Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH): Historical Returns

Data Source: from January 2010 to May 2023 (~13 years)
Consolidated Returns as of 31 May 2023
Category: Fixed Income
ETF: Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH)

In the last 10 Years, the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF obtained a 0.72% compound annual return, with a 1.39% standard deviation.

In 2022, the ETF granted a 1.10% dividend yield. If you are interested in getting periodic income, please refer to the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF: Dividend Yield page.

The ETF is related to the following investment themes:

  • Asset Class: Bond
  • Region: North America
  • Country: U.S.
  • Bond - Duration: Short Term

Historical Returns as of May 31, 2023

Historical returns and Metrics of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF.

Returns and metrics are calculated based on monthly returns, assuming:
  • No fees or capital gain taxes
  • the reinvestment of dividends
VANGUARD SHORT-TERM TREASURY INDEX (VGSH) ETF
Portfolio Metrics
Data Source: 1 January 2010 - 31 May 2023 (~13 years)
Swipe left to see all data
Metrics as of May 31, 2023
1M 3M 6M 1Y 3Y 5Y 10Y MAX
(~13Y)
Portfolio Return (%) -0.39 1.52 1.46 -0.16 -1.04 0.95 0.72 0.84
US Inflation (%) 0.00 0.84 1.90 3.79 5.77 3.81 2.68 2.57
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) -0.39 0.68 -0.43 -3.81 -6.44 -2.76 -1.91 -1.68
Waiting for updates, inflation of May 2023 is temporarily set to 0%. Returns / Inflation rates over 1 year are annualized.
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 2.74 1.89 1.83 1.39 1.26
Sharpe Ratio -1.22 -1.09 -0.21 -0.04 -2.50
Sortino Ratio -1.83 -1.56 -0.30 -0.06 -3.68
MAXIMUM DRAWDOWN
Drawdown Depth (%) -2.26 -5.31 -5.31 -5.31 -5.31
Start (yyyy mm) 2022 06 2021 06 2021 06 2021 06 2021 06
Bottom (yyyy mm) 2022 10 2022 10 2022 10 2022 10 2022 10
Start to Bottom (# months) 5 17 17 17 17
Start to Recovery (# months) in progress
11
> 24
> 24
> 24
> 24
ROLLING PERIOD RETURNS - Annualized
Best Return (%) 5.49 2.83 1.84 1.36
Worst Return (%) -5.04 -1.06 0.39 0.52
% Positive Periods 79% 92% 100% 100%
MONTHS
Positive 0 2 4 6 16 34 69 96
Negative 1 1 2 6 20 26 51 65
% Positive 0% 67% 67% 50% 44% 57% 58% 60%
WITHDRAWAL RATES (WR)
Safe WR (%) 30.62 19.65 9.62 7.36
Perpetual WR (%) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Terms and Definitions
  • Annualized Portfolio Return: it's the annualized geometric mean return of the ETF
  • Standard Deviation: it's a measure of the dispersion of returns around the mean
  • Sharpe Ratio: it's a measure of risk-adjusted performance of the ETF. It's calculated by dividing the excess return of the ETF over the risk-free rate by the ETF standard deviation. The risk-free rate here considered is the 1-3 Mth T-Bill return.
  • Sortino Ratio: another measure of risk-adjusted performance of the ETF. It's a modification of the Sharpe Ratio (same formula but the denominator is the ETF downside standard deviation).
  • Maximum Drawdown: a drawdown refers to the decline in value from a relative peak value to a relative trough. A maximum drawdown is the maximum observed loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio before a new peak is attained.
  • Rolling Returns: returns over a time frame (best, worst, % of positive returns).
  • Pos./Neg. Months: number of months with positive/negative return.
  • Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR): it's the percentage of the original portfolio balance that can be withdrawn at the end of each year with inflation adjustment, without the portfolio running out of money (dollar amount withdrawal).
  • Perpetual Withdrawal Rate (PWR): it's the percentage of portfolio balance that can be withdrawn at the end of each year, while retaining the inflation adjusted portfolio balance (percentage withdrawal).

Correlations as of May 31, 2023

Correlation measures to what degree the returns of the two assets move in relation to each other.

Correlation coefficient is a numerical value between -1 and +1.

If one variable goes up by a certain amount, the correlation coefficient indicates which way the other variable moves and by how much.

Asset correlations are calculated based on monthly returns.

Monthly correlations of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF vs the main Asset Classes, over different timeframes. Columns are sortable (click on table header to sort).

VANGUARD SHORT-TERM TREASURY INDEX (VGSH) ETF
Monthly correlations as of 31 May 2023
Swipe left to see all data
Correlation vs VGSH
 
Asset Class 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years Since
Jan 2010
US Total Stock Market
VTI
0.62
0.02
-0.02
-0.07
US Large Cap
SPY
0.65
0.04
0.00
-0.05
US Small Cap
IJR
0.34
-0.12
-0.14
-0.17
US REITs
VNQ
0.64
0.05
0.12
0.09
US Technology
QQQ
0.67
0.16
0.09
0.04
Preferred Stocks
PFF
0.47
0.10
0.11
0.09
EAFE Stocks
EFA
0.74
0.13
0.08
0.03
World All Countries
VT
0.71
0.06
0.02
-0.02
Emerging Markets
EEM
0.74
0.16
0.12
0.06
Europe
VGK
0.69
0.11
0.07
0.02
Pacific
VPL
0.78
0.16
0.10
0.04
Latin America
FLLA
0.44
-0.18
-0.13
-0.13
US Total Bond Market
BND
0.91
0.75
0.74
0.74
Long Term Treasuries
TLT
0.84
0.73
0.68
0.60
US Cash
BIL
0.31
0.29
0.24
0.22
TIPS
TIP
0.82
0.59
0.58
0.55
Invest. Grade Bonds
LQD
0.88
0.57
0.56
0.54
High Yield Bonds
HYG
0.68
0.20
0.18
0.13
International Bonds
BNDX
0.78
0.59
0.56
0.54
Emerg. Market Bonds
EMB
0.73
0.24
0.27
0.26
Gold
GLD
0.85
0.39
0.34
0.31
Commodities
DBC
0.58
-0.29
-0.21
-0.18

Capital Growth as of May 31, 2023

Capital growth, returns, stats are calculated assuming a reinvestment of dividends.

If you are interested in getting periodic income, please refer to the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF: Dividend Yield page.

An investment of 1000$, since June 2013, now would be worth 1074.08$, with a total return of 7.41% (0.72% annualized).

The Inflation Adjusted Capital now would be 824.76$, with a net total return of -17.52% (-1.91% annualized).
An investment of 1000$, since January 2010, now would be worth 1119.21$, with a total return of 11.92% (0.84% annualized).

The Inflation Adjusted Capital now would be 796.71$, with a net total return of -20.33% (-1.68% annualized).

Drawdowns

A drawdown refers to the decline in value from a relative peak value to a relative trough. A maximum drawdown is the maximum observed loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio before a new peak is attained.

VANGUARD SHORT-TERM TREASURY INDEX (VGSH) ETF
Drawdown periods
Updated to May 2023

Worst drawdowns since June 2013.

Swipe left to see all data
Drawdown period
Recovery period
Total
Drawdown Start Bottom #Months End #Months #Months
-5.31% Jun 2021 Oct 2022 17 in progress 7 24
-0.82% Sep 2017 Feb 2018 6 Nov 2018 9 15
-0.71% Jul 2016 Nov 2016 5 Aug 2017 9 14
-0.43% Oct 2015 Dec 2015 3 Jan 2016 1 4
-0.23% Dec 2014 Dec 2014 1 Jan 2015 1 2
-0.22% Feb 2015 Feb 2015 1 Apr 2015 2 3
-0.17% Sep 2019 Sep 2019 1 Oct 2019 1 2
-0.15% Mar 2014 Mar 2014 1 May 2014 2 3
-0.15% May 2016 May 2016 1 Jun 2016 1 2
-0.13% Aug 2013 Aug 2013 1 Sep 2013 1 2
-0.10% Feb 2021 Mar 2021 2 May 2021 2 4
-0.08% Aug 2015 Aug 2015 1 Sep 2015 1 2
-0.07% Jun 2014 Jun 2014 1 Aug 2014 2 3
-0.06% Jul 2019 Jul 2019 1 Aug 2019 1 2
-0.05% Aug 2020 Oct 2020 3 Jan 2021 3 6
-0.05% Sep 2014 Sep 2014 1 Oct 2014 1 2
-0.03% Nov 2019 Nov 2019 1 Dec 2019 1 2
-0.01% Jun 2013 Jun 2013 1 Jul 2013 1 2

Worst drawdowns since January 2010.

Swipe left to see all data
Drawdown period
Recovery period
Total
Drawdown Start Bottom #Months End #Months #Months
-5.31% Jun 2021 Oct 2022 17 in progress 7 24
-0.82% Sep 2017 Feb 2018 6 Nov 2018 9 15
-0.71% Jul 2016 Nov 2016 5 Aug 2017 9 14
-0.44% Nov 2010 Dec 2010 2 May 2011 5 7
-0.43% Oct 2015 Dec 2015 3 Jan 2016 1 4
-0.23% Dec 2014 Dec 2014 1 Jan 2015 1 2
-0.22% Feb 2015 Feb 2015 1 Apr 2015 2 3
-0.17% Sep 2019 Sep 2019 1 Oct 2019 1 2
-0.17% Mar 2010 Mar 2010 1 Apr 2010 1 2
-0.15% Mar 2014 Mar 2014 1 May 2014 2 3
-0.15% Sep 2011 Sep 2011 1 Apr 2012 7 8
-0.15% May 2013 Aug 2013 4 Sep 2013 1 5
-0.15% May 2016 May 2016 1 Jun 2016 1 2
-0.11% Sep 2012 Oct 2012 2 Dec 2012 2 4
-0.10% Feb 2021 Mar 2021 2 May 2021 2 4
-0.08% Aug 2015 Aug 2015 1 Sep 2015 1 2
-0.07% Jun 2014 Jun 2014 1 Aug 2014 2 3
-0.06% Jul 2019 Jul 2019 1 Aug 2019 1 2
-0.05% Aug 2020 Oct 2020 3 Jan 2021 3 6
-0.05% Jun 2012 Jun 2012 1 Jul 2012 1 2

Rolling Returns ( more details)

A rolling return is a measure of investment performance that calculates the return of an investment over a set period of time, with the starting date rolling forward. This approach can provide a more accurate representation of the investment's historical performance and helps investors to evaluate the investment's consistency over time.

VANGUARD SHORT-TERM TREASURY INDEX (VGSH) ETF
Annualized Rolling Returns
Data Source: from January 2010 to May 2023
Swipe left to see all data
Rolling
Period
Annualized Return (%) Negative
Periods
Average Latest Best Worst
1 Year
0.73 -0.16 5.49
Apr 2019 - Mar 2020
-5.04
Oct 2021 - Sep 2022
20.67%
2 Years
0.85 -1.65 4.17
May 2018 - Apr 2020
-2.62
Nov 2020 - Oct 2022
13.77%
3 Years
0.96 -1.04 2.83
Mar 2018 - Feb 2021
-1.06
Mar 2020 - Feb 2023
7.94%
5 Years
0.97 0.95 1.84
Jan 2016 - Dec 2020
0.39
May 2013 - Apr 2018
0.00%
7 Years
0.93 0.74 1.50
Sep 2013 - Aug 2020
0.45
Sep 2011 - Aug 2018
0.00%
10 Years
0.99 0.72 1.36
Apr 2010 - Mar 2020
0.52
Nov 2012 - Oct 2022
0.00%
Annualized rolling and average returns over full calendar month periods

If you need a deeper detail about rolling returns, please refer to the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF: Rolling Returns page.

Seasonality

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF: in which months is it better to invest?

Both the Average Return and the Gain Frequency (Win %) are useful to get an idea of what happened in the past.

For further information about the seasonality, check the Asset Class Seasonality page.
Swipe left to see all data
Monthly Average Return (%) and Gain Frequency
Return (%) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average
Gain Frequency
0.17
80%
-0.09
40%
0.43
60%
0.01
80%
0.22
80%
-0.07
40%
0.12
60%
0.07
40%
-0.32
20%
0.01
40%
0.20
60%
0.21
80%
 Capital Growth on monthly avg returns
100
100.17
100.08
100.51
100.53
100.75
100.68
100.80
100.87
100.54
100.55
100.75
100.96
Best 0.7
2023
0.9
2020
1.7
2023
0.2
2023
0.8
2019
0.5
2019
0.4
2022
0.8
2019
0.0
2020
0.4
2019
0.7
2022
0.8
2018
Worst -0.7
2022
-1.0
2023
-1.4
2022
-0.5
2022
-0.4
2023
-0.6
2022
-0.1
2019
-0.8
2022
-1.2
2022
-0.3
2021
-0.1
2021
-0.2
2021
Monthly Seasonality over the period Jun 2018 - May 2023
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Monthly Average Return (%) and Gain Frequency
Return (%) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average
Gain Frequency
0.15
70%
-0.05
50%
0.26
70%
0.03
80%
0.17
80%
0.02
40%
0.08
70%
0.03
40%
-0.11
40%
0.00
40%
0.03
50%
0.11
60%
 Capital Growth on monthly avg returns
100
100.15
100.10
100.36
100.39
100.56
100.58
100.67
100.69
100.58
100.58
100.61
100.73
Best 0.7
2023
0.9
2020
1.7
2023
0.2
2023
0.8
2019
0.7
2016
0.4
2022
0.8
2019
0.3
2015
0.4
2019
0.7
2022
0.8
2018
Worst -0.7
2022
-1.0
2023
-1.4
2022
-0.5
2022
-0.4
2023
-0.6
2022
-0.1
2016
-0.8
2022
-1.2
2022
-0.3
2021
-0.5
2016
-0.2
2014
Monthly Seasonality over the period Jun 2013 - May 2023
Swipe left to see all data
Monthly Average Return (%) and Gain Frequency
Return (%) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average
Gain Frequency
0.18
71%
-0.03
50%
0.16
57%
0.08
86%
0.18
79%
0.05
38%
0.11
77%
0.08
54%
-0.09
38%
0.02
46%
0.02
54%
0.08
62%
 Capital Growth on monthly avg returns
100
100.18
100.15
100.31
100.39
100.58
100.62
100.73
100.81
100.72
100.73
100.76
100.83
Best 0.8
2010
0.9
2020
1.7
2023
0.3
2011
0.8
2019
0.7
2016
0.4
2022
0.8
2019
0.3
2015
0.4
2019
0.7
2022
0.8
2018
Worst -0.7
2022
-1.0
2023
-1.4
2022
-0.5
2022
-0.4
2023
-0.6
2022
-0.1
2016
-0.8
2022
-1.2
2022
-0.3
2021
-0.5
2016
-0.2
2010
Monthly Seasonality over the period Jan 2010 - May 2023

Monthly/Yearly Returns

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index (VGSH) ETF data source starts from January 2010: let's focus on monthly and yearly returns.

We are providing two different views:
  • Histogram: it shows the distribution of the returns recorded so far
  • Plain Table: it shows the detailed monthly and yearly returns
MONTHLY RETURNS HISTOGRAM
Jan 2010 - May 2023
96 Positive Months (60%) - 65 Negative Months (40%)
MONTHLY RETURNS TABLE
Jan 2010 - May 2023
(Scroll down to see all data)
Swipe left to see all data
Yearly Return(%)
Monthly Return(%)
Year Total Infl.Adj Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2023
+1.30 -0.90 0.7 -1.0 1.7 0.2 -0.4
2022
-3.86 -9.69 -0.7 -0.4 -1.4 -0.5 0.6 -0.6 0.4 -0.8 -1.2 -0.1 0.7 0.2
2021
-0.60 -7.13 0.0 0.0 -0.1 0.1 0.1 -0.2 0.2 0.0 -0.1 -0.3 -0.1 -0.2
2020
+3.04 +1.66 0.6 0.9 1.3 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2019
+3.52 +1.21 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.8 0.5 -0.1 0.8 -0.2 0.4 0.0 0.2
2018
+1.55 -0.35 -0.3 0.0 0.2 -0.2 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.4 -0.2 0.1 0.4 0.8
2017
+0.04 -2.03 -0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 -0.1 0.2 0.2 -0.2 -0.1 -0.2 0.0
2016
+1.10 -0.95 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.0 -0.1 0.7 -0.1 -0.2 0.2 -0.1 -0.5 0.4
2015
+0.51 -0.22 0.5 -0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.3 -0.1 -0.2 -0.1
2014
+0.46 -0.30 0.1 0.1 -0.2 0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1 -0.2
2013
+0.32 -1.16 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0
2012
+0.38 -1.34 0.0 0.0 -0.1 0.2 0.0 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 -0.1 0.1 0.0
2011
+1.47 -1.45 0.2 0.0 -0.1 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.3 0.4 -0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0
2010
+2.29 +0.78 0.8 0.2 -0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.3 -0.2 -0.2