VTG vs. SHY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG) and iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY).

VTG and SHY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VTG is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Total Return Unhedged USD Index. It was launched on Jul 7, 2025. SHY is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 1-3 Year Treasury Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 22, 2002. Both VTG and SHY 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

VTG vs. SHY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG) and iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VTG vs. SHY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
VTG Vanguard Total Treasury ETF	-0.02%	2.88%
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF	0.26%	2.32%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VTG achieves a -0.02% return, which is significantly lower than SHY's 0.26% return.

VTG

• 1D: -0.09%
• 1M: -1.32%
• YTD: -0.02%
• 6M: 0.57%
• 1Y: —
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SHY

• 1D: -0.00%
• 1M: -0.29%
• YTD: 0.26%
• 6M: 1.22%
• 1Y: 3.57%
• 3Y*: 3.88%
• 5Y*: 1.70%
• 10Y*: 1.65%

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

VTG vs. SHY - Expense Ratio Comparison

VTG has a 0.03% expense ratio, which is lower than SHY's 0.15% 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%.

SHY

iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF

VTG

Vanguard Total Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

VTG vs. SHY — Risk / Return Rank

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

SHY

SHY Risk / Return Rank: 96
SHY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 95
SHY Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
SHY Omega Ratio Rank: 96
SHY Calmar Ratio Rank: 95
SHY Martin Ratio Rank: 95

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.

VTG vs. SHY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Total Treasury ETF (VTG) and iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY). 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.

Risk / return metrics aren't available yet — we need at least 12 months of trading data to calculate them.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	VTG	SHY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	—	2.48	—
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.87	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	1.06	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.11	1.29	-0.18

Correlation

The correlation between VTG and SHY is 0.79, 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

VTG vs. SHY - Dividend Comparison

VTG's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.61%, less than SHY's 3.72% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VTG Vanguard Total Treasury ETF	2.61%	1.65%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF	3.72%	3.81%	3.92%	2.99%	1.30%	0.26%	0.94%	2.12%	1.72%	0.98%	0.71%	0.54%

Drawdowns

VTG vs. SHY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VTG drawdown since its inception was -2.35%, smaller than the maximum SHY drawdown of -5.71%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VTG and SHY.

Drawdown Indicators

	VTG	SHY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-2.35%	-5.71%	+3.36%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	—	-0.89%	—
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-5.71%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-5.71%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.81%	-0.47%	-1.34%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.49%	-0.52%	+0.03%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	—	0.23%	—

Volatility

Volatility by Period

	VTG	SHY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	—	0.58%	—
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	—	0.89%	—
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.57%	1.45%	+2.12%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.57%	1.97%	+1.60%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.57%	1.56%	+2.01%