IBIH vs STIP

IBIHBiShares iBonds Oct 2031 Term TIPS ETF

STIPAiShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF

In short

IBIH Inflation protection with an end date. IBIH tracks an ICE index of Treasury inflation-protected bonds maturing in 2031, so it behaves like one rung of a ladder instead of a TIPS fund that rolls its maturities forever.

STIP The short-fuse inflation hedge. STIP holds only inflation-linked Treasuries maturing inside five years, keeping the inflation link while sidestepping most of the long-bond rate swings. Three basis points a year.

Stated mandate

IBIH The fund seeks to follow an index of U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities maturing in 2031.

STIP The fund seeks to track an index of U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities with maturities under five years, offering inflation hedging while managing duration risk.

Why people hold it

• IBIH One narrow job: US TIPS maturing in 2031, measured against an ICE index built for that single maturity year. You always know which vintage you own.ishares.com
• Everything inside is US government inflation-linked debt, so credit risk is off the table and the moving parts are real yields and inflation.ishares.com
• Fee is 0.10% a year, right at the median for target-maturity bond ETFs, and the fund has been running since 2023.
• Designed to slot beside other dated rungs, so a do-it-yourself inflation ladder is a matter of picking years rather than buying individual Treasuries.ishares.com

• STIP Three basis points a year, roughly a quarter of the typical fee in its Treasury ETF group. On cost, this is near the floor for bond funds.
• Maturities capped under five years by design, so the inflation adjustment stays and the long-duration price swings largely do not.
• Running since 2010, a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively. Plain index construction, US Treasuries only.
• Sits in the upper half of the Treasury bond ETFs we cover, one of the stronger short-maturity builds in that group.

Worth knowing

• IBIH Small and thinly traded next to broad TIPS funds. Spreads can be wider, and bigger orders take more care to fill.
• A single maturity year of Treasuries means a short holdings list. Concentrated by design, though the issuer behind every bond is the same one.
• Distributions come quarterly and ride on CPI-linked principal adjustments, so the size of the check moves with inflation rather than sitting still.ishares.com

• STIP Short bonds accrue less inflation compensation than long-dated TIPS, and prices still move with real yields. This is a dampened hedge, not a pure one.
• Distributions are irregular. Payouts ride the inflation adjustment, so income arrives lumpy rather than as a steady check.
• Around 25 bonds, all at the front of the curve. SCHP spans the full TIPS maturity range for the same 0.03%.

Full IBIH profile⁠

Full STIP profile⁠