ETF Versus

SGOV vs SPY

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-02

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.01%. Launched in 2020, the fund has a 6-year track record.

AUM: $83.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 4.01% Since: May 26, 2020
SPY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.13%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $636.7B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.13% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, SPY has significantly outperformed with a 16.8% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer SGOV for its higher yield (4.0% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric SGOV SPY
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 1.1%
Fund Family N/A State Street
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 103 121 139 157 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
SGOV +0.4%
SPY +61.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SGOV SPY Difference
1 Month +0.01% -4.54% +4.55%
3 Months -0.02% -4.09% +4.07%
6 Months -0.03% -2.09% +2.06%
YTD -0.02% -4.09% +4.07%
1 Year +0.04% +16.80% -16.76%
3 Years +0.16% +59.45% -59.29%
5 Years +0.37% +61.25% -60.88%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SGOV Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $179 $0
$10.000 20 years $771 $771 $0
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $2.486 $0
$50.000 10 years $896 $896 $0
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $12.428 $0
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $24.855 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SGOV SPY
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric SGOV SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $4.02 $7.38
Dividend Yield 4.00% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.58%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.66%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.91%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.64%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.62%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.40%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.24%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.87%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPY if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SGOV if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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