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 (-1.56% vs -97.00% 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 scorei | 27.1 | 24.3 |
| Latest closei | $0.00 | $105.29 |
| 1M returni | +800.00% | -0.47% |
| 3M returni | +200.00% | -1.77% |
| 6M returni | -18.18% | -2.07% |
| 1Y returni | -97.00% | -1.56% |
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 | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $300 (-97.0%) started 2025-10-15 | $10.28K (+2.8%) started 2025-10-15 |
| 5Y ago | $225 (-97.7%) started 2021-10-15 | $12.26K (+22.6%) started 2021-10-15 |
| 10Y ago | $90K (+800.0%) started 2016-10-17 | $17.63K (+76.3%) started 2016-10-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | N/A | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | N/A | $14.23B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 4.71% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.15 | 0.30 |
| 52-week change | -97.00% | -1.56% |
| Metric | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | -97.00% | -1.56% |
| 6M returni | -18.18% | -2.07% |
| 3M returni | +200.00% | -1.77% |
| 1M returni | +800.00% | -0.47% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 1.71 | -1.71 |
| Betai | 0.15 | 0.30 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 4.71% |
| 5Y CAGR | -53.18% | -0.15% |
Over the past year, TIPS and TIP have moved barely in opposite directions (correlation of -0.02), 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 | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -97.00% | -1.56% |
| CAGRi | -97.01% | -1.56% | |
| Volatilityi | 559.04% | 3.52% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.71 | -1.71 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 3.45 | -2.15 | |
| Max drawdowni | 99.73% | 3.95% | |
| Current drawdowni | 97.56% | 2.74% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 82.10% | 1.00% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 85.80% | 1.31% | |
| Max daily dropi | 66.29% | 0.80% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 83.33% | 1.50% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -97.75% | -0.74% |
| CAGRi | -53.18% | -0.15% | |
| Volatilityi | 437.66% | 6.21% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.61 | -0.72 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 3.38 | -0.99 | |
| Max drawdowni | 99.98% | 14.51% | |
| Current drawdowni | 99.78% | 2.74% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 80.14% | 6.41% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 83.11% | 7.69% | |
| Max daily dropi | 78.72% | 1.68% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 83.33% | 3.72% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +800.00% | +23.33% |
| CAGRi | +24.59% | +2.12% | |
| Volatilityi | 32132.28% | 5.73% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.47 | -0.39 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 65.29 | -0.54 | |
| Max drawdowni | 99.98% | 14.51% | |
| Current drawdowni | 99.78% | 2.74% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 82.08% | 3.71% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 85.65% | 5.53% | |
| Max daily dropi | 99.90% | 2.87% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 99.90% | 6.87% |
| Category | TIPS | TIP |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Tianrong Internet Products and Services, Inc. | iShares TIPS Bond ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | N/A | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | N/A | $14.23B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 4.71% |
- 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
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