Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PULS vs VCIT: Differences, Returns & Fees
PULS's duration was 0.7 years on May 29, 2026 and VCIT's 6.0 on May 31, 2026; VCIT charges 0.03% to PULS's 0.15%.
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Net assets: $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF, and $66.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCIT costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.8 points.
| Measure | PULS | VCIT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | −1.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.2%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VCIT as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.8bn | $66.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returnsPULS returned slightly more: +32.2% to +29.5%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 7.9%. PULS fell less at its worst: −5.9% to −20.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PULS | VCIT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +32.2% | +29.5% | PULS (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +3.1% | PULS (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.9% | −5.4% | PULS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 1.9% | 7.9% | PULS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 5.9% | PULS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −5.9% | −20.0% | PULS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.07 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | 0.10 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.57 | 0.15 | PULS | Annualized 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
By the books each fund has filed, PULS and VCIT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PULS and VCIT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PULS and VCIT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. PULS follows No index, actively managed and VCIT follows Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PULS returned +4.0% and VCIT −1.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VCIT
VCIT tracks an index of Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 5-10 Year Corporate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.2% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VCIT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VCIT −1.8%.
- Which is cheaper, PULS or VCIT?
- VCIT 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.
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ETFIQ, PULS against VCIT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vcit
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PULS against VCIT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vcit
[PULS against VCIT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vcit)
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