iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF)

ETF · US bonds · iShares (BlackRock)

$90.42+0.08%close of Oct 16, 2026

iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund holds US government bonds that will be paid back in about 7 to 10 years. It charges 0.15% a year. From July 2002 to October 2026 it returned about 3.4% a year, and its worst drop was −23.9%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Yearly fee
0.15%
about $15 on $10,000
1-year return
−3.6%
to Oct 16, 2026
Return per year
3.4%
since July 2002
Worst drop
−23.9%
since 2002
Below its high
−13.5%
now
Volatility
6.8%
yearly swings
Issuer
iShares (BlackRock)
Tracks
ICE US Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index
Started trading
July 22, 2002
Type
US bonds, ETF
Holdings
17 holdings as of October 15, 2026
Expense ratio
0.15% a year

How has IEF done since 2002?#

$10k$20k$50k$100k20032006200920122015201820212024
IEFS&P 500 (SPY)Growth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From July 2002 to October 2026, IEF returned about 3.4% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 11.2% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $22,605 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

PeriodIEFS&P 500 (SPY)
1 month0.0%1.5%
3 months−2.5%1.9%
6 months−3.3%9.3%
Year to date−3.1%12.8%
1 year−3.6%16.8%
3 years per year3.7%22.0%
5 years per year−1.7%12.8%
10 years per year0.4%15.4%
Since 2002 per year3.4%11.2%

Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

IEF returns by month and year#

IEF rose in 160 of its 292 months (55%). Its best month was November 2008, at 7.8%. Its worst was July 2003, at −5.0%.

Return each month, in percent
YearTotalJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2026−3.1%−0.22.5−2.3−0.10.00.3−1.40.1−3.31.6
20258.0%0.62.80.31.1−1.21.6−0.61.70.70.71.0−0.8
2024−0.6%0.1−2.10.7−3.11.81.22.91.41.4−3.41.0−2.3
20233.6%3.6−3.33.70.8−1.4−1.3−0.6−0.7−3.1−1.94.63.8
2022−15.2%−2.1−0.3−4.1−4.20.6−0.93.0−3.8−4.7−1.43.6−1.5
2021−3.3%−1.1−2.4−2.41.00.41.02.0−0.4−1.6−0.41.1−0.5
202010.0%3.53.03.70.30.30.00.9−1.00.3−1.40.3−0.2
20198.0%0.7−0.52.7−0.53.11.20.04.0−1.20.2−0.7−0.9
20181.0%−2.1−0.91.2−1.31.00.2−0.51.0−1.2−0.31.32.8
20172.5%0.20.70.11.10.8−0.50.41.5−1.4−0.2−0.30.2
20161.0%3.31.5−0.1−0.2−0.13.10.3−1.00.2−1.5−4.2−0.1
20151.5%4.3−2.50.9−0.6−0.4−1.61.50.11.6−0.6−0.4−0.4
20149.1%3.10.4−0.60.81.8−0.2−0.21.9−1.01.51.30.1
2013−6.1%−1.31.10.31.5−3.1−2.5−0.3−1.41.90.8−0.9−2.1
20123.7%0.9−1.1−1.62.52.9−0.41.4−0.1−0.3−0.41.0−0.9
201115.7%0.0−0.2−0.11.82.5−0.53.24.72.2−1.30.62.0
20109.4%2.40.3−1.11.72.93.10.93.40.00.0−0.9−3.4
2009−6.6%−3.9−0.73.3−2.7−2.1−0.60.80.81.1−0.12.0−4.4
200817.9%3.41.21.3−2.4−1.81.20.71.5−0.1−0.97.85.2
200710.4%−0.42.1−0.10.6−1.4−0.52.32.30.11.14.10.1
20062.5%−0.7−0.1−1.4−0.6−0.10.21.71.81.20.51.3−1.3
20052.6%0.9−1.4−0.42.51.80.5−2.22.0−1.7−1.20.61.4
20044.1%1.01.61.3−4.3−0.50.71.22.80.31.0−2.01.2
20035.3%−0.82.2−0.40.13.8−0.7−5.00.75.0−1.50.02.0
20027.6%0.92.53.9−1.2−2.13.6

Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.

How risky is IEF compared with the S&P 500?#

Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.

  • Beta 0.04. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, IEF tended to move about 0.04%.
  • Correlation 0.10. IEF moved mostly on its own, apart from the S&P 500.
  • Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, IEF rose 18% as much on average. In months it fell, IEF fell 42% as much.
MeasureIEFS&P 500 (SPY)
Return per year−1.6%12.8%
Volatility7.7%17.1%
Worst drop−20.4%−24.5%
Sharpe ratio-0.170.79
Sortino ratio-0.251.15
Calmar ratio-0.080.52

Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.

Is IEF above its 200-day average?#

IEF closed 2.4% below its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds IEF only above that average would be out of it today.

vs 200-day average
−2.4%
below it
50-day vs 200-day
−1.8%
trend falling
vs 52-week high
−5.2%
high of $95.42

A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as the 10-month moving average strategy hold a fund only while it is above one. You can build that rule for IEF and backtest it in a minute.

What was IEF’s worst drop?#

0%−10%−20%20032006200920122015201820212024
Drawdown: how far IEF was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. IEF’s worst fall was −23.9%, from August 4, 2020 to October 19, 2023. By October 16, 2026 it had not yet climbed back to that high. On October 16, 2026 it was 13.5% below its highest close.

DropFrom the highTo the bottomBack to the high
−23.9%Aug 4, 2020Oct 19, 20233.2 yearsNot yet
−10.4%Dec 30, 2008Jun 10, 20095 monthsJun 28, 201013 months
−9.1%May 2, 2013Sep 5, 20134 monthsOct 14, 201413 months
−8.8%Jul 8, 2016May 17, 201822 monthsMay 28, 201912 months
−8.0%Oct 11, 2010Feb 8, 20114 monthsJul 19, 20115 months

Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

What does IEF hold?#

This fund holds US government bonds that will be paid back in about 7 to 10 years. The US Treasury pays interest on these bonds, so the fund pays out income each month. When interest rates go up, the price of these bonds usually goes down.

It tracks the ICE US Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index. It had 17 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).

What is the IEF expense ratio?#

IEF charges 0.15% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.15% fee comes to about $15 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 42% charge more.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

Which Tactfolio strategies hold IEF?#

35 classic strategies hold IEF at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

How does IEF compare with similar ETFs?#

Side-by-side pages measure both funds over the same dates:

  • IEF vs TLT: medium-term against long-term US Treasury bonds.

Funds that can stand in for IEF:

  • VGIT: Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF, 0.03% a year
  • AGG: iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, 0.03% a year
  • BND: Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, 0.03% a year
  • SCHZ: Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, 0.03% a year

See all 8 IEF alternatives, compared on the same dates as IEF.

Test IEF in your own rules#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add IEF, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

The details#

Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for IEF and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.

Fund facts come from iShares (BlackRock). We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.

Research and test it

Common questions#

What is the expense ratio of IEF?#

IEF charges 0.15% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $15 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did IEF start trading?#

IEF started trading on July 22, 2002. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).

What does IEF track?#

IEF tracks the ICE US Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index. This fund holds US government bonds that will be paid back in about 7 to 10 years.

How much has IEF returned per year?#

From July 2002 to October 2026, IEF returned about 3.4% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −23.9%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Is IEF above its 200-day moving average?#

On October 16, 2026, IEF closed 2.4% below its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

Which strategies use IEF?#

35 of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold IEF, including Hybrid Asset Allocation (HAA), HAA Simple: Hybrid Asset Allocation with one asset, Bold Asset Allocation (BAA).

Sources#