SMEA.L vs. VDST.L
SMEA.L (iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)) and VDST.L (Vanguard U.S. Treasury 0-1 Year Bond UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating) are both exchange-traded funds - SMEA.L is a Europe Equities fund tracking the MSCI Europe NR EUR, while VDST.L is a Government Bonds fund tracking the Bloomberg Short Treasury Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, SMEA.L returned 10.14%/yr vs 4.40%/yr for VDST.L. At a correlation of -0.11, they often move in opposite directions. SMEA.L charges 0.12%/yr vs 0.05%/yr for VDST.L.
Performance
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Performance Comparison
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Different Trading Currencies
SMEA.L is traded in GBp, while VDST.L is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the VDST.L values have been converted to GBp using the latest available exchange rates.
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, SMEA.L achieves a 6.71% return, which is significantly higher than VDST.L's 1.87% return.
SMEA.L
- 1D
- 0.75%
- 1M
- 3.62%
- YTD
- 6.71%
- 6M
- 8.81%
- 1Y
- 19.31%
- 3Y*
- 13.80%
- 5Y*
- 10.14%
- 10Y*
- 10.22%
VDST.L
- 1D
- 0.04%
- 1M
- 1.23%
- YTD
- 1.87%
- 6M
- 1.04%
- 1Y
- 4.96%
- 3Y*
- 2.08%
- 5Y*
- 4.40%
- 10Y*
- —
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMEA.L iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) | 6.71% | 25.88% | 3.68% | 13.36% | -3.48% | 16.94% | 6.03% |
VDST.L Vanguard U.S. Treasury 0-1 Year Bond UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating | 1.87% | -3.17% | 7.08% | -0.26% | 12.57% | 0.13% | -5.17% |
Correlation
The correlation between SMEA.L and VDST.L is -0.11, meaning they tend to move in opposite directions. This is especially valuable for risk management - when one declines, the other has historically tended to hold steady or rise.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | -0.11 |
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period | -0.09 |
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | -0.13 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Sep 11, 2020 | -0.11 |
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Return for Risk
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L — Risk / Return Rank
SMEA.L
VDST.L
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SMEA.L) and Vanguard U.S. Treasury 0-1 Year Bond UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating (VDST.L). 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.
| SMEA.L | VDST.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.84 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.16 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.30 | 1.13 | +0.17 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 1.82 | 0.96 | +0.86 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 6.51 | 2.61 | +3.90 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| SMEA.L | VDST.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 1.60 | 0.76 | +0.84 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.74 | 0.55 | +0.19 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.70 | — | — |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.60 | 0.29 | +0.31 |
Drawdowns
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum SMEA.L drawdown since its inception was -28.48%, which is greater than VDST.L's maximum drawdown of -15.91%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SMEA.L and VDST.L.
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Drawdown Indicators
| SMEA.L | VDST.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -28.48% | -15.91% | -12.57% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -10.56% | -5.14% | -5.42% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -12.46% | -9.86% | -2.60% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -15.76% | -15.91% | +0.15% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -28.48% | — | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -1.27% | -6.10% | +4.83% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -4.54% | -7.99% | +3.45% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.96% | 1.90% | +1.06% |
Volatility
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Volatility Comparison
iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SMEA.L) has a higher volatility of 3.91% compared to Vanguard U.S. Treasury 0-1 Year Bond UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating (VDST.L) at 1.78%. This indicates that SMEA.L's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VDST.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| SMEA.L | VDST.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 3.91% | 1.78% | +2.13% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 10.09% | 4.93% | +5.16% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 12.02% | 6.53% | +5.49% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 13.64% | 8.87% | +4.77% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 15.04% | 8.93% | +6.11% |
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Expense Ratio Comparison
SMEA.L has a 0.12% expense ratio, which is higher than VDST.L'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%.
Dividends
SMEA.L vs. VDST.L - Dividend Comparison
Neither SMEA.L nor VDST.L has paid dividends to shareholders.
Frequently Asked Questions
SMEA.L and VDST.L have a correlation of -0.11, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
On fees, VDST.L is cheaper at 0.05% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.
VDST.L is cheaper with a 0.05% expense ratio, compared with 0.12% for SMEA.L.
SMEA.L is categorized as Europe Equities, while VDST.L is Government Bonds. SMEA.L tracks MSCI Europe NR EUR, while VDST.L tracks Bloomberg Short Treasury Index. They also come from different issuers: iShares and Vanguard. Their fees differ too: 0.12% for SMEA.L and 0.05% for VDST.L.
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