BBIB vs VGIT

BBIBAJPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Treasury Bond 3-10 Year ETF

VGITAVanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

In short

BBIB A plain ladder of 3-to-10-year Treasuries at four basis points. JPMorgan showed up late to this corner of the market and priced its way in, undercutting most of the intermediate Treasury shelf while hugging its index.

VGIT The middle of the Treasury curve, priced like an afterthought. VGIT holds government bonds maturing in 3 to 10 years for 0.03% a year, a quarter of what the typical Treasury fund in its peer group charges.

Stated mandate

BBIB The fund is designed to provide current income and to closely track the investment results of the ICE U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year benchmark.

VGIT Seeks to track a market-weighted Treasury bond index while maintaining an intermediate-term dollar-weighted average maturity.

Why people hold it

• BBIB Charges 0.04% a year, well below the typical intermediate Treasury fund and only a hair off the cheapest names in the group (SPTI, SCHR).
• Built to track the ICE U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year index and stays close to it, one of the tightest implementations in its peer group.jpmorgan.com
• Straight government paper, roughly 80 issues, no credit sleeve, and income paid monthly.

• VGIT Charges 0.03% a year against a 0.12% median for Treasury funds in its peer group. In bonds, where the coupon does the work, that fee gap is most of the argument.
• Plain index work: it follows the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 3-10 Year Bond Index with very little slippage, one of the tighter implementations in its Treasury peer group.vanguard.com
• Running since 2009 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so spreads stay tight. Interest lands monthly.
• The portfolio is U.S. government paper only, a few dozen issues. No corporate borrowers to underwrite, no credit research required.vanguard.com

Worth knowing

• BBIB Thinly traded next to the category's giants, so spreads can run wider and bigger orders take more care.
• A 2023 launch with a modest asset base, so the record here is short compared with decade-old rivals.
• Intermediate duration cuts both ways: prices move opposite yields, more than cash-like funds and less than long bonds.

• VGIT Intermediate maturities cut both ways. A 3 to 10 year book reprices more when yields move than a bill fund does, so the ride is bumpier than cash-like Treasury products.
• Treasuries only means no corporate credit premium in the yield. Income comes strictly from government coupons, and the monthly payout drifts with rates.

Full BBIB profile⁠

Full VGIT profile⁠