About VSBIX
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares is a U.S. mutual fund that tracks a market‑weighted index of short‑maturity U.S. Treasury securities. Its primary purpose is to provide broad, low‑cost exposure to government bonds with limited interest‑rate sensitivity, aiming to reflect the performance of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1–3 Year Index through an indexing and sampling approach. The fund concentrates on high‑quality, dollar‑denominated Treasury notes and bills, emphasizing liquidity and credit quality while maintaining an effective duration typically under two years. It is designed for institutions seeking a core short‑duration government allocation, monthly income distributions, and a transparent, rules‑based methodology. Notable characteristics include a low expense ratio, a large underlying asset base across share classes, and diversification across numerous Treasury issues to closely track the benchmark. By focusing exclusively on U.S. Treasury obligations, the fund minimizes credit risk and serves as a stabilizing component within fixed income portfolios, cash management ladders, or liability‑aware strategies where preserving capital and dampening volatility are priorities.
Fund Family Vanguard
Category Short Government
Performance Rating Above Average
Risk Rating Below Average
Stock Exchange NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol VSBIX
Share Class Institutional Shares
Index Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Y TR
VSBIX had a total return of 5.30% in the past year, including dividends. Since the fund's
inception, the average annual return has been 2.98%.
