VBU.NEO vs. BOND

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VBU.NEO) and PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND).

VBU.NEO and BOND are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VBU.NEO is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Bond Index (CAD Hedged). It was launched on Jun 30, 2014. BOND is an actively managed fund by PIMCO. It was launched on Mar 1, 2012.

Performance

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VBU.NEO) and PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VBU.NEO Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF	-1.64%	1.31%	-2.90%	4.56%	-13.69%	-2.10%	7.24%	7.76%	-1.05%	3.47%
BOND PIMCO Active Bond ETF	1.37%	3.42%	11.60%	4.14%	-8.48%	-1.67%	5.97%	3.20%	8.57%	-1.91%

Different Trading Currencies

VBU.NEO is traded in CAD, while BOND is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the BOND values have been converted to CAD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VBU.NEO achieves a -1.64% return, which is significantly lower than BOND's 1.37% return. Over the past 10 years, VBU.NEO has underperformed BOND with an annualized return of -0.02%, while BOND has yielded a comparatively higher 2.93% annualized return.

VBU.NEO

• 1D: -0.49%
• 1M: -2.14%
• YTD: -1.64%
• 6M: -2.14%
• 1Y: -1.78%
• 3Y*: -0.62%
• 5Y*: -2.43%
• 10Y*: -0.02%

BOND

• 1D: -0.02%
• 1M: 0.07%
• YTD: 1.37%
• 6M: 1.02%
• 1Y: 1.89%
• 3Y*: 5.77%
• 5Y*: 2.72%
• 10Y*: 2.93%

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

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Expense Ratio Comparison

VBU.NEO has a 0.22% expense ratio, which is lower than BOND's 0.54% expense ratio.

BOND

PIMCO Active Bond ETF

VBU.NEO

Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF

Return for Risk

VBU.NEO vs. BOND — Risk / Return Rank

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

VBU.NEO

VBU.NEO Risk / Return Rank: 4
VBU.NEO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 6
VBU.NEO Sortino Ratio Rank: 5
VBU.NEO Omega Ratio Rank: 5
VBU.NEO Calmar Ratio Rank: 2
VBU.NEO Martin Ratio Rank: 1

BOND

BOND Risk / Return Rank: 53
BOND Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
BOND Sortino Ratio Rank: 53
BOND Omega Ratio Rank: 47
BOND Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
BOND Martin Ratio Rank: 47

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.

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VBU.NEO) and PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND). 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.

	VBU.NEO	BOND	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.37	0.29	-0.66
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.44	0.44	-0.88
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.94	1.06	-0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.66	0.27	-0.93
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.46	0.54	-2.00
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VBU.NEO Sharpe Ratio is -0.37, which is lower than the BOND Sharpe Ratio of 0.29. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VBU.NEO and BOND, 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

	VBU.NEO	BOND	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.37	0.29	-0.66
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.39	0.37	-0.76
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.00	0.38	-0.39
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.09	0.70	-0.61

Correlation

The correlation between VBU.NEO and BOND is 0.36, 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

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Dividend Comparison

VBU.NEO has not paid dividends to shareholders, while BOND's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.18%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VBU.NEO Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.24%	2.72%	2.31%	1.83%	2.14%	2.36%	2.28%	2.20%	2.19%	2.18%
BOND PIMCO Active Bond ETF	5.18%	5.11%	5.02%	4.06%	3.44%	2.58%	2.66%	3.38%	3.18%	2.87%	2.85%	4.14%

Drawdowns

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VBU.NEO drawdown since its inception was -19.38%, which is greater than BOND's maximum drawdown of -18.33%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VBU.NEO and BOND.

Drawdown Indicators

	VBU.NEO	BOND	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-19.38%	-19.71%	+0.33%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-3.16%	-3.29%	+0.13%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.46%	-19.71%	+1.25%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-19.38%	-19.71%	+0.33%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-15.05%	-1.94%	-13.11%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.92%	-3.53%	-2.39%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.44%	1.13%	+0.31%

Volatility

VBU.NEO vs. BOND - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (VBU.NEO) is 1.60%, while PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND) has a volatility of 2.23%. This indicates that VBU.NEO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BOND based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VBU.NEO	BOND	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.60%	2.23%	-0.63%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.87%	4.28%	-1.41%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.86%	6.46%	-1.60%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.25%	7.42%	-1.17%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	5.92%	7.64%	-1.72%