Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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BSCU vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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BSCU's duration was 3.6 years on May 31, 2026 and VSDB's 2.5 on Jun 30, 2026; BSCU charges 0.10% to VSDB's 0.15%.

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Net assets: $2.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco BulletShares 2030 Corporate Bond ETF, and $1.0bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF.

At a glance
+0.3%
BSCU total return, 1 year
+1.7%
VSDB total return, 1 year
0.10%
BSCU expense ratio
0.15%
VSDB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

BSCU costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points.

BSCU vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSCUVSDB
Return
Total return, 1 year+0.3%+1.7%
Benchmark
What it tracksInvesco BulletShares USD Corporate Bond 2030 IndexNo index, actively managed
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.10%0.15%
Net assets, BSCU as of Oct 27, 2026 and VSDB as of Sep 30, 2026$2.8bn$1.0bn
Holdings
Holdings in common3%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 11, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 80 weekly returns · each against AGG
BSCU VSDB
Return
Total return edge Tie +7.2% +7.1%
Annualized edge Tie +4.6% +4.5%
Price return edge VSDB −0.4% +0.5%
Risk
Volatility edge VSDB 2.9% 1.8%
Max drawdown edge VSDB −2.5% −1.4%
Downside capture 60.8% 27.1%
Beta 0.72 0.43
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge VSDB 0.21 0.29
Sortino edge VSDB 0.32 0.40
Treynor 0.009 0.012
Calmar edge VSDB 1.87 3.19
Against the benchmark
Alpha +1.1% a year +0.8% a year
Alpha t-stat 1.08 1.16
Information ratio 0.80 0.54
Tracking error 1.7% 2.3%
Reading

BSCU and VSDB returned about the same: +7.2% and +7.1%. VSDB swung less: 1.8% to 2.9%. VSDB fell less at its worst: −1.4% to −2.5%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BSCU vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSCUVSDBAGGEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+7.2%+7.1%TiePrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+4.6%+4.5%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−0.4%+0.5%VSDBPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility2.9%1.8%VSDBSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation2.0%1.3%VSDBLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−2.5%−1.4%VSDBDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture76.3%50.5%100.0%BSCUShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture60.8%27.1%100.0%VSDBShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.720.431.00VSDB lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.810.761.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.210.29VSDBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.320.40VSDBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0090.012−0.007VSDBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar1.873.19VSDBAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkAGGAGGAGGThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha+1.1% a year+0.8% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat1.081.16Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−0.9% to +3.2%−0.6% to +2.2%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio0.800.54BSCUReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error1.7%2.3%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 80 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

3%

By the books each fund has filed, BSCU and VSDB hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

3% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BSCU VSDB
General Motors Financial Co., Inc., due Jul 15, 2030 0.27% 0.26%
General Motors Financial Co., Inc., due Jan 7, 2030 0.33% 0.24%
Oracle Corp., due Sep 26, 2030 0.78% 0.22%
GE HealthCare Technologies Inc., due Mar 15, 2030 0.34% 0.22%
CVS Health Corp., due Aug 21, 2030 0.30% 0.20%
eBay Inc., due Mar 11, 2030 0.24% 0.17%
Dell International LLC / EMC Corp., due Feb 1, 2030 0.19% 0.16%
HCA Inc., due Nov 15, 2030 0.13% 0.23%
Equinix Europe 2 Financing Corp. LLC, due Nov 15, 2030 0.33% 0.12%
Smurfit Kappa Treasury Unlimited Co., due Jan 15, 2030 0.20% 0.11%
Intel Corp., due Feb 10, 2030 0.34% 0.11%
Boeing Co. (The), due May 1, 2030 1.22% 0.11%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in BSCU
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., due Jul 1, 2030 0.82%
Amgen Inc., due Mar 2, 2030 0.75%
Citibank N.A., due May 29, 2030 0.68%
Alphabet Inc., due Nov 15, 2030 0.66%
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., due Mar 31, 2030 0.61%
Synopsys, Inc., due Apr 1, 2030 0.54%
Centene Corp., due Oct 15, 2030 0.53%
Alphabet Inc., due Aug 15, 2030 0.53%
Only in VSDB
US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 30, 2027 1.90%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2029 1.66%
US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 30, 2027 1.55%
US TREASURY N/B, due Dec 31, 2027 1.55%
US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2029 1.50%
US TREASURY N/B, due Dec 31, 2027 1.50%
US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 15, 2028 1.23%
TREASURY BILL, due Jun 10, 2027 1.16%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BSCU Invesco BulletShares 2030 Corporate Bond ETF VSDB Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
What it is Tracks an index Actively managed
Total return, 1 year +0.3% +1.7%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.4% (AGG) −1.4% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark +1.7 pts vs AGG +3.1 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.10% 0.15%
Holdings 450 1525
Net assets, BSCU as of Oct 27, 2026 and VSDB as of Sep 30, 2026 $2.8bn $1.0bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-798A84E52B

BSCU and VSDB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. BSCU follows Invesco BulletShares USD Corporate Bond 2030 Index and VSDB follows No index, actively managed.
  2. Holdings in common. 3% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
  3. Number of holdings. BSCU holds 450 positions and VSDB holds 1525.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
BSCU

BSCU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +0.3% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.

VSDB

VSDB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BSCU or VSDB?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSCU returned +0.3% and VSDB +1.7%.
Which is cheaper, BSCU or VSDB?
BSCU is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, BSCU against VSDB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bscu-vs-vsdb

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