

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF
$21.91+0.03 (+0.14%)
- 0.05%
- $41.7B
- −2.2%
- 3.81%
- 10.6M sh
- $21.87
- low $21.73high $23.39
The ETF.net GOVT Grade
Score 79 out of 100
- 1 of 16
Score 79 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A87 out of 100Rank 3 of 16Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A96 out of 100Rank 2 of 11Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C45 out of 100Rank 7 of 16Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A80 out of 100Rank 4 of 16Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B64 out of 100Rank 8 of 16Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A92 out of 100Rank 1 of 16
Our read on GOVT
AThe plain-vanilla Treasury sleeve. One index fund spanning the full maturity spectrum of US government debt, running since 2012 at five basis points, with none of the credit risk that lives in the rest of the bond aisle.
The fund seeks to track an index of U.S. Treasury bonds spanning the full maturity spectrum, providing broad exposure to U.S. government debt for stability and income.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.05% a year, well under the median fee in its broad-Treasury peer group.
- Tracks the ICE US Treasury Core Bond Index tightly, one of the cleaner index implementations among broad Treasury funds.
- A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades heavily, which tends to show up as thin bid-ask spreads for retail-size orders.
- US Treasury debt and nothing else, paid out monthly. No corporate credit to underwrite, no mortgage prepayments to model.ishares.com
Worth knowing
- Covering the full maturity spectrum means long-dated bonds are in the mix, so the share price moves with interest rates more than a short-dated Treasury fund's would.
- Nominal Treasuries only. Inflation-linked exposure sits in different funds, such as SPIP or VTP.
- SPTB runs the same broad-Treasury idea at 0.03%, two basis points less.
GOVT Holdings
- Bonds
- 230
- 21%
- Treasury Note 1.38% 11/15/2031
Geography
- United States100.00%
GOVT Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | GOVT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.3% |
| 1 month | −0.9% |
| 3 months | −2.2% |
| 1 year | −2.2% |
| 3 years | +3.5% |
| 5 years | −1.0% |
| 10 years | +0.6% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | GOVT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.3% | |
| 2025 | +3.8% | |
| 2024 | +3.0% | |
| 2023 | +4.2% | |
| 2022 | −13.4% | |
| 2021 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | +7.3% |
GOVT in the news
GOVT Dividends
- 3.81%
- $0.83
- $0.07 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
GOVT Risk
- 5.0%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- −0.25
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −16.2%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.88
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GOVT Cost
- The middle half of US Treasury & Government funds
- Median 0.15%
2 of the 16 US Treasury & Government funds charge less.
Other funds in US Treasury & Government
- ASPTBState Street SPDR Portfolio Treasury ETFExpense ratio 0.03%1 year return −2.2%
- AVTGVanguard Total Treasury ETFExpense ratio 0.03%1 year return −2.1%
- BFLGVFranklin U.S. Treasury Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.09%1 year return −2.3%
- BSGVTSchwab Government Money Market ETFExpense ratio 0.28%1 year return +3.5%
- BVGVTVanguard Government Securities Active ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return −1.7%




