Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
BSV vs GOVT: how they differ
BSV and GOVT hold 36% of their weight in the same names, and BSV returned more over the year.
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund and iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BSV and GOVT hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BSV | GOVT |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.89% | 0.95% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.78% | 0.79% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.76% | 0.93% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.71% | 0.78% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.71% | 0.77% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.76% | 0.67% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.64% | 0.78% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 1.13% | 0.63% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.76% | 0.60% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.64% | 0.60% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.58% | 1.02% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.69% | 0.57% |
| Only in BSV | Only in GOVT |
|---|---|
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.80% | United States of America 5.31% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.69% | United States of America 1.57% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.68% | United States of America 1.53% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.65% | United States of America 1.51% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.63% | United States of America 1.41% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.56% | United States of America 1.00% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.56% | United States of America 0.94% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.54% | United States of America 0.91% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund | GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | iShares |
| What it is | Short-Term Bond | U.S. Treasury Bond |
| Total return, 1 year | +1.1% | −1.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −16.4 pts | −18.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Holdings | 3185 | 223 |
BSV in plain words
BSV is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
GOVT in plain words
GOVT is a bond fund tracking the U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BSV or GOVT?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.1% and GOVT returned −1.0%, so BSV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, BSV or GOVT?
- BSV charges 0.03% a year and GOVT charges 0.05%, so BSV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, BSV against GOVT, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/BSV-GOVT Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources