VGSH
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF
Published by Radif Partners · Updated
Overview
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond index and holds its constituents directly, a physical replication managed by Vanguard. Dividends are paid out to holders rather than reinvested, so VGSH suits investors seeking regular income. The fund is domiciled in US, which determines the withholding tax treatment applied to its dividends. Annual charges come to 0.04% of assets, and the fund holds 39.5B under management. Over five years the fund returned -1.2% a year on average, against 0.1% over three years. It is not eligible for the French PEA, but can be held in a securities account, a UK ISA or a German Depot. Its risk level is rated low. Launched on 2009-11-19, the fund is denominated in USD and has 17 years of track record. Because VGSH distributes, every payment is taxable in the year it is received, against the dividend allowance in a general account, while it stays sheltered inside an ISA or a SIPP. Domicile in US sets the withholding the fund itself suffers on the dividends it receives, a cost absent from the stated fee but present in the return.
Ongoing charges of 0.04% place this fund 9th of 79 comparable funds, whose median is 0.10%. On £10,000 that costs about 4 a year and 40 over ten years at a constant amount, deducted daily and never visible on a statement: it shows up in the gap between the fund's return and its index's. At this level, neither low enough to be an argument nor high enough to be an obstacle, the decision rests elsewhere: on the index tracked, on the distribution policy, and on what your broker charges to buy.
Replication is physical: the fund actually holds the constituents of Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond, which makes its contents verifiable line by line in the issuer's report. Two points deserve attention. Securities lending first, practised by most physical funds to reduce costs: it earns a few hundredths of a point and creates an exposure to the borrower, covered by collateral, with the annual report stating the proportion lent. Rebalancing second: every change in the index's composition forces the fund to buy and sell, and those internal costs are not in the 0.04% headline. That is why two funds at the same price do not track their index with the same fidelity.
The fund is domiciled in the United States, and for a European investor that is the point to settle before any other. A US fund is outside UCITS regulation: most European brokers cannot offer it to a retail client for want of a key information document, so access depends on the investor's status. Two tax consequences follow as well: dividends paid to a non-resident bear US withholding, reduced by treaty where a W-8BEN is in place, and US securities held directly fall within US estate tax above a threshold that is low for a non-resident. An Irish-domiciled equivalent avoids both questions.
Income is distributed: the fund pays out the dividends it receives, usually one to four times a year. For a holder living off the portfolio that is what is wanted, since the income arrives without selling. For someone still accumulating it is a tax disadvantage in a taxable account: each payment is taxed in the year received, so the amount reinvested is reduced before it starts working again. Reinvesting by hand also costs a dealing commission each time and often leaves cash idle for want of the price of a whole unit. An accumulating class on the same index, where one exists, settles the question.
With 39.5 billion in assets and 17 years of history, this fund has the size and the record that make closure unlikely and the spread narrow. Three checks remain, once a year, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving, in which case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond tracks government debt, and the price driver is not a company's profit but the interest rate: when rates rise, the value of bonds already issued falls, the more so the further away their maturity. What matters on this fund is therefore not past return but duration, which says how much the value moves per point of rate, and yield to maturity, which says what the portfolio earns if nothing is sold. Default risk is secondary here; interest rate risk is the substance.
Over one year the fund shows -2.1% and over five years -1.2% annualised, two figures close together, which is the most ordinary and least informative configuration: it does not say the fund is steady, only that the chosen start and end points resemble each other. Comparing these figures with another fund means something only if the index is the same; otherwise it is an index comparison dressed as a fund comparison.
0.04%
39.5B
39,490M USDLow
7,194
Physical
Distributing
USD
US
Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond
Vanguard
2009-11-19 (16 years)
Contextual Analysis
Fund Size
With 39.5B in assets, this is a large fund, good liquidity and tight spreads.
Fee Positioning
A TER of 0.04% is among the lowest on the market, excellent value.
Track Record
Launched in 2009-11-19, this fund has 16 years of history, long and reliable track record.
Risk Profile
Low risk, suitable for cautious investors or short-term goals.
Performance
Returns Summary
| Period | Ann. Return | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month (est.) | – | -0.2% |
| 3 Months (est.) | – | -0.5% |
| 6 Months (est.) | – | -1.1% |
| YTD (est.) | – | -0.9% |
| 1 Year | -2.1% | -2.1% |
| 3 Years | +0.1% | +0.2% |
| 5 Years | -1.2% | -5.7% |
| Since inception (16y) | -1.1% | -15.8% |
Key Facts
Fund Profile
Themes & Zones
Holdings
Risk
How to Buy This ETF
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About this ETF
The Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond index. It is managed by Vanguard using physical replication and follows a distributing distribution policy. The fund is denominated in USD and domiciled in US. It has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.04%.
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Frequently asked questions
What do VGSH's 0.04% charges actually cost?
They are taken from the fund's value continuously and never billed separately: on £1,000 invested that is about £0.40 a year and roughly £4 over ten years at a constant amount. That is the only cost of the fund itself. Your broker's commission and the spread between buying and selling price come on top, and they weigh most on small frequent purchases.
What should you re-check on VGSH once a year?
Three things, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Bond, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving: in that case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
Does VGSH lend out the securities it holds?
Probably in part: most physical funds lend securities to reduce their costs, and Vanguard publishes the proportion in the annual report. Lending income is worth a few hundredths of a point, shared between the fund and the issuer. The risk is the borrower's, covered by collateral worth more than the amount lent, and it appears in the prospectus rather than in the stated fee.
Can a European investor buy VGSH?
Not always. This fund sits outside the UCITS framework, so most European brokers cannot offer it to a retail client for want of a key information document in their language. Two consequences follow: US withholding tax on dividends, reduced by treaty where a W-8BEN is filed, and US securities falling within US estate tax above a threshold that is low for a non-resident.
Does VGSH pay dividends?
Yes: the fund distributes and pays out the dividends it receives, on a calendar set by Vanguard. The payment is taxable in the year you receive it in most accounts, even if reinvested at once, and reinvesting by hand costs a commission each time. An accumulating class on the same index avoids that friction for anyone who does not need the income.
This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Displayed performance is simulated.