Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PULS vs VTIP: Differences, Returns & Fees
PULS's duration was 0.7 years on May 29, 2026 and VTIP's 2.3 on Jun 30, 2026; VTIP 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 $20.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund ETF Shares.
Pair scorecard
VTIP costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points.
| Measure | PULS | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +2.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) 0-5 Years Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VTIP as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.8bn | $20.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
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 returnsVTIP returned slightly more: +34.1% to +32.2%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 2.5%. VTIP fell slightly less at its worst: −5.5% to −5.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PULS | VTIP | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +32.2% | +34.1% | VTIP (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +3.5% | VTIP (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.9% | −0.1% | VTIP | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 1.9% | 2.5% | PULS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 1.9% | PULS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −5.9% | −5.5% | VTIP (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.28 | VTIP (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | 0.36 | VTIP | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.57 | 0.63 | VTIP | 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 VTIP hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PULS and VTIP on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PULS and VTIP do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. PULS follows No index, actively managed 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 May 29, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. PULS holds 553 positions and VTIP holds 26.
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.
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, PULS or VTIP?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VTIP +2.2%.
- Which is cheaper, PULS or VTIP?
- VTIP 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, PULS against VTIP, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vtip
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PULS against VTIP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vtip
[PULS against VTIP (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vtip)
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