Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BSV vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees
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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askIQ about BSV and VHTNet assets on Sep 30, 2026: $45.4bn for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF and $19.1bn for Vanguard Health Care ETF.
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.
| Measure | BSV | VHT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.0% | +25.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $45.4bn | $19.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 86% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 51.8% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,018 weekly returnsVHT 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 Open ↓
| Measure | BSV | VHT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +60.9% | +626.5% | VHT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.5% | +10.7% | VHT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +2.0% | +438.9% | VHT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 2.3% | 17.2% | BSV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 12.2% | BSV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −8.1% | −38.1% | BSV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.40 | 0.59 | VHT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.58 | 0.83 | VHT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.28 | BSV (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
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.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BSV and VHT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BSV and VHT 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 VHT follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- 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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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.
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 VHT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-vht
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BSV against VHT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-vht
[BSV against VHT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-vht)
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