Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BSV vs DFSD: Differences, Returns & Fees
BSV's duration was 2.5 years on Jun 30, 2026 and DFSD's 2.9 on Jul 31, 2026; BSV charges 0.03% to DFSD's 0.16%.
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Net assets: $45.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF, and $7.1bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional Short-Duration Fixed Income ETF.
Pair scorecard
BSV costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points.
| Measure | BSV | DFSD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.0% | +1.1% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index | No index, actively managed |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.16% |
| Net assets, BSV as of Sep 30, 2026 and DFSD as of Jul 31, 2026 | $45.4bn | $7.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 26, 2021 to Oct 23, 2026 · 256 weekly returnsDFSD returned more: +11.9% to +9.4%. DFSD swung slightly less: 2.5% to 2.7%. BSV fell less at its worst: −7.2% to −8.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BSV | DFSD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +9.4% | +11.9% | DFSD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.8% | +2.3% | DFSD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −5.5% | −6.7% | BSV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 2.7% | 2.5% | DFSD (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 2.0% | 1.9% | DFSD (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −7.2% | −8.3% | BSV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.80 | −0.69 | DFSD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −1.07 | −0.87 | DFSD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.28 | DFSD (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 256 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BSV and DFSD hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BSV and DFSD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BSV and DFSD are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. BSV follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index and DFSD follows No index, actively managed.
- Holdings in common. 12% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
- Cost. BSV charges 0.03% of assets a year and DFSD 0.16%, a gap of 0.13 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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BSV
BSV tracks an index of Short-Term Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
DFSD
DFSD is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BSV or DFSD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.0% and DFSD +1.1%.
- Which is cheaper, BSV or DFSD?
- BSV is cheaper, by 0.13 percentage points a year. That is about $13 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, BSV against DFSD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-dfsd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BSV against DFSD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-dfsd
[BSV against DFSD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-dfsd)
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