BNDW — Vanguard Total World Bond ETF

BNDW Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in BNDW over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.

BNDW Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: BNDW's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.

Overview

The Vanguard Total World Bond ETF, trading under the ticker BNDW, operates within the US Bonds - Broad category where ETFValuer tracks a total of 7 funds. Issued by Vanguard, the fund holds $1.91 billion in assets under management and trades at a price of $67.57. It currently holds an overall rank of #363 out of 458 tracked ETFs across all categories and has received an ETFValuer grade of C with a score of 52.3 out of 100. The fund offers a low cost structure with an expense ratio of 0.05% while providing a dividend yield of 4.19%. This combination of a substantial asset base and a relatively low expense ratio suggests significant investor adoption despite its mid-tier ranking. The fund's position in the broader market is defined by these specific metrics rather than a top-tier classification within its specific bond category.

Recent performance data shows a mixed trajectory across various time horizons, starting with a 1-day return of +0.16% followed by a 1-week decline of -0.46%. Over the past month, the fund posted a -1.27% return, which contrasts with a slight 3-month loss of -0.41% and a 6-month decline of -0.27%. Year-to-date performance remains nearly flat at -0.02%, indicating a period of stagnation in the current calendar year. However, the 1-year return has turned positive at +2.29%, and the 3-year return shows a more substantial gain of +12.05%. This pattern illustrates a divergence where short-term fluctuations have been negative or flat, while longer-term holding periods have resulted in positive cumulative returns.

The fund carries a volatility label of Very Low and a beta of 0.82, suggesting it moves less than the broader market and exhibits lower price swings. Despite this low volatility, the Sharpe ratio stands at -0.80, indicating that the risk-adjusted returns have been negative over the measured period. The maximum drawdown recorded is -4.06%, which represents the largest peak-to-trough decline experienced by the fund. This combination of a low beta and very low volatility label with a negative Sharpe ratio implies that while the fund avoids extreme price swings, it has struggled to generate sufficient returns to compensate for the risk taken. The modest maximum drawdown of -4.06% further supports the characterization of the fund as having limited downside severity compared to higher-risk assets.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

BNDW Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-02-28 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 3 holdings make up 100.0% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how BNDW's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With BNDW

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with BNDW's top 10 — VEA overlaps most, holding 1 of the same companies as BNDW's top 10 (0.0% of BNDW's assets).

Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.71% (as of 2026-07-23) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 18.70 (as of 2026-07-23) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

BNDW Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.13% and average daily volume is 109K/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $1.91B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: BNDW is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.

BNDW Performance History

How BNDW Compares to Other US Bonds - Broad ETFs