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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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BSV vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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On Jun 30, 2026 BSV's duration was 2.5 years and VSDB's 2.5; BSV charges 0.03% to VSDB's 0.15%.

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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $45.4bn for Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF and $1.0bn for Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF.

BSV on its own →VSDB on its own →
At a glance
+1.0%
BSV total return, 1 year
+1.7%
VSDB total return, 1 year
0.03%
BSV expense ratio
0.15%
VSDB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

BSV costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.7 points; BSV is far larger, $45.4bn against $1.0bn.

BSV vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSVVSDB
Return
Total return, 1 year+1.0%+1.7%
Benchmark
What it tracksBloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted IndexNo index, actively managed
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.03%0.15%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$45.4bn$1.0bn
Holdings
Holdings in common19%

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

Risk and return

Apr 11, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 80 weekly returns
BSV VSDB
Return
Total return edge VSDB +4.8% +7.1%
Annualized edge VSDB +3.1% +4.5%
Price return edge VSDB −1.2% +0.5%
Risk
Volatility edge BSV (slight) 1.8% 1.8%
Max drawdown edge BSV −1.2% −1.4%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge VSDB −0.48 0.29
Sortino edge VSDB −0.64 0.40
Calmar edge VSDB 2.54 3.19
Reading

VSDB returned more: +7.1% to +4.8%. BSV swung slightly less: 1.8% to 1.8%. BSV fell less at its worst: −1.2% to −1.4%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
Risk and return: BSV vs VSDB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureBSVVSDBEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+4.8%+7.1%VSDBPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+3.1%+4.5%VSDBTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−1.2%+0.5%VSDBPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility1.8%1.8%BSV (slight)Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.3%1.3%VSDB (slight)Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−1.2%−1.4%BSVDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe−0.480.29VSDBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino−0.640.40VSDBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar2.543.19VSDBAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 80 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

19%

By the books each fund has filed, BSV and VSDB hold 19% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

19% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BSV VSDB
US TREASURY N/B, due Dec 31, 2027 0.89% 1.50%
US TREASURY N/B, due Oct 31, 2027 0.75% 1.07%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 31, 2029 0.72% 0.74%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2029 0.71% 1.66%
US TREASURY N/B, due Aug 31, 2029 0.64% 0.85%
US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2029 0.56% 1.50%
US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 30, 2030 0.63% 0.55%
US TREASURY N/B, due Apr 30, 2029 0.62% 0.52%
US TREASURY N/B, due Aug 15, 2030 0.75% 0.52%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jan 31, 2029 0.51% 0.54%
US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 15, 2028 0.51% 1.23%
US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 30, 2027 0.47% 1.55%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in BSV
US TREASURY N/B, due Jan 31, 2028 1.12%
US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 28, 2030 0.88%
US TREASURY N/B, due Mar 31, 2028 0.81%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jul 15, 2027 0.80%
US TREASURY N/B, due Nov 15, 2030 0.79%
US TREASURY N/B, due May 31, 2031 0.78%
US TREASURY N/B, due Dec 31, 2029 0.77%
US TREASURY N/B, due Feb 15, 2031 0.77%
Only in VSDB
TREASURY BILL, due Jun 10, 2027 1.16%
GNR 2026-25 QA, due Dec 20, 2051 0.81%
DOMINICAN REPUBL, due Jan 30, 2030 0.75%
FNR 2026-33 FA, due Jul 25, 2055 0.70%
G2SF 5.5 7/26, due Jul 20, 2026 0.65%
SA GLOBAL SUKU, due Oct 2, 2029 0.59%
TURKIYE REP OF, due Mar 13, 2030 0.56%
FNR 2026-46 FJ, due Jun 25, 2056 0.52%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF VSDB Vanguard Short Duration Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer Vanguard Vanguard
What it is Tracks an index of Short-Term Bond Actively managed
Total return, 1 year +1.0% +1.7%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.4% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark not measured +3.1 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.03% 0.15%
Holdings 3157 1525
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 $45.4bn $1.0bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-C423558E96

BSV and VSDB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. BSV follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index and VSDB follows No index, actively managed.
  2. Holdings in common. 19% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026).
  3. Cost. BSV charges 0.03% of assets a year and VSDB 0.15%, a gap of 0.12 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.

VSDB

VSDB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BSV or VSDB?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BSV returned +1.0% and VSDB +1.7%.
Which is cheaper, BSV or VSDB?
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.
Other comparisons
APCB vs BSVBSV vs SUSBBSV vs EVSDBSV vs FSIGIGSB vs VSDBVCSH vs VSDBSPIB vs VSDBSPSB vs VSDB
Where to next
BSV on its own →VSDB on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BSV dividend history →BSV holdings →VSDB dividend history →VSDB holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
BSV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
BSV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for BSV ↗
VSDB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VSDB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VSDB ↗

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 VSDB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bsv-vs-vsdb

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.