VCSH vs. SLQD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) and iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (SLQD).

VCSH and SLQD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VCSH is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Index. It was launched on Nov 19, 2009. SLQD is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade 0-5 Index. It was launched on Oct 15, 2013. Both VCSH and SLQD 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

VCSH vs. SLQD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) and iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (SLQD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VCSH vs. SLQD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF	0.13%	6.77%	4.91%	6.20%	-5.62%	-0.63%	5.13%	7.02%	0.92%	2.17%
SLQD iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF	0.29%	6.27%	4.94%	5.98%	-4.38%	-0.61%	4.76%	6.09%	1.09%	2.12%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VCSH achieves a 0.13% return, which is significantly lower than SLQD's 0.29% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with VCSH having a 2.72% annualized return and SLQD not far behind at 2.68%.

VCSH

• 1D: 0.29%
• 1M: -0.83%
• YTD: 0.13%
• 6M: 1.37%
• 1Y: 4.93%
• 3Y*: 5.36%
• 5Y*: 2.37%
• 10Y*: 2.72%

SLQD

• 1D: 0.21%
• 1M: -0.59%
• YTD: 0.29%
• 6M: 1.48%
• 1Y: 4.74%
• 3Y*: 5.22%
• 5Y*: 2.52%
• 10Y*: 2.68%

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

VCSH vs. SLQD - Expense Ratio Comparison

VCSH has a 0.04% expense ratio, which is lower than SLQD's 0.06% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

SLQD

iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

VCSH

Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF

Return for Risk

VCSH vs. SLQD — Risk / Return Rank

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

VCSH

VCSH Risk / Return Rank: 95
VCSH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
VCSH Sortino Ratio Rank: 96
VCSH Omega Ratio Rank: 95
VCSH Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
VCSH Martin Ratio Rank: 95

SLQD

SLQD Risk / Return Rank: 97
SLQD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
SLQD Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
SLQD Omega Ratio Rank: 97
SLQD Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
SLQD Martin Ratio Rank: 97

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.

VCSH vs. SLQD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) and iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (SLQD). 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.

	VCSH	SLQD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.17	2.48	-0.30
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.19	3.70	-0.50
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.45	1.56	-0.12
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.52	4.50	-0.98
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	14.44	18.76	-4.32
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VCSH vs. SLQD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VCSH Sharpe Ratio is 2.17, which is comparable to the SLQD Sharpe Ratio of 2.48. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VCSH and SLQD, 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

	VCSH	SLQD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.17	2.48	-0.30
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.83	1.04	-0.21
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.81	0.86	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.01	0.84	+0.18

Correlation

The correlation between VCSH and SLQD is 0.76, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

VCSH vs. SLQD - Dividend Comparison

VCSH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.41%, more than SLQD's 4.22% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF	4.41%	4.35%	3.96%	3.09%	2.01%	1.81%	2.27%	2.87%	2.65%	2.26%	2.10%	2.08%
SLQD iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF	4.22%	4.15%	3.71%	2.99%	2.00%	1.67%	2.34%	2.89%	2.55%	1.98%	1.81%	1.43%

Drawdowns

VCSH vs. SLQD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VCSH drawdown since its inception was -12.86%, roughly equal to the maximum SLQD drawdown of -12.69%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VCSH and SLQD.

Drawdown Indicators

	VCSH	SLQD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-12.86%	-12.69%	-0.17%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.40%	-1.06%	-0.34%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-9.48%	-7.63%	-1.85%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-12.86%	-12.69%	-0.17%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.83%	-0.59%	-0.24%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.97%	-0.88%	-0.09%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.34%	0.26%	+0.08%

Volatility

VCSH vs. SLQD - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) has a higher volatility of 0.94% compared to iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (SLQD) at 0.73%. This indicates that VCSH's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SLQD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VCSH	SLQD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.94%	0.73%	+0.21%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.29%	1.00%	+0.29%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.28%	1.92%	+0.36%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	2.86%	2.43%	+0.43%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.35%	3.14%	+0.21%