TUA vs. VGUS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF (TUA) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS).

TUA and VGUS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. TUA is an actively managed fund by Simplify. It was launched on Nov 14, 2022. VGUS is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Short Treasury Index. It was launched on Feb 7, 2025.

Performance

TUA vs. VGUS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF (TUA) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

TUA vs. VGUS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
TUA Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF	-3.21%	7.28%
VGUS Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF	0.81%	3.77%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, TUA achieves a -3.21% return, which is significantly lower than VGUS's 0.81% return.

TUA

• 1D: 0.24%
• 1M: -4.04%
• YTD: -3.21%
• 6M: -2.23%
• 1Y: -0.42%
• 3Y*: -1.82%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VGUS

• 1D: 0.01%
• 1M: 0.25%
• YTD: 0.81%
• 6M: 1.82%
• 1Y: 4.00%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

TUA vs. VGUS - Expense Ratio Comparison

TUA has a 0.16% expense ratio, which is higher than VGUS's 0.07% 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%.

TUA

Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF

VGUS

Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

TUA vs. VGUS — Risk / Return Rank

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

TUA

TUA Risk / Return Rank: 11
TUA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 11
TUA Sortino Ratio Rank: 9
TUA Omega Ratio Rank: 9
TUA Calmar Ratio Rank: 12
TUA Martin Ratio Rank: 12

VGUS

VGUS Risk / Return Rank: 100
VGUS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Omega Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Martin Ratio Rank: 100

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.

TUA vs. VGUS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF (TUA) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS). 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.

	TUA	VGUS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.05	11.39	-11.44
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.02	31.34	-31.37
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.00	8.64	-7.64
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.02	55.20	-55.22
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.07	367.74	-367.81
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

TUA vs. VGUS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current TUA Sharpe Ratio is -0.05, which is lower than the VGUS Sharpe Ratio of 11.39. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of TUA and VGUS, 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

	TUA	VGUS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.05	11.39	-11.44
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.08	11.78	-11.85

Correlation

The correlation between TUA and VGUS is 0.23, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

TUA vs. VGUS - Dividend Comparison

TUA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.74%, more than VGUS's 3.66% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022
TUA Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF	3.74%	3.84%	5.19%	4.83%	0.15%
VGUS Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF	3.66%	3.12%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

TUA vs. VGUS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum TUA drawdown since its inception was -15.85%, which is greater than VGUS's maximum drawdown of -0.07%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for TUA and VGUS.

Drawdown Indicators

	TUA	VGUS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-15.85%	-0.07%	-15.78%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-6.04%	-0.07%	-5.97%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.00%	0.00%	-8.00%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-8.35%	0.00%	-8.35%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.10%	0.01%	+2.09%

Volatility

TUA vs. VGUS - Volatility Comparison

Simplify Short Term Treasury Futures Strategy ETF (TUA) has a higher volatility of 3.08% compared to Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS) at 0.07%. This indicates that TUA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VGUS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	TUA	VGUS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.08%	0.07%	+3.01%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.61%	0.16%	+4.45%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	7.65%	0.35%	+7.30%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	10.94%	0.35%	+10.59%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	10.94%	0.35%	+10.59%