iShares US Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT)
Bonds · US Treasuries · data since 2012-02-24 · last close 2026-09-09
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) monthly returns (%)
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.0 | 1.7 | -1.7 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | -1.5 | -0.1 | -0.3 | · | · | · |
| 2025 | -1.7 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | -1.1 | 1.3 | -0.4 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | -0.4 |
| 2024 | -0.2 | -1.3 | 0.8 | -2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | -2.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 2023 | 2.7 | -2.3 | 2.9 | 0.4 | -1.1 | -0.8 | -0.3 | -0.5 | -2.3 | -1.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| 2022 | -2.6 | -0.8 | -3.2 | -3.0 | 0.0 | -0.8 | 1.6 | -2.6 | -3.4 | -1.3 | 2.7 | -0.7 |
| 2021 | -0.4 | -1.8 | -1.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | -0.1 | -1.1 | -0.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 0.3 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | -1.3 | 0.3 | -1.1 | 0.5 | -0.8 |
| 2019 | 1.0 | -0.3 | 2.0 | -0.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | -0.0 | 3.4 | -0.8 | 0.0 | -0.3 | -0.6 |
| 2018 | -1.3 | -0.7 | 0.8 | -0.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -0.5 | 0.8 | -0.9 | -0.4 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| 2017 | 0.3 | 0.4 | -0.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | -0.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | -0.9 | -0.3 | -0.1 | 0.2 |
| 2016 | 2.1 | 0.9 | -0.0 | -0.3 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 0.5 | -0.7 | 0.0 | -1.1 | -2.9 | -0.0 |
| 2015 | 2.9 | -1.7 | 0.6 | -0.6 | -0.3 | -0.9 | 1.1 | -0.1 | 0.9 | -0.3 | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| 2014 | 1.2 | 0.3 | -0.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 1.2 | -0.7 | 1.0 | 0.9 | -0.1 |
| 2013 | -0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | -1.7 | -1.1 | -0.2 | -0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| 2012 | · | 0.0 | -0.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | -0.5 | 1.0 | -0.1 | -0.4 | -0.1 | 0.3 | -0.6 |
| Avg | 0.4 | -0.0 | 0.2 | -0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | -0.4 | -0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
Values in %. Current and first-listed months are partial (greyed).
returnsview.com
GOVT seasonality — average by calendar month
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF has monthly history back to 2012. Its strongest month by median is November — positive in 9 of 14 years, median +0.6%, and higher in 7 of the last 9. September is the soft spot, down in 9 of 14 with a median of -0.5%. Across its full record it has closed 49% of months higher, swings ±1.3% in an average month and has fallen 19.1% peak to trough.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | +0.4% | -0.0% | +0.2% | -0.1% | +0.3% | +0.2% | +0.4% | +0.2% | -0.5% | -0.5% | +0.5% | +0.1% |
| Win rate | 57%/14 | 47%/15 | 53%/15 | 53%/15 | 67%/15 | 53%/15 | 53%/15 | 40%/15 | 36%/14 | 29%/14 | 64%/14 | 36%/14 |
Win rate = share of positive months / sample size.
GOVT risk & extremes
GOVT drawdown & rolling returns
Percent below the all-time high at each month-end — how far underwater the asset was.
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Frequently asked questions
What was iShares US Treasury Bond ETF's best month?+
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF's strongest completed month on record is November 2023, at +3.49%.
What was iShares US Treasury Bond ETF's worst month?+
Its weakest completed month on record is September 2022, at -3.41%.
Is iShares US Treasury Bond ETF up this year?+
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF is down 1.45% year to date, measured from its last close before 1 January.
What is iShares US Treasury Bond ETF's 1-year return?+
-0.77% over the past twelve months, comparing the latest close with the most recent close on or before the same date a year earlier.
What is iShares US Treasury Bond ETF's biggest drawdown?+
The deepest peak-to-trough fall on record is 19.1%, measured on month-end closes since 2012.
Which calendar month is historically best for iShares US Treasury Bond ETF?+
November has the highest average return across every completed November since 2012. An average is not a forecast.
About iShares US Treasury Bond ETF
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF is an us treasuries business worth about $42 billion. Tracked here from its first session onward — every monthly, quarterly and weekly return on record since 2012, with no gaps filled in and nothing smoothed. Since 2012 it has ground out +18% overall — not every story is a rocket.
Did you know?
- Its best month on record was November 2023 at +3.49%; its worst, September 2022 at -3.41%.
Trivia for entertainment — the numbers come from our price data; the jokes don't.