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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IUSB returned −1.2% and SHY +1.6%.

Which is cheaper, IUSB or SHY?

IUSB is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IUSB vs SHY: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IUSB's duration was 5.5 years on Jul 31, 2026 and SHY's 1.8 on Aug 31, 2026; IUSB charges 0.06% to SHY's 0.15%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $49.8bn for iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF and $27.4bn for iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF.

IUSB on its own →SHY on its own →

At a glance

−1.2%

IUSB total return, 1 year

+1.6%

SHY total return, 1 year

0.06%

IUSB expense ratio

0.15%

SHY expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IUSB costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; IUSB is 1.8 times larger.

IUSB vs SHY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IUSB	SHY
Return
Measure	IUSB	SHY
Total return, 1 year	−1.2%	+1.6%
Benchmark
Measure	IUSB	SHY
What it tracks	Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index	ICE U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	IUSB	SHY
Expense ratio	0.06%	0.15%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$49.8bn	$27.4bn
Holdings
Measure	IUSB	SHY
Holdings in common	14%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Jun 20, 2014 to Oct 23, 2026 · 644 weekly returns

IUSB SHY

Return

Total return edge IUSB +28.3% +20.5%

Annualized edge IUSB +2.0% +1.5%

Price return edge SHY −10.7% −3.5%

Risk

Volatility edge SHY 5.0% 1.4%

Max drawdown edge SHY −17.7% −5.6%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge IUSB 0.02 −0.39

Sortino edge IUSB 0.02 −0.57

Calmar edge SHY 0.11 0.27

Reading

IUSB returned more: +28.3% to +20.5%. SHY swung less: 1.4% to 5.0%. SHY fell less at its worst: −5.6% to −17.7%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IUSB vs SHY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IUSB	SHY	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+28.3%	+20.5%	IUSB	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+2.0%	+1.5%	IUSB	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−10.7%	−3.5%	SHY	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	5.0%	1.4%	SHY	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	3.6%	1.0%	SHY	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−17.7%	−5.6%	SHY	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.02	−0.39	IUSB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.02	−0.57	IUSB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.11	0.27	SHY	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 644 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

14%

By the books each fund has filed, IUSB and SHY hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

14% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IUSB SHY

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 15, 2028 0.30% 1.23%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2028 0.30% 1.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 15, 2028 0.29% 1.21%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 30, 2028 0.29% 0.71%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2028 0.27% 1.27%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 15, 2028 0.27% 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2028 0.24% 1.26%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jun 30, 2028 0.23% 1.61%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Sep 15, 2028 0.23% 0.89%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Mar 15, 2029 0.23% 1.07%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2028 0.23% 1.30%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jan 31, 2028 0.23% 1.71%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IUSB

Uniform Mortgage-Backed Securities, due Aug 25, 2056 0.41%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Dec 31, 2029 0.37%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2036 0.37%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2034 0.36%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2035 0.35%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2035 0.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2034 0.34%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2034 0.34%

Only in SHY

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2028 0.76%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IUSB iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of Universal USD Bond Tracks an index of 1-3 Year Treasury Bond

Total return, 1 year −1.2% +1.6%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +1.7% (BBSB)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.1 pts vs BBSB

Expense ratio 0.06% 0.15%

Holdings 18338 90

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $49.8bn $27.4bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-13EE40EFC9

IUSB and SHY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. IUSB follows Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index and SHY follows ICE U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond Index.
Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IUSB returned −1.2% and SHY +1.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.8 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

IUSB

IUSB tracks an index of Universal USD Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year.

SHY

SHY tracks an index of 1-3 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.6% with distributions reinvested, against +1.7% for its benchmark, the ICE U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IUSB or SHY?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IUSB returned −1.2% and SHY +1.6%.
Which is cheaper, IUSB or SHY?: IUSB is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IUSB vs VGSH IEI vs IUSB IUSB vs LQD IUSB vs JAAA BOND vs SHY MBB vs SHY JAAA vs SHY SGOV vs SHY

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IUSB and SHY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IUSB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IUSB ↗

SHY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for SHY ↗

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, IUSB against SHY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iusb-vs-shy

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