TIPS vs TIP Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
TIPS (held directly) and TIP (the ETF) both provide U.S. government inflation-linked bond exposure, but with meaningful structural differences — individual TIPS held to maturity guarantee inflation-protected principal return, while TIP provides liquid but mark-to-market real interest rate exposure with no guaranteed return of principal.
TIPS direct vs TIP ETF is a fundamental fixed income structure comparison — individual bond certainty of inflation-protected principal at maturity versus ETF liquidity with ongoing real interest rate mark-to-market risk.
TIP holds the edge across 2 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. TIP has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+2.22% vs -98.61% for TIPS).
- →Want guaranteed inflation protection of principal by holding individual TIPS bonds to their specific maturity dates
- →Are managing liability matching (e.g., retirement income in a specific year) where principal certainty at a date matters
- →Can access TreasuryDirect.gov and want to avoid ETF expense ratios for long-term holdings
- →Want liquid, diversified TIPS exposure without the friction of buying individual bonds through TreasuryDirect
- →Value the ability to buy, sell, and rebalance TIPS exposure easily through a regular brokerage account
- →Are using TIPS as a tactical inflation hedge where liquidity and the ability to exit quickly matters more than maturity certainty
| Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| ETF score | 46.0 | 33.0 |
| Latest close | $0.00 | $108.05 |
| 1M return | -16.67% | -0.02% |
| 6M return | -96.30% | -0.38% |
| 1Y return | -98.61% | +2.22% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $139.28 (-98.6%) started 2025-07-07 | $10.56K (+5.6%) started 2025-07-08 |
| 5Y ago | $666.67 (-93.3%) started 2021-07-07 | $12.58K (+25.8%) started 2021-07-08 |
| 10Y ago | $500K (+4900.0%) started 2016-07-07 | $17.38K (+73.8%) started 2016-07-08 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | N/A | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM) | N/A | $14.7B |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 3.77% |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 12.14 |
| Beta | -7.10 | 0.29 |
| 52-week change | -98.61% | 2.22% |
| Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y return | -98.61% | +2.22% |
| 6M return | -96.30% | -0.38% |
| 1M return | -16.67% | -0.02% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 1.38 | -0.61 |
| Beta | -7.10 | 0.29 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 3.77% |
| 5Y CAGR | -41.82% | +0.42% |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -98.61% | +2.22% |
| CAGR | -98.61% | +2.23% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.38 | -0.61 | |
| Max drawdown | 99.19% | 2.24% | |
| Max daily drop | 66.29% | 1.11% | |
| Max wkly drop | 83.33% | 1.76% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -93.33% | +2.11% |
| CAGR | -41.82% | +0.42% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.73 | -0.62 | |
| Max drawdown | 99.93% | 14.51% | |
| Max daily drop | 78.72% | 1.68% | |
| Max wkly drop | 83.33% | 3.72% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +4900.00% | +23.43% |
| CAGR | +47.88% | +2.13% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.50 | -0.39 | |
| Max drawdown | 99.93% | 14.51% | |
| Max daily drop | 99.90% | 2.87% | |
| Max wkly drop | 99.90% | 6.87% |
| Category | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Tianrong Internet Products and Services, Inc. | iShares TIPS Bond ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratio | N/A | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM) | N/A | $14.7B |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 3.77% |
- →U.S. Treasury credit quality — TIPS carry the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, the highest-quality fixed income security
- →Guaranteed inflation protection — principal adjusts with CPI, protecting purchasing power of principal for investors holding to maturity
- →Tax-advantaged in certain accounts — the inflation adjustment is not subject to state/local income tax (though federally taxable)
- →Instant diversification across many TIPS maturities provides a range of inflation-linked bond exposure without managing individual bonds
- →Liquid — TIP can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices without the friction of TreasuryDirect purchases
- →iShares (BlackRock) brand and established fund with large AUM and tight bid-ask spreads
- →TIPS held in taxable accounts require paying taxes on the inflation adjustment (phantom income) even though the cash isn't received until maturity
- →If deflation occurs, TIPS principal can decline (though it never falls below the original face value at maturity)
- →Rising real interest rates reduce TIPS market prices, creating losses for investors who sell before maturity
- →TIP does not mature and return principal — unlike holding individual TIPS to maturity, TIP constantly rolls its portfolio, providing mark-to-market exposure to real interest rate risk
- →Rising real yields cause TIP price to fall even if inflation is present — the ETF can lose value in a rising real yield environment
- →TIP distributes inflation adjustments as income, creating taxable events more frequently than holding individual TIPS to maturity
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.