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TLH vs. BSV
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

TLH vs. BSV

Last updated Jun 4, 2026

TLH (iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF) and BSV (Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares) are both exchange-traded funds - TLH is a Government Bonds fund tracking the ICE U.S. Treasury 10-20 Year Bond Index, while BSV is a Short-Term Bond fund tracking the Bloomberg U.S. 1–5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, TLH returned -0.83%/yr vs 1.95%/yr for BSV. A 0.70 correlation means they provide meaningful diversification when combined. TLH charges 0.15%/yr vs 0.03%/yr for BSV.

Performance

TLH vs. BSV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH) and Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, TLH achieves a -0.51% return, which is significantly lower than BSV's 0.29% return. Over the past 10 years, TLH has underperformed BSV with an annualized return of -0.83%, while BSV has yielded a comparatively higher 1.95% annualized return.

TLH

1D
-0.38%
1M
0.62%
YTD
-0.51%
6M
-1.42%
1Y
5.33%
3Y*
0.59%
5Y*
-3.80%
10Y*
-0.83%

BSV

1D
-0.08%
1M
0.06%
YTD
0.29%
6M
0.52%
1Y
3.68%
3Y*
4.41%
5Y*
1.62%
10Y*
1.95%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

TLH vs. BSV - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020201920182017
TLH
iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF		-0.51%6.47%-4.21%4.03%-25.24%-5.38%13.78%10.11%0.37%4.21%
BSV
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares		0.29%6.00%3.78%4.90%-5.49%-1.09%4.70%4.98%1.34%1.20%

Correlation

The correlation between TLH and BSV is 0.80, indicating a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Combining them offers limited diversification - they tend to fall together during downturns.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.80

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.80

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.78

Correlation (10Y)
Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

0.74

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Apr 11, 2007

0.70

The correlation between TLH and BSV shifts across timeframes, from 0.70 (all time) to 0.80 (1 year), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

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iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares

Often compared with TLH:
TLH vs. TLTTLH vs. VGLTTLH vs. IEITLH vs. SPTLTLH vs. SCHQTLH vs. PLWTLH vs. XTLH.TO
Often compared with BSV:
BSV vs. BNDBSV vs. VCSHBSV vs. SCHOBSV vs. SHYBSV vs. VUSBBSV vs. VBIRXBSV vs. ISTB

Return for Risk

TLH vs. BSV — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
TLH
TLH Risk / Return Rank: 1919
Overall Rank
TLH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1919
Sharpe Ratio Rank
TLH Sortino Ratio Rank: 1919
Sortino Ratio Rank
TLH Omega Ratio Rank: 1818
Omega Ratio Rank
TLH Calmar Ratio Rank: 1919
Calmar Ratio Rank
TLH Martin Ratio Rank: 2020
Martin Ratio Rank
BSV
BSV Risk / Return Rank: 6161
Overall Rank
BSV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 5959
Sharpe Ratio Rank
BSV Sortino Ratio Rank: 7171
Sortino Ratio Rank
BSV Omega Ratio Rank: 6363
Omega Ratio Rank
BSV Calmar Ratio Rank: 5757
Calmar Ratio Rank
BSV Martin Ratio Rank: 5757
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

TLH vs. BSV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH) and Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV). 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.

TLHBSVDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
0.67
2.05

-1.38

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
1.01
3.29

-2.28

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.12

1.39

-0.27

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

0.82

2.87

-2.05

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

2.28

10.07

-7.80

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

TLH vs. BSV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current TLH Sharpe Ratio is 0.67, which is lower than the BSV Sharpe Ratio of 2.05. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of TLH and BSV, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

TLHBSVDifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.67

2.05

-1.38

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

-0.30

0.60

-0.90

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

-0.07

0.83

-0.90

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.28

0.85

-0.58

Drawdowns

TLH vs. BSV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum TLH drawdown since its inception was -41.14%, which is greater than BSV's maximum drawdown of -8.54%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for TLH and BSV.

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Drawdown Indicators

TLHBSVDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-41.14%

-8.54%

-32.60%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-6.50%

-1.29%

-5.21%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-15.35%

-1.53%

-13.82%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-35.41%

-8.54%

-26.87%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-41.14%

-8.54%

-32.60%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-29.82%

-0.63%

-29.19%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-10.76%

-0.97%

-9.79%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

2.35%

0.37%

+1.98%

Volatility

TLH vs. BSV - Volatility Comparison

iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH) has a higher volatility of 2.46% compared to Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BSV) at 0.52%. This indicates that TLH's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BSV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

TLHBSVDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

2.46%

0.52%

+1.94%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

5.49%

1.26%

+4.23%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

8.01%

1.81%

+6.20%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

12.70%

2.72%

+9.98%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

11.19%

2.37%

+8.82%

TLH vs. BSV - Expense Ratio Comparison

TLH has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is higher than BSV's 0.03% 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

TLH vs. BSV - Dividend Comparison

TLH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.48%, more than BSV's 4.00% yield.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
BSV
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund ETF Shares		4.00%3.83%3.38%2.46%1.50%1.45%1.79%2.29%1.99%1.65%1.48%1.40%
TLH
iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF		4.48%4.17%4.28%3.83%2.78%1.50%2.65%2.31%2.17%1.83%1.91%2.13%

Frequently Asked Questions

TLH and BSV have a correlation of 0.80, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

TLH has higher volatility (2.46%) compared to BSV (0.52%). In terms of maximum drawdown, TLH dropped -41.14% vs BSV's -8.54%.

On 10-year performance, BSV leads with 1.95% vs -0.83% for TLH. On fees, BSV is cheaper at 0.03% per year. On volatility, BSV has been the lower-risk option at 0.52%. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Over the 10-year period, BSV has performed better with a 1.95% return vs -0.83%. Past performance does not guarantee future results, so compare this with risk, fees, and fund exposure.

BSV is cheaper with a 0.03% expense ratio, compared with 0.15% for TLH.

TLH has the higher dividend yield at 4.48%, compared with 4.00% for BSV.

TLH is categorized as Government Bonds, while BSV is Short-Term Bond. TLH tracks ICE U.S. Treasury 10-20 Year Bond Index, while BSV tracks Bloomberg U.S. 1–5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index. They also come from different issuers: iShares and Vanguard. Their fees differ too: 0.15% for TLH and 0.03% for BSV.

BSV currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (2.05 vs 0.67), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.

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