Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IUSB vs VTIP: Differences, Returns & Fees
IUSB's duration was 5.5 years on Jul 31, 2026 and VTIP's 2.3 on Jun 30, 2026; VTIP charges 0.03% to IUSB's 0.06%.
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Net assets: $49.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Universal USD Bond ETF, and $20.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund ETF Shares.
Pair scorecard
VTIP costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.4 points; IUSB is 2.3 times larger.
| Measure | IUSB | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.2% | +2.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) 0-5 Years Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $48.1bn | $20.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 20, 2014 to Oct 23, 2026 · 644 weekly returnsVTIP returned more: +34.9% to +28.3%. VTIP swung less: 2.3% to 5.0%. VTIP fell less at its worst: −5.5% to −17.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IUSB | VTIP | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +28.3% | +34.9% | VTIP | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.0% | +2.4% | VTIP | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −10.7% | −2.6% | VTIP | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 5.0% | 2.3% | VTIP | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 3.6% | 1.7% | VTIP | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −17.7% | −5.5% | VTIP | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.02 | 0.17 | VTIP | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.02 | 0.22 | VTIP | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.11 | 0.44 | VTIP | 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
By the books each fund has filed, IUSB and VTIP hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IUSB and VTIP on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IUSB and VTIP do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IUSB follows Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index and VTIP follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) 0-5 Years Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IUSB returned −1.2% and VTIP +2.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VTIP
VTIP tracks an index of Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IUSB or VTIP?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IUSB returned −1.2% and VTIP +2.2%.
- Which is cheaper, IUSB or VTIP?
- VTIP is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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, IUSB against VTIP, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iusb-vs-vtip
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IUSB against VTIP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iusb-vs-vtip
[IUSB against VTIP (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iusb-vs-vtip)
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