Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BSV vs IBB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BSV returned +1.0% to IBB's +37.5%, and BSV charges 0.03% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $45.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF, and $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF.
Pair scorecard
BSV costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 36.5 points; BSV is 4.1 times larger.
| Measure | BSV | IBB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.0% | +37.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.44% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $45.4bn | $11.2bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 40% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returnsIBB returned more: +699.2% to +60.9%. BSV swung less: 2.3% to 22.9%. BSV fell less at its worst: −8.1% to −37.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BSV | IBB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +60.9% | +699.2% | IBB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.5% | +11.2% | IBB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +2.0% | +665.1% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 2.3% | 22.9% | BSV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 16.0% | BSV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −8.1% | −37.5% | BSV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.40 | 0.51 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.58 | 0.73 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.30 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,018 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BSV and IBB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BSV and IBB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BSV and IBB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. BSV follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index and IBB follows Biotech.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BSV returned +1.0% and IBB +37.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 36.5 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.
IBB
By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.
Questions people ask
- Are BSV and IBB in the same category?
- BSV is a bond ETF and IBB is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, BSV or IBB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.0% and IBB +37.5%.
- Which is cheaper, BSV or IBB?
- BSV is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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.
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ETFIQ, BSV against IBB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-ibb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BSV against IBB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-ibb
[BSV against IBB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-ibb)
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