Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BSV vs IEI: Differences, Returns & Fees
BSV's duration was 2.5 years on Jun 30, 2026 and IEI's 4.3 on Aug 31, 2026; BSV charges 0.03% to IEI's 0.15%.
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Net assets: $45.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF, and $17.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
BSV costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.1 points; BSV is 2.7 times larger.
| Measure | BSV | IEI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.0% | −1.1% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index | ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $45.4bn | $16.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 23% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returnsIEI returned more: +68.5% to +60.9%. BSV swung less: 2.3% to 3.8%. BSV fell less at its worst: −8.1% to −14.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BSV | IEI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +60.9% | +68.5% | IEI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.5% | +2.7% | IEI (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +2.0% | +13.9% | IEI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 2.3% | 3.8% | BSV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 2.7% | BSV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −8.1% | −14.1% | BSV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.40 | 0.31 | BSV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.58 | 0.45 | BSV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.19 | BSV | 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 IEI hold 23% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
23% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BSV and IEI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BSV and IEI 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 IEI follows ICE U.S. Treasury 3-7 Year Bond Index.
- Holdings in common. 23% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BSV returned +1.0% and IEI −1.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.1 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.
IEI
IEI tracks an index of 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BSV or IEI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.0% and IEI −1.1%.
- Which is cheaper, BSV or IEI?
- BSV is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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 IEI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-iei
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BSV against IEI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-iei
[BSV against IEI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-iei)
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