Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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PULS vs SPSB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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PULS's duration was 0.7 years on May 29, 2026 and SPSB's 1.8 on Jun 30, 2026; SPSB charges 0.04% to PULS's 0.15%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $19.8bn for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF and $11.3bn for State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF.

At a glance
+4.0%
PULS total return, 1 year
+2.2%
SPSB total return, 1 year
0.15%
PULS expense ratio
0.04%
SPSB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPSB costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points; PULS is 1.8 times larger.

PULS vs SPSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasurePULSSPSB
Return
Total return, 1 year+4.0%+2.2%
Benchmark
What it tracksNo index, actively managedBloomberg U.S. 1-3 Year Corporate Bond Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.15%0.04%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$19.8bn$11.3bn
Holdings
Holdings in common5%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returns
PULS SPSB
Return
Total return edge PULS +32.2% +28.3%
Annualized edge PULS +3.3% +3.0%
Price return edge PULS −0.9% −1.6%
Risk
Volatility edge PULS 1.9% 4.0%
Max drawdown edge PULS −5.9% −9.9%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge PULS 0.27 0.06
Sortino edge PULS 0.32 0.08
Calmar edge PULS 0.57 0.30
Reading

PULS returned more: +32.2% to +28.3%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 4.0%. PULS fell less at its worst: −5.9% to −9.9%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: PULS vs SPSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasurePULSSPSBEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+32.2%+28.3%PULSPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+3.3%+3.0%PULSTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−0.9%−1.6%PULSPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility1.9%4.0%PULSSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.6%2.8%PULSLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−5.9%−9.9%PULSDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.270.06PULSReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.320.08PULSReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar0.570.30PULSAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

5%

By the books each fund has filed, PULS and SPSB hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

5% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first PULS SPSB
CRM 4.65 03/15/29, due Mar 15, 2029 0.32% 0.56%
AMZN 4 03/13/29, due Mar 13, 2029 0.24% 0.35%
GOOGL 3.7 02/15/29, due Feb 15, 2029 0.19% 0.18%
AMZN 3.9 11/20/28, due Nov 20, 2028 0.18% 0.21%
ABBV 3.775 03/03/28, due Mar 3, 2028 0.20% 0.17%
FIS 4.55 03/10/29, due Mar 10, 2029 0.15% 0.29%
TD 4.574 06/02/28 MTN, due Jun 2, 2028 0.14% 0.26%
ETN 3.85 03/06/28, due Mar 6, 2028 0.21% 0.14%
ETN 3.95 03/06/29, due Mar 6, 2029 0.13% 0.16%
KDP 4.35 05/15/28, due May 15, 2028 0.12% 0.12%
GM 5.05 04/04/28, due Apr 4, 2028 0.11% 0.17%
TD 4.109 10/13/28, due Oct 13, 2028 0.11% 0.15%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in PULS
PGIM AAA CLO ETF 1.81%
Phillips 66 0% CP 22/06/2026, due Jun 22, 2026 0.83%
GLENCORE FUNDING LLC 0% CP 17/06/2026, due Jun 17, 2026 0.74%
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. 0% CP 01/06/2026, due Jun 1, 2026 0.66%
INTESA SANPAOLO SPA NEW YORK BRANCH 4.27% CP 30/06/2026, due Jun 30, 2026 0.63%
ABNANV 4.718 01/22/27 144A, due Jan 22, 2027 0.57%
Healthpeak Properties Inc 0% CP 24/06/2026, due Jun 24, 2026 0.52%
BX 2022-LBA6 A, due Jan 18, 2039 0.51%
Only in SPSB
AerCap Ireland Capital DAC / AerCap Global Aviation Trust, due Oct 29, 2028 0.44%
Bank of America Corp, due Dec 20, 2028 0.42%
Citigroup Inc, due Mar 4, 2029 0.42%
Morgan Stanley, due Apr 10, 2030 0.38%
JPMorgan Chase & Co, due Jul 25, 2028 0.38%
Sprint Capital Corp, due Nov 15, 2028 0.37%
Wells Fargo & Co, due Jul 25, 2028 0.37%
Bank of America Corp, due Jul 22, 2028 0.36%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

PULS PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF SPSB State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of Short Term Corporate Bond
Total return, 1 year +4.0% +2.2%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.4% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark not measured +3.6 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.15% 0.04%
Holdings 553 1684
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $19.8bn $11.3bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-A9A5F21BDB

PULS and SPSB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

  1. What each follows. PULS follows No index, actively managed and SPSB follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-3 Year Corporate Bond Index.
  2. Holdings in common. 5% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
  3. Number of holdings. PULS holds 553 positions and SPSB holds 1684.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
PULS

PULS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

SPSB

SPSB tracks an index of Short Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.2% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PULS or SPSB?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and SPSB +2.2%.
Which is cheaper, PULS or SPSB?
SPSB is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, PULS against SPSB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-spsb

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