Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or SHY?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and SHY returned +1.7%, so SHY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, GOVT or SHY?

GOVT charges 0.05% a year and SHY charges 0.15%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

GOVT vs SHY: how they differ

GOVT and SHY hold 12% of their weight in the same names, and SHY returned more over the year.

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and SHY hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions GOVT and SHY both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding	GOVT	SHY
TREASURY NOTE (OTR)	0.55%	0.58%
TREASURY NOTE (2OLD)	0.25%	0.80%
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY	0.11%	0.26%
TREASURY NOTE (OLD)	0.11%	0.76%
TREASURY NOTE	0.01%	0.06%

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in GOVT	Only in SHY
US TREASURY N/B 0.60%	USD CASH 0.88%
TREASURY BOND (OLD) 0.42%
TREASURY BOND (OTR) 0.16%
TREASURY BOND (2OLD) 0.08%
TREASURY STRIP (INT) 0.04%
TREASURY BOND 0.01%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.

GOVT and SHY on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF	SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	U.S. Treasury Bond	1-3 Year Treasury Bond
Total return, 1 year	−1.0%	+1.7%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−18.5 pts	−15.8 pts
Expense ratio	0.05%	0.15%
Holdings	216	93

GOVT in plain words

GOVT is a bond fund tracking the U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

SHY in plain words

SHY is a bond fund tracking the 1-3 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or SHY?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and SHY returned +1.7%, so SHY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or SHY?: GOVT charges 0.05% a year and SHY charges 0.15%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

GOVT against SHY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, GOVT against SHY, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-shy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources