Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IEF vs VGSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
IEF's duration was 7.0 years on Aug 31, 2026 and VGSH's 1.8 on May 31, 2026; VGSH charges 0.03% to IEF's 0.15%.
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Net assets: $43.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGSH costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.9 points; IEF is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | IEF | VGSH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.2% | +1.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 13.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $41.6bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsIEF returned more: +47.1% to +26.7%. VGSH swung less: 1.3% to 6.3%. VGSH fell less at its worst: −5.5% to −23.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IEF | VGSH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +47.1% | +26.7% | IEF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.3% | +1.4% | IEF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | 0.0% | −3.7% | IEF | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 6.3% | 1.3% | VGSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 4.5% | 0.9% | VGSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −23.3% | −5.5% | VGSH | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.15 | −0.09 | IEF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.21 | −0.14 | IEF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.10 | 0.26 | VGSH | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IEF and VGSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IEF and VGSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IEF and VGSH do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IEF follows ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index and VGSH follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IEF returned −3.2% and VGSH +1.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IEF
IEF tracks an index of 7-10 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 13.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
VGSH
VGSH tracks an index of Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against +1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEF or VGSH?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −3.2% and VGSH +1.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IEF or VGSH?
- VGSH 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.
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, IEF against VGSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vgsh
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IEF against VGSH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vgsh
[IEF against VGSH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ief-vs-vgsh)
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