PIFI vs. VTG

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF (PIFI) and Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG).

PIFI and VTG are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PIFI is an actively managed fund by ClearShares. It was launched on Oct 1, 2020. VTG is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Total Return Unhedged USD Index. It was launched on Jul 7, 2025.

Performance

PIFI vs. VTG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF (PIFI) and Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PIFI vs. VTG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
PIFI ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF	0.11%	2.75%
VTG Vanguard Total Treasury ETF	0.07%	2.88%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PIFI achieves a 0.11% return, which is significantly higher than VTG's 0.07% return.

PIFI

• 1D: 0.24%
• 1M: -1.21%
• YTD: 0.11%
• 6M: 1.14%
• 1Y: 4.15%
• 3Y*: 3.69%
• 5Y*: 1.20%
• 10Y*: —

VTG

• 1D: 0.20%
• 1M: -1.72%
• YTD: 0.07%
• 6M: 0.90%
• 1Y: —
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

PIFI vs. VTG - Expense Ratio Comparison

PIFI has a 0.45% expense ratio, which is higher than VTG's 0.03% expense ratio.

PIFI

ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF

VTG

Vanguard Total Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

PIFI vs. VTG — Risk / Return Rank

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

PIFI

PIFI Risk / Return Rank: 77
PIFI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
PIFI Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
PIFI Omega Ratio Rank: 70
PIFI Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
PIFI Martin Ratio Rank: 74

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.

PIFI vs. VTG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF (PIFI) and Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG). 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.

	PIFI	VTG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.44	—	—
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.16	—	—
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.26	—	—
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.28	—	—
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.00	—	—
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	PIFI	VTG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.44	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.33	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.24	1.15	-0.91

Correlation

The correlation between PIFI and VTG is 0.94, 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

PIFI vs. VTG - Dividend Comparison

PIFI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.75%, more than VTG's 2.27% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
PIFI ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income ETF	3.75%	3.16%	2.92%	2.29%	1.22%	0.25%
VTG Vanguard Total Treasury ETF	2.27%	1.65%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

PIFI vs. VTG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PIFI drawdown since its inception was -10.59%, which is greater than VTG's maximum drawdown of -2.35%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PIFI and VTG.

Drawdown Indicators

	PIFI	VTG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-10.59%	-2.35%	-8.24%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.85%	—	—
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-10.41%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.21%	-1.72%	+0.51%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.29%	-0.49%	-2.80%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.53%	—	—

Volatility

Volatility by Period

	PIFI	VTG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.11%	—	—
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.77%	—	—
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.88%	3.58%	-0.70%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.64%	3.58%	+0.06%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.51%	3.58%	-0.07%