VTI vs BND ETF Comparison

Set your investment period and amount to compare the returns, growth and risk of two ETFs.

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Key comparison

2016.01–2026.10 · Starting with $10,000 · Dividends reinvested · Data as of 2026.10.23
MetricVTI BND
Annualized return +14.3%+1.7%
Final value $42,525$12,048
Volatility (annual) 15.5%5.1%
Max drawdown · daily -35.0%-18.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.81-0.11
Expense ratio 0.03%0.03%

How it grew

VTI has been ahead since 2020.03.

VTI vs BND Cumulative Return Comparison
ETFTotal ReturnCAGRTotal invested
VTI+325.3%+14.3%10000
BND+20.5%+1.7%10000
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Worst declines

VTI fell further and took 175 days to regain its peak.

Drawdown paths
Compared portfoliosMax drawdown · daily
VTI-35
BND-18.58
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Three deepest declines

VTI
DrawdownPeak dateTrough dateRecovery date
-35.0%2020.02.192020.03.232020.08.12
-25.4%2022.01.032022.10.122023.12.18
-20.0%2018.09.202018.12.242019.04.23
BND
DrawdownPeak dateTrough dateRecovery date
-18.6%2020.08.062022.10.20Ongoing
-8.7%2020.03.062020.03.122020.05.21
-4.8%2016.07.082016.12.152017.09.05

In major sell-offs

Return during each major market decline.

EventVTIBND
Q4 2018 Selloff-20.0%+1.3%
COVID-19 Crash-35.0%-1.4%
2022 Rate Hike Bear Market-25.4%-14.5%

Year by year

Over 10 full calendar years, VTI was higher 8 times and BND 2 times.

Year by year · Annual
PeriodVTIBND
2026Partial year+12.6%-2.7%
2025+17.1%+7.1%
2024+23.8%+1.4%
2023+26.1%+5.7%
2022-19.5%-13.1%
2021+25.7%-1.9%
2020+21.0%+7.7%
2019+30.7%+8.8%
2018-5.2%-0.1%
2017+21.2%+3.6%
2016+12.8%+2.5%

Questions about these results

How did the same initial investment grow?

From 2016.01.04 to 2026.10.23, an initial $10,000 ended at $42,525 for VTI and $12,048 for BND. Annualized returns were 14.3% and 1.7%, respectively.

When were the deepest drawdowns and recoveries?

VTI: peak 2020.02.19, trough 2020.03.23, drawdown -35.0%, recovery 2020.08.12. BND: peak 2020.08.06, trough 2022.10.20, drawdown -18.6%, recovery Ongoing.

How did the results differ during market crises?

During COVID-19 Crash, returns were -35.0% for VTI and -1.4% for BND. During Q4 2018 Selloff, returns were -20.0% for VTI and 1.3% for BND.

What are the expense ratios and annual costs?

Weighted expense ratios are 0.03% for VTI and 0.03% for BND. Applied to the initial $10,000, estimated annual costs are $3 and $3. Both weighted expense ratios are the same.

What are the dividend yields and their basis?

The yields are 1.06% for VTI and 4.13% for BND. They use distributions from the last 365 days divided by the last closing price and do not predict future distributions.

How similarly do the two portfolios move?

The correlation of shared monthly returns is 0.42: they only partly moved in the same direction.

About the ETFs & sources

VTI An ETF investing across the U.S. equity market.

BND An ETF investing across the U.S. bond market.

Comparison settings

Trading cost: 0 bps per side · personal taxes excluded · see the methodology for dividend calculation Calculation Methodology