TLTvsVGSHETF Comparison

ETF 1

TLT

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

This fund is part of

US Government Bonds

+0.3%

Full TLT fund page

ETF 2

VGSH

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF

This fund is part of

US Government Bonds

+0.3%

Full VGSH fund page

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) and Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) belong to the same industry segment: US Government Bonds. TLT's top 2 sector exposures are Sovereign and Non-Corporate. In contrast, VGSH's top sector exposures are Sovereign. TLT is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.15%, versus 0.03% for VGSH. TLT is down -3.34% year-to-date (YTD) with +$2.16B in YTD flows. VGSH performs better with 0.57% YTD performance, and +$9.69B in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of TLT and VGSH below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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TLT vs VGSH performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 09/21/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	TLT VGSH	+0.13%-0.56%	-3.88%+0.15%	-3.34%+0.57%	-3.53%+1.73%	+2.42%+12.99%	-35.34%+9.42%
Flows	TLT VGSH	+$761M+$4.42B	+$8.00B+$6.13B	+$2.16B+$9.69B	+$2.75B+$12.59B	+$13.42B+$12.66B	+$46.61B+$22.59B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	TLT VGSH	+9.75%+1.25%	+9.14%+1.25%	+13.23%+1.56%	+15.46%+1.96%
Max drawdown	TLT VGSH	-6.62%-0.73%	-8.69%-0.85%	-14.78%-0.96%	-43.68%-5.70%
Max drawdown duration	TLT VGSH	84d27d	204d123d	735d122d	1751d966d

Trading data

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	TLT	VGSH
Last sale 9/21/2026 at 1:30 PM	$81.80	$57.63
Previous close 09/21/2026	$81.25	$57.60
Consolidated volume 09/21/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of August 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	TLT	VGSH
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 9/21/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	TLT	VGSH
Last price	$81.80	$57.63
1D performance	+0.68%	+0.05%
AuM	$46.93 B	$34.89 B
E/R	0.15%	0.03%

Characteristics

	TLT	VGSH
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	iShares	Vanguard
Benchmark	ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index	Bloomberg US Treasury 1-3 Year Index
N° of holdings	47	91
Asset class	Fixed Income	Fixed Income
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	July 22, 2002	November 19, 2009
ESG	No	No

More TLT data on Trackinsight

More VGSH data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

TLT

USA

100%

Other

VGSH

USA

99.39%

Other

0.61%

Sectors

TLT

Sovereign

100%

Other

VGSH

Sovereign

99.39%

Other

0.61%

Diversification

TLT

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

59.52%

VGSH

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

20.24%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of July 31, 2026

TLT

USA, Bonds 4.125% 15aug2053, USD

4.68%

USA, Bonds 4.75% 15nov2053, USD

4.55%

USA, Bonds 4.75% 15may2055, USD

4.51%

USA, Bonds 4.625% 15may2054, USD

4.45%

USA, Bonds 4.25% 15feb2054, USD

4.13%

USA, Bonds 4.75% 15feb2056, USD

4.04%

USA, Bonds 4.25% 15aug2054, USD

4.03%

USA, Bonds 3.625% 15may2053, USD

3.90%

USA, Bonds 4.625% 15feb2055, USD

3.89%

USA, Bonds 2% 15aug2051, USD

3.80%

USA, Bonds 4.5% 15nov2054, USD

3.79%

USA, Bonds 1.875% 15nov2051, USD

3.79%

USA, Bonds 4% 15nov2052, USD

3.66%

USA, Bonds 4.625% 15nov2055, USD

3.25%

USA, Bonds 3.625% 15feb2053, USD

3.04%

VGSH

USA, Notes 3.5% 31jan2028, USD (U-2028)

2.24%

USA, Notes 4.625% 30apr2029, USD (Y-2029)

1.40%

USA, Notes 4.5% 31may2029, USD (Z-2029)

1.36%

USA, Notes 4% 31jul2029, USD (AB-2029)

1.36%

USA, Notes 4.25% 30jun2029, USD (AA-2029)

1.30%

USA, Notes 4.25% 28feb2029, USD (V-2029)

1.30%

USA, Notes 4.125% 31mar2029, USD (W-2029)

1.30%

USA, Notes 2.875% 15aug2028, USD (E-2028)

1.26%

USA, Notes 3.75% 15aug2027, USD (AR-2027)

1.26%

USA, Notes 4.25% 15jan2028, USD (AJ-2028)

1.25%

USA, Notes 2.875% 15may2028, USD (C-2028)

1.25%

USA, Notes 3.875% 15jul2028, USD (AQ-2028)

1.25%

USA, Notes 3.375% 29feb2028, USD (AY-2028)

1.25%

USA, Notes 1% 31jul2028, USD (N-2028)

1.24%

USA, Notes 1.125% 29feb2028, USD (H-2028)

1.23%

Frequently asked questions about TLT and VGSH

How have the TLT and VGSH ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 21, 2026, TLT is down -3.34% year-to-date (YTD), while VGSH has returned 0.57%. That puts VGSH better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: TLT or VGSH?

Year-to-date, the TLT ETF saw +$2.16B in flows, compared to +$9.69B for VGSH.

Which ETF is more volatile: TLT or VGSH?

Over the past year, TLT had a volatility of 9.14%, while VGSH experienced 1.25%.

Which ETF is bigger: TLT or VGSH?

As of September 21, 2026, TLT holds $46.93 B in assets under management (AUM), while VGSH manages $34.89 B.

What sectors do the TLT and VGSH ETFs invest in?

TLT leans toward sectors like Sovereign. Meanwhile, VGSH focuses on Sovereign.

What are the top holdings of the TLT ETF and VGSH ETF?

TLT top holdings include USA, Bonds 4.125% 15aug2053, USD, USA, Bonds 4.75% 15nov2053, USD and USA, Bonds 4.75% 15may2055, USD. VGSH holds in its top three: USA, Notes 3.5% 31jan2028, USD (U-2028), USA, Notes 4.625% 30apr2029, USD (Y-2029) and USA, Notes 4.5% 31may2029, USD (Z-2029).

TLTvsVGSHETF Comparison

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF

TLT vs VGSH performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the TLT and VGSH ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 21, 2026, TLT is down -3.34% year-to-date (YTD), while VGSH has returned 0.57%. That puts VGSH better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: TLT or VGSH?

Year-to-date, the TLT ETF saw +$2.16B in flows, compared to +$9.69B for VGSH.

Which ETF is more volatile: TLT or VGSH?

Over the past year, TLT had a volatility of 9.14%, while VGSH experienced 1.25%.

Which ETF is bigger: TLT or VGSH?

As of September 21, 2026, TLT holds $46.93 B in assets under management (AUM), while VGSH manages $34.89 B.

What sectors do the TLT and VGSH ETFs invest in?

TLT leans toward sectors like Sovereign. Meanwhile, VGSH focuses on Sovereign.

What are the top holdings of the TLT ETF and VGSH ETF?

TLT top holdings include USA, Bonds 4.125% 15aug2053, USD, USA, Bonds 4.75% 15nov2053, USD and USA, Bonds 4.75% 15may2055, USD. VGSH holds in its top three: USA, Notes 3.5% 31jan2028, USD (U-2028), USA, Notes 4.625% 30apr2029, USD (Y-2029) and USA, Notes 4.5% 31may2029, USD (Z-2029).

Which ETF is more diversified: TLT or VGSH?

TLT holds 47 securities with 59.52% of its assets in the top 15. VGSH has 91 securities and a top 15 weight of 20.24%.

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