SHY vs SGOV ETF Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
SHY and SGOV are both government-backed and safe from credit risk, differing only in maturity. SHY holds one to three year notes, so its price moves modestly with short-term rates and it partly locks in a yield. SGOV holds bills maturing within three months, so its price barely moves and its yield tracks current policy rates almost immediately.
Use this SHY vs SGOV comparison to decide whether you want to lock in a rate or float with it. If short-term rates are likely to fall, slightly longer maturities capture today's yield for longer and gain a little price appreciation. If rates may rise, bills reset upward quickly and never suffer a price decline worth noting.
SGOV holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SGOV has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+3.76% vs +1.62% for SHY).
- Want to partly lock in yields in case short-term rates fall
- Accept small price fluctuations for a slightly longer maturity
- Want a low-volatility bond holding rather than a cash substitute
- Prefer no credit risk in the position
- Want a genuine cash equivalent with almost no price movement
- Prefer a yield that resets quickly if rates rise
- Are holding money for a near-term purpose
- Accept that the yield falls immediately when rates are cut
| Metric | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 35.0 | 40.0 |
| Latest closei | $81.21 | $100.66 |
| 1M returni | -0.73% | +0.32% |
| 6M returni | +0.34% | +1.82% |
| 1Y returni | +1.62% | +3.76% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.54K (+5.4%) started 2025-09-25 | $10.77K (+7.7%) started 2025-09-25 |
| 5Y ago | $12.74K (+27.4%) started 2021-09-27 | $14.63K (+46.3%) started 2021-09-27 |
| 10Y ago | $14.76K (+47.6%) started 2016-09-26 | $14.65K (+46.5%) started 2020-06-01 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $25.91B | $105.98B |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.63% | 3.74% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| 52-week change | 1.62% | 3.76% |
| Metric | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +1.62% | +3.76% |
| 6M returni | +0.34% | +1.82% |
| 1M returni | -0.73% | +0.32% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -2.12 | -4.46 |
| Betai | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.63% | 3.74% |
| 5Y CAGR | +1.75% | +3.78% |
Over the past year, SHY and SGOV have moved barely in opposite directions (correlation of -0.00), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +1.62% | +3.76% |
| CAGRi | +1.62% | +3.76% | |
| Volatilityi | 1.36% | 0.18% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -2.12 | -4.46 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -2.61 | -5.50 | |
| Max drawdowni | 0.91% | 0.01% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.76% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.18% | 0.00% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 0.27% | 0.00% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.30% | 0.01% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 0.48% | 0.00% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +9.03% | +20.35% |
| CAGRi | +1.75% | +3.78% | |
| Volatilityi | 2.02% | 0.24% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -1.36 | -3.28 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -1.87 | -4.32 | |
| Max drawdowni | 5.59% | 0.03% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.76% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 1.46% | 0.00% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 2.21% | 0.00% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.51% | 0.03% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 1.26% | 0.02% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +17.35% | +20.44% |
| CAGRi | +1.61% | +2.99% | |
| Volatilityi | 1.58% | 0.23% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -1.82 | -6.63 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -2.48 | -7.42 | |
| Max drawdowni | 5.71% | 0.03% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.76% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.89% | 0.00% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 1.64% | 0.00% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.51% | 0.03% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 1.26% | 0.02% |
| Category | SHY | SGOV |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $25.91B | $105.98B |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.63% | 3.74% |
- No credit risk and very modest price volatility
- Locks in yields slightly further out, which helps if short rates fall
- Deep liquidity and long operating history
- Essentially no duration, so the share price barely moves
- Yield adjusts rapidly upward when short-term rates rise
- Treasury interest may receive favourable state tax treatment in some jurisdictions
- Still carries some duration, so prices dip when short-term rates rise
- Yields less than bills when the yield curve is inverted
- Not a true cash substitute, since the price does fluctuate
- Yield falls just as quickly when short-term rates are cut
- No opportunity to lock in a rate for any meaningful period
- Provides no capital appreciation potential at all
Compare more than two at a time
This page is a fixed writeup on SHY and SGOV. Our comparison engine is the interactive version: load up to five tickers, switch timeframes, and get the correlation, drawdown, and overlap analysis that a static page can't show.
Add three more names beside SHY and SGOV, mixing stocks and ETFs in the same table — useful when the real question is which of a whole peer group to own.
AI score, forward P/E, analyst target upside, operating margin, and revenue growth are scored head-to-head, with a running tally of which ticker leads on how many metrics.
Volatility, Sharpe and Sortino ratios, maximum, current, and average drawdown, Ulcer Index, and worst single-day and single-week drops across every timeframe.
Pairwise daily-return correlation for every combination, so you can see whether two holdings actually diversify each other or just move together.
A scatter plot of forward P/E against return on equity, plus drawdown and 30-day rolling volatility charts, to separate what is cheap from what is merely beaten down.
For ETFs, a top-holdings comparison that exposes hidden overlap between funds. Every comparison exports to CSV for your own spreadsheet work.
Two comparisons a week are free without an account. A 14-day trial removes the limit and adds AI price forecasts, stock rankings, saved watchlists, and the intrinsic value calculator — no credit card required.
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.