NUSA 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

NUSA vs. ISTB - Dividend Comparison

NUSA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.82%, less than ISTB's 4.21% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NUSA Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	3.82%	3.83%	3.93%	3.54%	2.44%	2.16%	2.51%	2.85%	3.22%	2.20%	0.00%	0.00%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF	4.21%	4.12%	3.83%	2.97%	2.01%	1.69%	2.20%	2.75%	2.57%	2.06%	1.90%	1.58%

Drawdowns

NUSA vs. ISTB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NUSA drawdown since its inception was -9.44%, roughly equal to the maximum ISTB drawdown of -9.34%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NUSA and ISTB.

Drawdown Indicators

	NUSA	ISTB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-9.44%	-9.34%	-0.10%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.28%	-1.26%	-0.02%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-9.44%	-9.34%	-0.10%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-9.34%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.76%	-0.78%	+0.02%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.67%	-1.23%	-0.44%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.33%	0.32%	+0.01%

Volatility

NUSA vs. ISTB - Volatility Comparison

Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (ISTB) have volatilities of 0.80% and 0.78%, 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

	NUSA	ISTB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.80%	0.78%	+0.02%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.19%	1.18%	+0.01%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.95%	1.94%	+0.01%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	2.78%	2.78%	0.00%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	2.74%	2.50%	+0.24%