Vanguard Core Bond ETF
$73.74+0.04 (+0.06%)
- 0.10%
- $7.7B
- −1.6%
- 4.85%
- 0.7M sh
- $73.57
- low $73.09high $79.18
The ETF.net VCRB Grade
A
Score 78 out of 100
- 11 of 117
Score 78 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.A83 out of 100Rank 19 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 101Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C45 out of 100Rank 73 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B64 out of 100Rank 28 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A86 out of 100Rank 7 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 VCRB
AVanguard's active answer to its own index bond giant: VCRB roams the US investment-grade market looking to beat the Bloomberg US Aggregate Float Adjusted Index, and charges 0.10% to try.
The fund seeks to outperform the broad U.S. investment-grade fixed-income market, measured by the Bloomberg US Aggregate Float Adjusted Index, by investing across fixed-income securities with different maturities, yields, and qualities.
Why people hold it
- Active management at near-index pricing: 0.10% a year, against a typical core-bond fee closer to 0.36%.
- Clear scorecard. It is measured against the same Bloomberg US Aggregate Float Adjusted Index that Vanguard's index fund BND simply tracks, so the active bet is easy to judge.
- Wide net: roughly 1,600 bonds across different maturities, yields and credit qualities, with income paid monthly.
- Already a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund, which is rare for a young active bond ETF.
Worth knowing
- Active means human calls. Returns can drift from the benchmark in either direction, unlike the index route BND takes at 0.03%.
- US investment-grade only. No international sleeve, no high-yield kicker, and like any core bond fund it moves with interest rates.
- Launched December 2023, so its live record is short next to core bond funds with decades behind them.
VCRB Holdings
- Bonds
- 3,432
- 8%
- Mktliq 12/31/2049
Sectors
- Securitized40.7%
- Corporate29.8%
- Government29.5%
- Municipal0.0%
Geography
- United States81.86%
- Supranational1.46%
- United Kingdom1.42%
- Italy1.30%
- Spain1.01%
- Canada0.89%
- Mexico0.88%
- Chile0.84%
- 10.34%
VCRB Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
VCRB$9,836
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 | VCRB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.1% |
| 1 month | −1.1% |
| 3 months | −2.5% |
| 1 year | −1.6% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
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 | VCRB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.1% | |
| 2025 | +7.6% | |
| 2024 | +2.2% | |
| 2023 | +0.7% |
VCRB in the news
Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Head-to-Head
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF have returned almost the same
Price vs Value
Vanguard showed a 1.94% discount on an energy fund that closed two cents above its value
VCRB Dividends
- 4.85%
- $3.58
- $0.29 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
VCRB Risk
- 4.6%
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.
- −0.40
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.
- −4.6%
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.
- 0.14
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VCRB Cost
0.10%
VCRB0.10%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
17 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- AAGGMiShares 1-10 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.03%1 year return −2.1%
- ABNDXVanguard Total International Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.07%1 year return −0.9%
- AAGGYWisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond FundExpense ratio 0.12%1 year return −2.4%
- AGVIiShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return −0.4%
- AAVIGAvantis Core Fixed Income ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return −2.1%