USIG vs VCSH: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
USIG and VCSH are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. USIG is iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, while VCSH is Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF. USIG is broader by holdings count, with 11,557 positions versus 3,030 for VCSH.
What is the main difference between USIG and VCSH?
USIG holds 11,557 positions to VCSH's 3,030, and 27% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | USIG | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.03% |
| Holdings | 11,557 | 3,030 |
| Top-10 concentration | 0.7% | 2.4% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 4.96% | 4.56% |
| Average volume | 2,127,738 | 5,118,374 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -6.6% | -3.3% |
| YTD return | -5.2% | -2.9% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +0.1% | +2.4% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 4.6% | 2.4% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.9% | -4% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -21.1% | -9% |
| Beta | 0.17 | 0.07 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.28 | -3.00 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.18 | -3.54 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 58/100 | 58/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Momentum | 55/100 | 48/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 92/100 | 77/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF vs Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF
USIG and VCSH are effectively level
USIG and VCSH are effectively level on the AIQ Score; the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.
iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score does not currently separate USIG and VCSH as of Oct 21, 2026. Both names are scored on the same 0–100 scale across Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.
Compare iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
USIG vs VCSH: 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 | USIG | VCSH | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.04% | 0.03% | Similar |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 11,557 | 3,030 | USIG |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 0.7% | 2.4% | Similar |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 4.96% | 4.56% | USIG |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -21.1% | -9% | VCSH |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 4.6% | 2.4% | VCSH |
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 USIG and VCSH 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.
- Risk Resilience92 vs 77USIG +15
- Value36 vs 45VCSH +9
- Momentum55 vs 48USIG +7
- Quality64 vs 70VCSH +6
Neither name separates cleanly on the covered dimensions.
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 +5
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum -1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
VCSH's lead narrowed by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — USIG and VCSH both carry a full feed there.
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 | USIG | VCSH | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.03% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 11,557 | 3,030 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 2,127,738 | 5,118,374 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 4.6% | 2.4% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -7.9% | -4% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.28 | -3.00 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.17 | 0.07 | 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
USIG and VCSH share 27.37% of their weighted exposure across 2,905 common holdings.
8,649 holdings are unique to USIG, and 120 holdings are unique to VCSH. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
VCSH is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 2.37% of the fund, against 0.73% for USIG (3,030 holdings vs 11,557). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | USIG | VCSH | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp 3.42% 12/20/2028 | 0.08% | 0.24% | 0.08% |
| T-Mobile USA Inc 3.88% 04/15/2030 | 0.07% | 0.19% | 0.07% |
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp 5.35% 07/15/2031 | 0.07% | 0.17% | 0.07% |
| AbbVie Inc 3.20% 11/21/2029 | 0.06% | 0.2% | 0.06% |
| Goldman Sachs Group Inc/The 4.15% 01/21/2029 | 0.06% | 0.1% | 0.06% |
| CVS Health Corp 4.30% 03/25/2028 | 0.06% | 0.2% | 0.06% |
| Bank of America Corp 5.20% 04/25/2029 | 0.05% | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Wells Fargo & Co 5.57% 07/25/2029 | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What USIG adds that VCSH doesn’t
| Holding | USIG | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| EAGLE FUNDING LUXCO S. R.L. 144A 5.50% 08/17/2030 | 0.08% | Not held |
| ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES LLC 4.90% 02/01/2046 | 0.08% | Not held |
| CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING L 144A 7.09% 09/01/2038 | 0.08% | Not held |
| CVS HEALTH CORP 5.05% 03/25/2048 | 0.07% | Not held |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC/THE 6.75% 10/01/2037 | 0.06% | Not held |
| CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING L 144A 7.34% 09/01/2041 | 0.06% | Not held |
What VCSH adds that USIG doesn’t
| Holding | VCSH | USIG |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 4.13% 06/30/2031 | 0.43% | Not held |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 4.25% 07/31/2028 | 0.25% | Not held |
| Morgan Stanley 4.81% 04/16/2032 | 0.24% | 0.02% |
| Bank of America Corp 3.42% 12/20/2028 | 0.24% | 0.08% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co 4.62% 04/23/2032 | 0.23% | 0.03% |
| AbbVie Inc 3.20% 11/21/2029 | 0.2% | 0.06% |
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
How each independent group of evidence reads the pair.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 58 vs 58 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | VCSH | Value 36 vs 45 |
| Technicals | Even | Price vs 50-day -0.9% vs -0.6%; vs 200-day -3.5% vs -1.9% |
| Risk Resilience | USIG | Risk Resilience 92 vs 77 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 0 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 0 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20VCSH lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 0 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- Level
- 58 vs 58
- 7 sessions ago
- VCSH +2
- 55 vs 57
- 30 sessions ago
- VCSH +2
- 50 vs 52
- 90 sessions ago
- VCSH +4
- 52 vs 56
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Sep 9 when VCSH moved ahead of USIG.
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.
USIG and VCSH carry the same 5 signals, so the signals do not separate them: Death Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, 52-Week Low Proximity, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
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 +2 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.01%, AIQ 0 points).
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
VCSH leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | USIG | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.4% | -0.5% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -2.7% | -1.4% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -4.6% | -2.5% |
| Year to date | -5.2% | -2.9% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -6.6% | -3.3% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | USIG | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 65.3 | 57.3 |
| ADX (14) | 31.6 | 26.9 |
| Price vs 50-day | -0.9% | -0.6% |
| Price vs 200-day | -3.5% | -1.9% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 5.4% | 2.6% |
Risk
USIG is the more resilient| Metric | USIG | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.17 | 0.07 |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.28 | -3 |
| Sortino ratio | -3.18 | -3.54 |
| Max drawdown | -7.9% | -4% |
| Current drawdown | -6.9% | -3.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 4.6% | 2.4% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -0.5% | -0.3% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between USIG and VCSH?
USIG holds 11,557 positions to VCSH's 3,030, and 27% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do USIG and VCSH overlap?
USIG and VCSH share 27.37% of their weighted exposure across 2,905 common holdings. 8,649 holdings are unique to USIG, and 120 holdings are unique to VCSH. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, USIG or VCSH?
USIG holds more positions: 11,557 versus 3,030 for VCSH.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
The two are within a basis point: 0.04% for USIG and 0.03% for VCSH.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
USIG, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 4.96% against 4.56% for VCSH.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
USIG has been more volatile over the past year, at 4.6% annualized against 2.4% for VCSH.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
VCSH fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -9% against -21.1% for USIG.
Compare USIG and VCSH 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.