Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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AGG vs SLV: Differences, Returns & Fees

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AGG is a bond index fund and SLV a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SLV returned +14.9% against −1.4%.

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Net assets: $139.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, and $26.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Silver Trust.

At a glance
−1.4%
AGG total return, 1 year
+14.9%
SLV total return, 1 year
0.03%
AGG expense ratio
0.50%
SLV expense ratio

Pair scorecard

AGG costs 0.47 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.3 points; AGG is 5.3 times larger.

AGG vs SLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureAGGSLV
Return
Total return, 1 year−1.4%+14.9%
Drawdown
Below its high3.4%, high on Aug 4, 202053.5%, high on Jan 28, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksBloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond IndexSilver
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.03%0.50%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$139.4bn$26.5bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published

Method

Risk and return

May 5, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,068 weekly returns
AGG SLV
Return
Total return edge SLV +85.5% +248.1%
Annualized edge SLV +3.1% +6.3%
Price return edge SLV −2.0% +248.1%
Risk
Volatility edge AGG 5.3% 32.5%
Max drawdown edge AGG −18.2% −75.2%
Downside capture 97.5% 100.2%
Beta 0.94 1.00
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge SLV (slight) 0.27 0.30
Sortino edge SLV 0.36 0.42
Treynor 0.004 0.107
Calmar edge AGG 0.17 0.08
Against the benchmark
Alpha +0.1% a year −0.2% a year
Alpha t-stat 0.23 −0.92
Information ratio 0.04 −0.19
Tracking error 1.1% 0.8%

Each against its own benchmark: AGG against SCHZ, Jul 22, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026; SLV against SIVR, Jul 31, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

SLV returned more: +248.1% to +85.5%. AGG swung less: 5.3% to 32.5%. AGG fell less at its worst: −18.2% to −75.2%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: AGG vs SLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureAGGSLVEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+85.5%+248.1%SLVPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+3.1%+6.3%SLVTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−2.0%+248.1%SLVPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility5.3%32.5%AGGSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation3.9%23.0%AGGLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−18.2%−75.2%AGGDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture97.5%100.2%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture97.5%100.2%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.941.00Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.951.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.270.30SLV (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.360.42SLVReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0040.107Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.170.08AGGAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSCHZSIVRThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha+0.1% a year−0.2% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat0.23−0.92Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−0.4% to +0.6%−0.6% to +0.2%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio0.04−0.19Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error1.1%0.8%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,068 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF SLV iShares Silver Trust
Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF
What it is Tracks an index of US aggregate bonds Holds silver
Total return, 1 year −1.4% +14.9%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (SCHZ) +15.0% (SIVR)
Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs SCHZ −0.1 pts vs SIVR
Expense ratio 0.03% 0.50%
Holdings 13469 not counted
Net assets, AGG as of Oct 27, 2026 and SLV as of Oct 28, 2026 $139.4bn $26.9bn

AGG and SLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-4867038195

AGG and SLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

  1. What each follows. AGG follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and SLV follows Silver.
  2. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 AGG returned −1.4% and SLV +14.9% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.3 points.
  3. Cost. AGG charges 0.03% of assets a year and SLV 0.50%, a gap of 0.47 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
AGG

AGG tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

SLV

Its expense ratio is 0.50% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

SLV holds silver. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.9% with distributions reinvested, against +15.0% for its benchmark, the price of silver. It sat 53.5% below its high of Jan 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or SLV?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and SLV +14.9%.
Which is cheaper, AGG or SLV?
AGG is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
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ETFIQ, AGG against SLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-slv

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