Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
GOVT vs VCSH: how they differ
GOVT and VCSH hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VCSH returned more over the year.
iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and VCSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in GOVT | Only in VCSH |
|---|---|
| United States of America 5.31% | United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.85% |
| United States of America 2.96% | Bank of America Corp 0.24% |
| United States of America 2.63% | AbbVie Inc 0.21% |
| United States of America 2.09% | CVS Health Corp 0.21% |
| United States of America 1.61% | T-Mobile USA Inc 0.20% |
| United States of America 1.57% | Boeing Co/The 0.20% |
| United States of America 1.53% | Wells Fargo & Co 0.18% |
| United States of America 1.51% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 0.18% |
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 May 31, 2026.
| GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF | VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | U.S. Treasury Bond | Short-Term Corporate Bond |
| Total return, 1 year | −1.0% | +1.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.5 pts | −15.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.03% |
| Holdings | 223 | 2999 |
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.
VCSH in plain words
VCSH is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.6% 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.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or VCSH?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and VCSH returned +1.6%, so VCSH returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, GOVT or VCSH?
- GOVT charges 0.05% a year and VCSH charges 0.03%, so VCSH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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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, GOVT against VCSH, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GOVT-VCSH Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources