IEI vs VTIP: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
IEI and VTIP are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. IEI is iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF, while VTIP is Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF. IEI is broader by holdings count, with 85 positions versus 27 for VTIP. VTIP is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has IEI ahead on AIQ Score, 59 versus 48.
What is the main difference between IEI and VTIP?
IEI holds 85 positions to VTIP's 27, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | IEI | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Holdings | 85 | 27 |
| Top-10 concentration | 22.9% | 48% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 3.82% | 4.82% |
| Average volume | 1,834,188 | 2,745,967 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -5.3% | -3% |
| YTD return | -4.5% | -1.6% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +0.2% | +2.9% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 3.3% | 3% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -6.3% | -4.1% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -12.6% | -5.5% |
| Beta | 0.07 | 0.00 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.74 | -2.26 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.73 | -1.90 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 59/100 | 48/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Momentum | 56/100 | 25/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 84/100 | 68/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF vs Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF
IEI leads
IEI leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the lead has widened from 3 points over 30 sessions.
Competitive: 3 of 4 evidence groups support IEI, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.
iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF
Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors IEI over VTIP, 59 versus 48 as of Oct 21, 2026. IEI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and risk resilience, while VTIP holds the stronger quality profile. IEI also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor IEI today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. IEI lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 11 points over 30 sessions.
Compare iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF and Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
IEI vs VTIP: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | IEI | VTIP | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% | VTIP |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 85 | 27 | IEI |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 22.9% | 48% | IEI |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 3.82% | 4.82% | VTIP |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -12.6% | -5.5% | VTIP |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 3.3% | 3% | Similar |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare IEI and VTIP against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Momentum56 vs 25IEI +31
- Risk Resilience84 vs 68IEI +16
- Value45 vs 36IEI +9
- Quality63 vs 69VTIP +6
3 of 4 evidence groups favor IEI. IEI’s edge is concentrated in momentum and risk resilience; VTIP keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +2
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 6 active signals are unchanged.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 7 active signals are unchanged.
IEI's lead widened by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — IEI and VTIP both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
IEI (iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and risk resilience.
VTIP (Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF): the counter-case, on quality.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | IEI | VTIP | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 85 | 27 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 1,834,188 | 2,745,967 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 3.3% | 3% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -6.3% | -4.1% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.74 | -2.26 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.07 | 0.00 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
IEI and VTIP share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings.
83 holdings are unique to IEI, and 25 holdings are unique to VTIP. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
VTIP is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 48.04% of the fund, against 22.86% for IEI (27 holdings vs 85). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
What IEI adds that VTIP doesn’t
| Holding | IEI | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY NOTE 4.38% 11/30/2030 | 2.94% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 1.88% 02/15/2032 | 2.31% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.00% 02/28/2030 | 2.3% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 1.38% 11/15/2031 | 2.28% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 1.25% 08/15/2031 | 2.27% | Not held |
| TREASURY NOTE 4.13% 08/31/2030 | 2.24% | Not held |
What VTIP adds that IEI doesn’t
| Holding | VTIP | IEI |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 1.13% 10/15/2030 | 5.15% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 1.25% 04/15/2031 | 5.11% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 1.63% 04/15/2030 | 5.06% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 1.63% 10/15/2029 | 4.97% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 2.13% 04/15/2029 | 4.78% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Inflation Indexed Bonds 2.38% 10/15/2028 | 4.78% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor IEI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | IEI | 59 vs 48 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | IEI | Value 45 vs 36 |
| Technicals | Even | Price vs 50-day -0.8% vs -1.2%; vs 200-day -2.8% vs -2.2% |
| Risk Resilience | IEI | Risk Resilience 84 vs 68 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of IEI and VTIP and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on IEI.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20IEI lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 11 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- IEI +11
- 59 vs 48
- 7 sessions ago
- IEI +9
- 57 vs 48
- 30 sessions ago
- IEI +3
- 51 vs 48
- 90 sessions ago
- VTIP +1
- 55 vs 56
The lead changed hands 6 times in this window, most recently on Sep 10 when IEI moved ahead of VTIP.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 3 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
2 bullish / 3 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only VTIP
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
Both carry 6 more signals that do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, Death Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, 52-Week Low Proximity, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
IEI leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.04%, AIQ +1 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price 0%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1VTIP closes the Momentum gap — currently 31 points behind, the largest single contributor to IEI's edge.
- 2VTIP's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3IEI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
VTIP leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | IEI | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -0.4% | -1.4% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -2% | -1.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -3.8% | -3% |
| Year to date | -4.5% | -1.6% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -5.3% | -3% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | IEI | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 66.3 | 28.9 |
| ADX (14) | 32.4 | 43.6 |
| Price vs 50-day | -0.8% | -1.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | -2.8% | -2.2% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 3.7% | 6.1% |
Risk
IEI is the more resilient| Metric | IEI | VTIP |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.07 | 0 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.74 | -2.26 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.73 | -1.9 |
| Max drawdown | -6.3% | -4.1% |
| Current drawdown | -5.5% | -3.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 3.3% | 3% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -0.4% | -0.2% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between IEI and VTIP?
IEI holds 85 positions to VTIP's 27, and 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do IEI and VTIP overlap?
IEI and VTIP share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings. 83 holdings are unique to IEI, and 25 holdings are unique to VTIP. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, IEI or VTIP?
IEI holds more positions: 85 versus 27 for VTIP.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
VTIP has the lower expense ratio, 0.03% a year against 0.15% for IEI.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
VTIP, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 4.82% against 3.82% for IEI.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
Their volatility over the past year is similar: 3.3% annualized for IEI and 3% for VTIP.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
VTIP fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -5.5% against -12.6% for IEI.
Compare IEI and VTIP with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.