Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BND vs IUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
BND's duration was 5.7 years on Jun 30, 2026 and IUSB's 5.5 on Jul 31, 2026; BND charges 0.03% to IUSB's 0.06%.
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Net assets: $161.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, and $49.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
BND costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; BND is 3.4 times larger.
| Measure | BND | IUSB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.3% | −1.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.5%, high on Aug 6, 2020 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index | Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $161.4bn | $48.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 57% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 20, 2014 to Oct 23, 2026 · 644 weekly returnsIUSB returned more: +28.3% to +24.1%. BND swung slightly less: 4.9% to 5.0%. IUSB fell slightly less at its worst: −17.7% to −18.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BND | IUSB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +24.1% | +28.3% | IUSB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.8% | +2.0% | IUSB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −13.0% | −10.7% | IUSB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 4.9% | 5.0% | BND (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 3.6% | 3.6% | BND (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −18.4% | −17.7% | IUSB (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.04 | 0.02 | IUSB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.06 | 0.02 | IUSB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.10 | 0.11 | IUSB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 644 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BND and IUSB hold 57% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
57% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BND and IUSB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BND and IUSB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. BND follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index and IUSB follows Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index.
- Size. BND has $161.4bn in net assets and IUSB $48.1bn (net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026); BND is 3.4 times larger.
- Holdings in common (similar). 57% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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BND
BND tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index, measured by the closely related Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.5% below its high of Aug 6, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
IUSB
IUSB tracks an index of Universal USD Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BND or IUSB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BND returned −1.3% and IUSB −1.2%.
- Which is cheaper, BND or IUSB?
- BND is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, BND against IUSB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bnd-vs-iusb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BND against IUSB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bnd-vs-iusb
[BND against IUSB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bnd-vs-iusb)
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