Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
iShares Core 10+ Year USD Bond ETF
$45.10+0.12 (+0.27%)
- 0.06%
- $591M
- −6.9%
- 5.39%
- 0.1M sh
- $44.91
- low $44.21high $51.77
The ETF.net ILTB Grade
A
Score 71 out of 100
- 29 of 117
Score 71 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.A91 out of 100Rank 11 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A84 out of 100Rank 81 of 101Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.F19 out of 100Rank 113 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B63 out of 100Rank 31 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B69 out of 100Rank 37 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A79 out of 100Rank 15 of 117
Our read on ILTB
ATake the whole U.S. bond market and keep only the long end. ILTB tracks a Bloomberg index of dollar bonds maturing in 10+ years, investment grade and high yield alike, for six basis points.
The fund seeks to track an index of U.S.-dollar-denominated investment-grade and high-yield bonds with remaining maturities above ten years.
Why people hold it
- Costs 0.06% a year, a fraction of the typical fund in its broad-bond peer group, where the median is 0.36%.
- One ticker for the long maturity slice of the U.S. bond market: Treasuries, corporates and high yield, all 10+ years, via the Bloomberg U.S. Universal 10+ Year Index.
- Pays monthly and has been running since 2009, through several full rate cycles.
- Broad holdings and low fees put it in the top quartile of its 187-fund bond cohort on our review.
Worth knowing
- Long bonds only means outsized sensitivity to interest rates. Expect much bigger price swings than an aggregate fund like BND or SPAB.
- The index reaches past investment grade into high yield, so credit risk rides along with the duration.
- Moderately traded rather than a volume giant. Limit orders are the sane default.
ILTB Holdings
- Bonds
- 3,890
- 11%
- Treasury Bond 4.00% 11/15/2042
Geography
- United States85.46%
- Mexico1.54%
- United Kingdom0.95%
- Canada0.92%
- Saudi Arabia0.70%
- Indonesia0.67%
- Netherlands0.63%
- Chile0.50%
- 8.63%
ILTB Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
ILTB$9,310
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 | ILTB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −6.0% |
| 1 month | −2.6% |
| 3 months | −5.6% |
| 1 year | −6.9% |
| 3 years | +4.1% |
| 5 years | −4.6% |
| 10 years | +0.4% |
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 | ILTB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −6.0% | |
| 2025 | +7.2% | |
| 2024 | −3.0% | |
| 2023 | +8.0% | |
| 2022 | −26.6% | |
| 2021 | −2.7% | |
| 2020 | +16.1% |
ILTB in the news
ILTB Dividends
- 5.39%
- $2.42
- $0.20 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
ILTB Risk
- 11.6%
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.
- −0.06
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.
- −35.2%
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.
- 2.04
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
ILTB Cost
0.06%
ILTB0.06%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
9 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- AUNIYWisdomTree Voya Yield Enhanced USD Universal Bond FundExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return −1.8%
- AGCORGoldman Sachs Access U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.09%1 year return −2.1%
- ANXUSNuveen International Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.07%1 year return −0.9%
- AHTRBHartford Total Return Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return −2.3%
- BGTOInvesco Total Return Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return −1.4%