# How Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/bsv
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on BSV alone. It places BSV (Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where BSV stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: BSV's full trading record, from April 2007 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** BSV has gone against the market, falling 0.5% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. That said, it sits 0.9% below its record high, and the S&P 500 is similarly close to its own.
- **Fund or market?:** BSV fell 0.4% over the past 3 months, in line with the US bond market ETF AGG (iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF), which fell 1.7%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Long term:** BSV turned $10,000 into $12,000 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Over the past decade, BSV returned 20.5%, behind 88% of the ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, BSV has typically lost about 11% as much as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** BSV is some diversification, but not a hedge: a correlation of 0.47 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.48 with the total US market, less closely than 88% of ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. BSV cushions stocks less than it used to: its correlation with the S&P 500 rose to 0.47 over the past 5 years, from -0.12 in the 5 years before.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** JPST (JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF), FLOT (iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF) and NEAR (iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF) earned more than BSV with less volatility over the past 5 years. JPST returned 3.9% a year at 0.6% volatility, against 1.7% a year at 2.8%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** STIP (iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF, treasury bonds) was ahead of BSV in most short and long periods.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 34 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than BSV with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them SGOV (iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF), BIL (State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF) and JPST (JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF).

## How much would $10,000 in BSV have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in BSV over the past 16 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of BSV over the same span and BSV's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in BSV at the end of September 2010 would have grown to $13,126 by September 2026, less than the $88,503 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of BSV, and VCIT finished highest, at $17,051.

## BSV at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the fund, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- BSV is trading within 1% of its all-time high.
- BSV's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 8.5%, from August 2021 to October 2022. It took 21 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 18 full calendar years, BSV's best was 2008, when it returned 8.5%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 5.5%. It lost money in two of those years.

- Type: ETF, Bonds (Asset Management - Bonds)
- Trading since: April 10, 2007
- Assets: $70B
- Expense ratio: 0.03%
- Volatility (5 years): 2.8%; Sharpe ratio: 0.63
- Worst decline ever: −8.5%, from August 3, 2021 to October 20, 2022; back at its high by July 29, 2024

| Period | BSV total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +0.1% |
| 3 months | −0.4% |
| 6 months | −0.5% |
| year to date | +0.1% |
| 1 year | +0.7% |
| 3 years | +14.1% |
| 5 years | +8.8% |
| 10 years | +20.5% |

## BSV against the whole market

Where BSV ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does BSV rank among all ETFs?

This section ranks BSV on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every ETF worth at least $100 million with enough history.

- BSV's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 3% of the 951 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets, where the top fell the least.
- BSV's 3-year return ranks in the bottom 8% of the 1,949 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets with 3 years of history.

| Measure | BSV | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +0.7% | 1,945 of 2,485 (top 79%) |
| 3-year return | +14.1% | 1,790 of 1,949 (top 92%) |
| 5-year return | +8.8% | 1,256 of 1,560 (top 81%) |
| 10-year return | +20.5% | 847 of 958 (top 89%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 2.8% | 58 of 1,560 (top 4%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.63 | 672 of 1,560 (top 44%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −8.5% | 26 of 951 (top 3%) |

### What has beaten BSV on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 34 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than BSV over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half BSV's swings, JAAA has the best return for its risk: 5.1% a year at 1.7% volatility, 39% less than BSV's 2.8%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 2.98 against 0.62 for BSV. FLRT earned the most, 6.0% a year, while still swinging less than BSV (2.3% against 2.8%).
- Among BSV's popular alternatives, SGOV, SHV and ICSH are in the region. SGOV earned 3.8% a year against 1.7% a year for BSV, at 0.3% volatility, 90% less than BSV's 2.8%.

### Is there a better investment than BSV?

The table below lists investments that beat BSV over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes, and, for funds, the same exposure at a lower expense ratio.

- Among BSV's popular alternatives, JPST, FLOT and NEAR earned more than BSV with less volatility over the past 5 years. JPST returned 3.9% a year at 0.6% volatility, against 1.7% a year at 2.8%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, STIP (treasury bonds) was ahead of BSV in most short and long periods.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 34 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than BSV with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them SGOV, BIL and JPST.

The 15 strongest of 34 investments that beat BSV over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with BSV | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BSV: Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (this page) |  | +1.7% | 2.8% | 0.63 | −8.5% | +20.5% |  |  |
| JAAA: Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF | CLO Bonds | +5.1% | 1.7% | 2.98 | −2.6% | — | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BIL](https://easycompare.io/research/bil): State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | Treasury Bonds | +3.7% | 0.3% | 14.05 | −0.2% | +25.8% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| TBUX: T. Rowe Price Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF | Bonds | +4.1% | 1.1% | 3.85 | −1.8% | — | 0.72 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| FLUD: Franklin Ultra Short Bond ETF | Bonds | +3.9% | 1.4% | 2.74 | −1.7% | — | 0.56 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| VRIG: Invesco Variable Rate Investment Grade ETF | Bonds | +4.7% | 1.3% | 3.51 | −13.1% | +40.5% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FLRT: Pacer Aristotle Pacific Floating Rate High Income ETF | Financials | +6.0% | 2.3% | 2.55 | −21.0% | +58.0% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| VNLA: Janus Henderson Short Duration Income ETF | Bonds | +4.0% | 1.1% | 3.77 | −4.5% | — | 0.71 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FLDR: Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | Bonds | +3.9% | 1.2% | 3.09 | −12.2% | — | 0.79 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FLOT: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF | Floating Rate Bonds | +4.5% | 1.8% | 2.48 | −13.5% | +35.9% | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| NEAR: iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | Short-Term Bonds | +3.9% | 1.4% | 2.71 | −9.6% | +31.8% | 0.76 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| RAVI: Northern Trust Ultra-Short Fixed Income ETF | Bonds | +3.8% | 1.4% | 2.61 | −3.7% | +30.8% | 0.62 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FLRN: State Street SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF | Bonds | +4.5% | 1.7% | 2.58 | −14.7% | +35.9% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FLTR: VanEck IG Floating Rate ETF | Multi-Asset | +4.8% | 2.1% | 2.20 | −17.8% | +41.8% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| USTB: VictoryShares Short-Term Bond ETF | Bonds | +3.6% | 2.0% | 1.73 | −5.3% | — | 0.91 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| SPSB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | Investment Grade Bonds | +2.8% | 2.0% | 1.38 | −11.8% | +29.2% | 0.97 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |

## BSV against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against BSV, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do BSV's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- 12 of the 19 popular alternatives, led by FLTR, FLOT and ICSH, were both more rewarding and calmer than BSV over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, BSV returned 1.7% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with lower volatility (2.8% against 17.1%).

### Has BSV consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares BSV with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Ten of the 24 popular alternatives, led by FLTR, FLOT and FLRN, outperformed BSV in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- FLTR, FLOT and FLRN outperformed BSV in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SGOV, SHV and ICSH earned more for the risk they took than BSV (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of BSV | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BSV: Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (this page) | +0.7% | +14.1% | +8.8% | +20.5% |  |  | 0.63 |
| FLTR: VanEck IG Floating Rate ETF | +4.7% | +18.5% | +26.3% | +41.8% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 2.20 |
| FLOT: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF | +4.3% | +16.9% | +24.5% | +35.9% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 2.48 |
| FLRN: State Street SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF | +4.3% | +16.9% | +24.4% | +35.9% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 2.58 |
| GSY: Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF | +3.7% | +16.4% | +21.1% | +32.8% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 6.38 |
| ICSH: iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF | +3.5% | +15.3% | +21.1% | +32.2% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 7.61 |
| MINT: PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Exchange-Traded Fund | +4.2% | +15.8% | +20.3% | +31.4% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 6.29 |
| NEAR: iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | +1.6% | +15.5% | +20.9% | +31.8% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 2.71 |
| SPSB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | +2.0% | +16.3% | +14.9% | +29.2% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.38 |
| SHV: iShares Trust iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF | +3.6% | +13.9% | +19.4% | +26.1% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 12.09 |
| [JPST](https://easycompare.io/research/jpst): JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF | +3.4% | +15.5% | +20.8% | — | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 6.34 |
| SLQD: iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | +1.3% | +16.4% | +13.3% | +28.6% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.02 |
| IGSB: iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | +0.7% | +17.3% | +12.4% | +29.4% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.80 |
| [VCSH](https://easycompare.io/research/vcsh): Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF | +0.7% | +17.0% | +12.1% | +28.6% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.80 |
| ISTB: iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF | +0.5% | +15.3% | +9.5% | +23.2% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.65 |
| [VTIP](https://easycompare.io/research/vtip): Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF | +0.4% | +13.9% | +14.0% | +32.7% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.94 |
| [VCIT](https://easycompare.io/research/vcit): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF | −2.6% | +21.5% | +3.2% | +26.4% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.13 |
| SCHJ: Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF | +1.0% | +17.4% | +12.3% | — | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.79 |
| SUSB: iShares ESG Aware 1-5 Year USD Corporate Bond ETF | +0.6% | +16.7% | +11.3% | — | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.73 |
| [SGOV](https://easycompare.io/research/sgov): iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF | +3.4% | +13.8% | +20.3% | — | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 13.25 |
| SCHO: Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF | +1.5% | +12.8% | +10.1% | +18.9% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.96 |
| VGSH: Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF | +1.2% | +12.5% | +9.9% | +18.8% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.95 |
| SHY: iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | +1.1% | +12.1% | +9.3% | +17.7% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.89 |
| [BIV](https://easycompare.io/research/biv): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF | −2.7% | +16.8% | −0.7% | +15.7% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| [BND](https://easycompare.io/research/bnd): Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | −2.1% | +15.7% | −1.8% | +13.2% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.03 |

### How did BSV do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2008, along with where BSV ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- BSV finished ahead of the S&P 500 in four of its 18 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, FLTR came out ahead of BSV most often, in nine of the 14 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, BSV finished in the top quarter in three of 18 years and in the bottom quarter in three. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 20.

| Year | BSV | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +6.0% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +3.8% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +4.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −5.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −1.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +4.7% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +5.0% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +1.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +1.2% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +1.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How BSV has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were BSV's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- The longest climb back to a previous high took 21 months, after BSV fell 8.5% from August 2021 to October 2022.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −8.5% | August 3, 2021 | October 20, 2022 | July 29, 2024 | −15.7% | 2022 bear market |
| −7.0% | September 15, 2008 | October 13, 2008 | November 20, 2008 | −15.1% | 2008 financial crisis |

### How did BSV do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far BSV, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- BSV fell less than the S&P 500 in all nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when BSV fell 7.0% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- None of its popular alternatives fell less than BSV in most of the crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | BSV fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −7.0% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −0.5% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −1.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −0.2% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −0.3% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −4.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −6.9% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | 0.0% | −3.4% |

### How closely does BSV move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, BSV captured 7% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 3% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.04. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- ICSH took just -4% of the S&P 500's losses, against 3% for BSV, while still keeping 7% of its gains.
- Four of the ten popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than BSV's 2.75, led by FLTR, NEAR and VTIP.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BSV: Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (this page) | 7.0% | 3.0% | 0.04 |
| FLTR: VanEck IG Floating Rate ETF | 12.0% | 0.0% | 0.09 |
| FLOT: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF | 9.0% | −2.0% | 0.05 |
| GSY: Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF | 8.0% | −2.0% | 0.03 |
| ICSH: iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF | 7.0% | −4.0% | 0.02 |
| MINT: PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Exchange-Traded Fund | 8.0% | −2.0% | 0.04 |
| NEAR: iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | 9.0% | 0.0% | 0.05 |
| SPSB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | 10.0% | 4.0% | 0.07 |
| SHV: iShares Trust iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 5.0% | −5.0% | 0.00 |
| SLQD: iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 11.0% | 6.0% | 0.09 |
| IGSB: iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 13.0% | 8.0% | 0.11 |
| ISTB: iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF | 10.0% | 6.0% | 0.07 |
| [VTIP](https://easycompare.io/research/vtip): Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF | 11.0% | 3.0% | 0.08 |
| [VCIT](https://easycompare.io/research/vcit): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF | 22.0% | 29.0% | 0.26 |
| SCHO: Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF | 5.0% | −1.0% | 0.01 |
| SHY: iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 5.0% | −1.0% | 0.01 |
| [BIV](https://easycompare.io/research/biv): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF | 13.0% | 18.0% | 0.15 |
| [BND](https://easycompare.io/research/bnd): Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | 13.0% | 19.0% | 0.15 |

### What diversifies BSV?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- MPC made money in two of the two calendar years in which BSV lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of BSV over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.48 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- Among large stocks, CAH, CLS and FIX have moved largely independently of BSV over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.15 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with BSV | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in BSV's 2 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.48 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 2 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.15 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 2 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.35 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 2 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.41 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 2 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.38 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 1 of 2 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.49 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 1 of 2 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.43 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 0 of 2 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.31 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 2 |

## Common questions

### What was BSV's worst drawdown?

BSV's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 8.5%, from August 2021 to October 2022. It took 21 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because BSV launched in April 2007, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

### What were BSV's best and worst years?

Over 18 full calendar years, BSV's best year was 2008, when it returned 8.5%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -5.5%.

### Is there a better investment than BSV?

Among BSV's popular alternatives, JPST, FLOT and NEAR earned more than BSV with less volatility over the past 5 years. JPST returned 3.9% a year at 0.6% volatility, against 1.7% a year at 2.8%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, STIP (treasury bonds) was ahead of BSV in most short and long periods.

### Is BSV more volatile than the S&P 500?

No. BSV's volatility over the past 5 years was 2.8%, 16% of the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, BSV's return lands within 2.8% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is BSV's Sharpe ratio?

BSV's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.62, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so BSV earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is BSV with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, BSV's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.47 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against BSV instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a BSV holding.

### What are the best alternatives to BSV?

Of the 24 popular alternatives we compared, ten outperformed BSV in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: FLTR, FLOT and FLRN.

### Did BSV outperform the S&P 500?

BSV finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in four of 18 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +6.0%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did BSV do in stock market crashes?

BSV fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in nine of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in no. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when BSV fell 7.0% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies BSV?

These had a low correlation with BSV over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.48), DXJ (correlation 0.15) and EMLP (correlation 0.35); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.15), CLS (correlation 0.04) and FIX (correlation 0.09). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/bsv
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against BSV live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=BSV&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research