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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and SLV +14.9%.

Which is cheaper, GOVT or SLV?

GOVT is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GOVT vs SLV: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share on X Download as PDF

GOVT is a bond index fund and SLV a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SLV returned +14.9% against −1.5%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about GOVT and SLV

Net assets: $42.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF, and $26.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Silver Trust.

GOVT on its own →SLV on its own →

At a glance

−1.5%

GOVT total return, 1 year

+14.9%

SLV total return, 1 year

0.05%

GOVT expense ratio

0.50%

SLV expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GOVT costs 0.45 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.4 points; GOVT is 1.6 times larger.

GOVT vs SLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GOVT	SLV
Return
Measure	GOVT	SLV
Total return, 1 year	−1.5%	+14.9%
Drawdown
Measure	GOVT	SLV
Below its high	8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020	53.5%, high on Jan 28, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GOVT	SLV
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index	Silver
Cost and size
Measure	GOVT	SLV
Expense ratio	0.05%	0.50%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$42.8bn	$26.5bn
Holdings
Measure	GOVT	SLV
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF SLV iShares Silver Trust

Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond Holds silver

Total return, 1 year −1.5% +14.9%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +15.0% (SIVR)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.1 pts vs SIVR

Expense ratio 0.05% 0.50%

Holdings 229 not counted

Net assets, GOVT as of Oct 27, 2026 and SLV as of Oct 28, 2026 $42.8bn $26.9bn

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

Alert

About each fund

GOVT

GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

SLV

Its expense ratio is 0.50% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

SLV holds silver. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.9% with distributions reinvested, against +15.0% for its benchmark, the price of silver. It sat 53.5% below its high of Jan 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or SLV?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and SLV +14.9%.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or SLV?: GOVT is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GOVT vs IAU GLD vs GOVT GOVT vs SIVR BWET vs GOVT IEF vs SLV SLV vs VGIT SLV vs VGSH JAAA vs SLV

Where to next

GOVT on its own →SLV on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →GOVT dividend history →GOVT holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

GOVT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

GOVT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for GOVT ↗

iShares page for SLV ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GOVT against SLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-slv

Open data →

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