6.4 in Intermediate-Term Bond
U.S. News evaluated 337 Intermediate-Term Bond Funds. Our list highlights the top-rated funds for long-term investors based on the ratings of leading fund industry researchers.
| Scorecard | |
|---|---|
| Morningstar | 3 / 5 Stars |
| Lipper | 2 2 4 5 4 |
| Zacks Investment Research | 3 (Hold) |
| Standard & Poor's | 4 / 5 Stars |
| TheStreet.com | C (Hold) |
Fund Overview
The investment seeks to track the performance of a broad, market-weighted bond index. The fund employs a “passive management”—or indexing—investment approach designed to track the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Float Adjusted Index. It invests by sampling the index, meaning that it holds a broadly diversified collection of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. The fund invests at least 80% of assets in bonds held in the index. It maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the index, ranging between 5 and 10 years.
| Trailing Returns | Updated 03.31.2012 |
|---|---|
| Year to date | 0.2% |
| 1 Year | 7.6% |
| 3 Years (Annualized) | 6.6% |
| 5 Years (Annualized) | 6.1% |
| 10 Years (Annualized) | 5.5% |
Fund Opinion
The fund appears on the 2011 Money 70 list of recommended mutual and exchange-traded funds.
Money 70 2011-01-21
In the June 2010 edition of Morningstar's Fund Family Reports, Dan Culloton says, "Many, including me, have wondered if Vanguard Total Bond Market Index is a sitting duck. The fund, which tracks the Barclays Capital Aggregate Index, has an enormous commitment to U.S. Treasury bonds and government-backed mortgage securities at a time when Treasury yields are at generational lows, the government has reined in a massive mortgage-buying program, and the deficit is exploding. That can’t be good for an index fund tracking the aggregate."
2010-08-05
The fund's Value Line Overall Rank, a measure of risk-adjusted performance and relative growth in fund returns, is 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best and 5 the worst.
Value Line 2012-03-09
Performance
The fund has returned 7.55 percent over the past year, 6.60 percent over the past three years, 6.12 percent over the past five years, and 5.51 percent over the past decade.
Hypothetical Growth of $10,000
Updated 03.31.2012
The fund's Value Line Growth Persistence rank, which awards funds that consistently outperform their broad universes, is 2 for one year, 3 for five years, and 3 for 10 years. Scores are on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being the best and 5 the worst.
Value Line 2012-03-09
Holdings
Asset Allocation
| % Long | % Net | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | 5.75 | 5.75 |
| Stocks | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bonds | 84.43 | 84.43 |
| Other | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Foreign Bonds | 9.72 | 9.72 |
| Foreign Stocks | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Convertible | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Preferred | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Updated 12.31.2011
Top Holdings
Performance as of 03.31.2012
Portfolio as of 12.31.2011
| % Net Assets | |
|---|---|
| CMT Market Liquidity Rate | 4.11 |
| US Treasury Note 0.625% | 1.25 |
| US Treasury Bond 6.25% | 0.93 |
| US Treasury Note 1.375% | 0.79 |
| US Treasury Note 1.875% | 0.75 |
Fees
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index has an expense ratio of 0.22 percent.
Risk
The fund's Value Line Risk Rank, a measure of volatility, is 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least volatile and 5 the most.
Value Line 2012-03-09
