Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VCSH vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VCSH returned +1.3% to VYM's +18.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $43.9bn for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF and $78.9bn for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCSH costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.7 points; VYM is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | VCSH | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +18.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $43.9bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 90% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +605.3% to +59.9%. VCSH swung less: 3.5% to 14.6%. VCSH fell less at its worst: −11.3% to −32.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VCSH | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +59.9% | +605.3% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.8% | +12.2% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +2.8% | +321.3% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 3.5% | 14.6% | VCSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 2.5% | 10.3% | VCSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −11.3% | −32.4% | VCSH | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.37 | 0.76 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.52 | 1.08 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.38 | VYM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VCSH and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VCSH and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VCSH and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VCSH follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VCSH returned +1.3% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VCSH
VCSH tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against +1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VCSH or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCSH returned +1.3% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VCSH or VYM?
- VCSH is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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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, VCSH against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VCSH against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vym
[VCSH against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vym)
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