VGIT: Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (VGIT) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns about 100 US Treasury bonds, which are loans to the US government. It charges 0.03% a year. From November 2009 to October 2026 it returned about 2.0% a year, and its worst drop was −16.1%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Yearly fee
0.03%
about $3 on $10,000
Return per year
2.0%
since November 2009
Worst drop
−16.1%
since 2009
Started trading
Nov 2009
Vanguard

Key points

  • Expense ratio: 0.03% a year (about $3 on $10,000).
  • Started trading on November 19, 2009.
  • Worst drop since 2009: −16.1%.
  • No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

What does VGIT hold?#

This fund owns about 100 US Treasury bonds, which are loans to the US government. The bonds are paid back in about 3 to 10 years. Their prices tend to fall when interest rates rise, but usually less than long bonds.

It tracks the Bloomberg US Treasury 3-10 Year Bond Index. It had 102 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.

FactVGIT
Full nameVanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF
IssuerVanguard
Expense ratio0.03% a year
Started tradingNovember 19, 2009
TracksBloomberg US Treasury 3-10 Year Bond Index
TypeUS bonds, ETF
Holdings102 holdings as of September 30, 2026
Facts checkedOctober 17, 2026 on the Vanguard fund page

What is the VGIT expense ratio?#

VGIT charges 0.03% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.03% fee comes to about $3 a year.

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

How has VGIT done since 2009?#

$10k201020132016201920222025
VGITGrowth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From November 2009 to October 2026, VGIT returned about 2.0% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $14,067 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

MeasureVGIT
Total return40.7%
Return per year (CAGR)2.0%
Worst drop from a high−16.1%
Volatility (how much it swings)4.4%
Last 12 months−1.9%
Last 3 years, per year4.0%
Last 5 years, per year−0.1%
Last 10 years, per year1.1%

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.

VGIT returns by year#

YearVGIT return
2026 (part of the year)−1.8%
20257.3%
20241.4%
20234.3%
2022−10.5%
2021−2.6%
20207.7%
20196.2%
20181.4%
20171.7%
20160.8%
20151.5%
20144.6%
2013−2.7%
20122.2%
20119.6%
20107.5%
2009 (part of the year)−2.0%

What was VGIT’s worst drop?#

0%−10%201020132016201920222025
Drawdown: how far VGIT was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VGIT’s worst fall was −16.1%, from August 4, 2020 to October 20, 2022. By October 16, 2026 it had not yet climbed back to that high.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

Which Tactfolio strategies hold VGIT?#

No classic strategy holds VGIT yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.

How does VGIT compare with similar ETFs?#

Funds that can stand in for VGIT:

  • IEF: iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, 0.15% 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 VGIT alternatives, compared on the same dates as VGIT.

Test VGIT 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 VGIT, 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 VGIT. 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.

Fund facts come from Vanguard. We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.

Common questions#

What is the expense ratio of VGIT?#

VGIT charges 0.03% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 17, 2026. That is about $3 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did VGIT start trading?#

VGIT started trading on November 19, 2009. It is run by Vanguard.

What does VGIT track?#

VGIT tracks the Bloomberg US Treasury 3-10 Year Bond Index. This fund owns about 100 US Treasury bonds, which are loans to the US government.

How much has VGIT returned per year?#

From November 2009 to October 2026, VGIT returned about 2.0% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −16.1%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Which strategies use VGIT?#

None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VGIT yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

Sources#