Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF
$77.32−0.04 (−0.05%)
- 0.03%
- $51.9B
- +1.4%
- 4.56%
- 4.9M sh
- $77.28
- low $76.89high $80.26
The ETF.net VCSH Grade
A
Score 84 out of 100
- 2 of 24
Score 84 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.A93 out of 100Rank 1 of 24Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 15Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C43 out of 100Rank 15 of 24Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A83 out of 100Rank 3 of 24Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A76 out of 100Rank 7 of 24Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A95 out of 100Rank 1 of 24
Our read on VCSH
ACorporate credit, kept short. VCSH tracks an index of investment-grade company bonds maturing in one to five years, at three basis points: you take company credit risk instead of government risk, with muted sensitivity to rate moves.
The fund seeks to follow a market-weighted corporate bond index with a short-term dollar-weighted average maturity, using index sampling and investing at least 80% of assets in index bonds.
Why people hold it
- A 0.03% expense ratio, versus a 0.12% median across its peer group. That is Treasury-index pricing for a fund doing corporate credit work.
- Running since 2009 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, which is one of the easier profiles to get in and out of in its category.
- Samples the Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index with at least 80% of assets in index bonds, and its book lines up closely with that benchmark.vanguard.com
- Distributions land monthly, not quarterly, and it sits among the strongest implementations in its cost-and-tracking peer group.
Worth knowing
- These are company bonds, not government paper. Investment grade, but credit spreads can widen when markets get nervous, and Treasuries do not carry that risk.vanguard.com
- The one-to-five-year maturity band cuts both ways: smaller price swings when rates jump, and less duration to work with when rates fall.fund-docs.vanguard.com
- Index sampling means it holds a representative slice of the benchmark rather than every bond in it, so small differences from the index are normal.vanguard.com
VCSH Holdings
- Bonds
- 3,032
- 3%
- United States Treasury Note/Bond 4.38% 08/31/2031
Geography
- United States83.62%
- United Kingdom4.80%
- Canada3.42%
- Japan2.65%
- Australia1.05%
- Spain0.86%
- Germany0.85%
- Netherlands0.58%
- 2.17%
VCSH Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
VCSH$10,143
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 | VCSH |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +0.3% |
| 1 month | −0.1% |
| 3 months | −0.5% |
| 1 year | +1.4% |
| 3 years | +5.4% |
| 5 years | +2.3% |
| 10 years | +2.6% |
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 | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +0.3% | |
| 2025 | +6.8% | |
| 2024 | +4.9% | |
| 2023 | +6.2% | |
| 2022 | −5.8% | |
| 2021 | −0.6% | |
| 2020 | +5.1% |
VCSH in the news
VCSH Dividends
- 4.56%
- $3.53
- $0.30 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
VCSH Risk
- 2.6%
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.
- 0.25
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.
- −9.1%
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.
- 0.41
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VCSH Cost
0.03%
VCSH0.03%
- The middle half of Investment Grade Corporate (0-5 Year) funds
- Median 0.15%
No Investment Grade Corporate (0-5 Year) fund charges less.
Other funds in Investment Grade Corporate (0-5 Year)
- AIGSBiShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.04%1 year return +1.4%
- ASCHJSchwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.03%1 year return +1.4%
- ASPSBState Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.04%1 year return +2.3%
- BLDRCiShares iBonds 1-5 Year Corporate Ladder ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +1.5%
- BSUSBiShares ESG Aware 1-5 Year USD Corporate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.12%1 year return +1.2%