Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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BSV vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BSV returned +1.0% to VHT's +25.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $45.4bn for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF and $19.1bn for Vanguard Health Care ETF.

At a glance
+1.0%
BSV total return, 1 year
+25.0%
VHT total return, 1 year
0.03%
BSV expense ratio
0.09%
VHT expense ratio

Pair scorecard

BSV costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 24.0 points; BSV is 2.4 times larger.

BSV vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSVVHT
Return
Total return, 1 year+1.0%+25.0%
Benchmark
What it tracksBloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted IndexMSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.03%0.09%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$45.4bn$19.1bn
Holdings
Holdings in common0%
In the S&P 500, by weight86%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund51.8%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returns
BSV VHT
Return
Total return edge VHT +60.9% +626.5%
Annualized edge VHT +2.5% +10.7%
Price return edge VHT +2.0% +438.9%
Risk
Volatility edge BSV 2.3% 17.2%
Max drawdown edge BSV −8.1% −38.1%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge VHT 0.40 0.59
Sortino edge VHT 0.58 0.83
Calmar edge BSV (slight) 0.30 0.28
Reading

VHT returned more: +626.5% to +60.9%. BSV swung less: 2.3% to 17.2%. BSV fell less at its worst: −8.1% to −38.1%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: BSV vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSVVHTEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+60.9%+626.5%VHTPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+2.5%+10.7%VHTTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+2.0%+438.9%VHTPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility2.3%17.2%BSVSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.6%12.2%BSVLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−8.1%−38.1%BSVDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.400.59VHTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.580.83VHTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar0.300.28BSV (slight)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

0%

By the books each fund has filed, BSV and VHT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BSV VHT
MKTLIQ 0.44% 0.24%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in BSV
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.70%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.32%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.09%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.86%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.86%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.83%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.83%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.78%
Only in VHT
Eli Lilly & Co 12.95%
Johnson & Johnson 8.79%
AbbVie Inc 6.46%
Merck & Co Inc 5.02%
UnitedHealth Group Inc 4.66%
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 3.51%
Amgen Inc 3.18%
Gilead Sciences Inc 2.59%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Stock ETF
What it is Tracks an index of Short-Term Bond Tracks an index of Health Care
Total return, 1 year +1.0% +25.0%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +25.4% (FHLC)
Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.4 pts vs FHLC
Expense ratio 0.03% 0.09%
Holdings 3157 414
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 $45.4bn $19.1bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-E4A1C44F8E

BSV and VHT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

  1. What each follows. BSV follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index and VHT follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50.
  2. Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
  3. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BSV returned +1.0% and VHT +25.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 24.0 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
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.

VHT

VHT tracks an index of Health Care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.0% with distributions reinvested, against +25.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 414 positions, with the top ten at 51.8%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BSV or VHT?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.0% and VHT +25.0%.
Which is cheaper, BSV or VHT?
BSV is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, BSV against VHT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-vht

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