SAAA.L vs. BNDW

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) and Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW).

SAAA.L and BNDW are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SAAA.L is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR USD. It was launched on Oct 3, 2012. BNDW is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Float Adjusted Composite Index. It was launched on Sep 4, 2018. Both SAAA.L and BNDW 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

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) and Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
SAAA.L iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist)	0.23%	2.96%	-3.46%	2.32%	-11.40%	-6.94%	8.12%	1.61%	0.82%
BNDW Vanguard Total World Bond ETF	1.75%	-2.46%	4.21%	1.82%	-2.52%	-1.17%	3.10%	4.25%	2.57%

Different Trading Currencies

SAAA.L is traded in GBP, while BNDW is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the BNDW values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SAAA.L achieves a 0.23% return, which is significantly lower than BNDW's 1.75% return.

SAAA.L

• 1D: 0.02%
• 1M: -2.18%
• YTD: 0.23%
• 6M: 0.78%
• 1Y: 3.69%
• 3Y*: 0.46%
• 5Y*: -2.03%
• 10Y*: 0.26%

BNDW

• 1D: -0.10%
• 1M: -0.35%
• YTD: 1.75%
• 6M: 2.23%
• 1Y: 0.75%
• 3Y*: 1.31%
• 5Y*: 1.09%
• 10Y*: —

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

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Expense Ratio Comparison

SAAA.L has a 0.20% expense ratio, which is higher than BNDW's 0.05% 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%.

SAAA.L

iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist)

BNDW

Vanguard Total World Bond ETF

Return for Risk

SAAA.L vs. BNDW — Risk / Return Rank

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

SAAA.L

SAAA.L Risk / Return Rank: 34
SAAA.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 37
SAAA.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
SAAA.L Omega Ratio Rank: 30
SAAA.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 37
SAAA.L Martin Ratio Rank: 29

BNDW

BNDW Risk / Return Rank: 47
BNDW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
BNDW Sortino Ratio Rank: 47
BNDW Omega Ratio Rank: 41
BNDW Calmar Ratio Rank: 50
BNDW Martin Ratio Rank: 49

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.

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) and Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW). 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.

	SAAA.L	BNDW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.74	0.11	+0.63
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.13	0.20	+0.93
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.13	1.02	+0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.02	0.17	+0.85
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.62	0.29	+2.33
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SAAA.L Sharpe Ratio is 0.74, which is higher than the BNDW Sharpe Ratio of 0.11. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SAAA.L and BNDW, 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

	SAAA.L	BNDW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.74	0.11	+0.63
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.30	0.13	-0.43
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.03	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.12	0.17	-0.04

Correlation

The correlation between SAAA.L and BNDW is 0.64, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Dividend Comparison

SAAA.L's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.48%, less than BNDW's 4.18% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SAAA.L iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist)	2.48%	2.48%	2.34%	1.57%	0.76%	0.48%	0.61%	0.89%	0.87%	0.81%	0.83%	1.06%
BNDW Vanguard Total World Bond ETF	4.18%	4.12%	3.90%	3.73%	2.02%	2.58%	1.56%	3.05%	1.66%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SAAA.L drawdown since its inception was -24.70%, which is greater than BNDW's maximum drawdown of -17.05%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SAAA.L and BNDW.

Drawdown Indicators

	SAAA.L	BNDW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-24.70%	-17.22%	-7.48%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-3.83%	-2.70%	-1.13%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.85%	-16.93%	-1.92%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-24.70%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-18.64%	-1.85%	-16.79%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.77%	-5.05%	-4.72%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.49%	0.73%	+0.76%

Volatility

SAAA.L vs. BNDW - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) is 1.73%, while Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW) has a volatility of 2.30%. This indicates that SAAA.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BNDW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SAAA.L	BNDW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.73%	2.30%	-0.57%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	3.29%	4.79%	-1.50%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	5.01%	7.07%	-2.06%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.79%	8.56%	-1.77%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.93%	9.03%	-1.10%