🎉
Summer Launch Special: Get 1 month free. Use code SUMMER_2026_1_MONTH at checkout. →
DASHBOARDS: Portfolio Hub Market Pulse Performance Compare Studio

SHY

iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF
TREND FOLLOWING PERFORMANCE HISTORY
2026-09-10
Executive Summary
The quantitative backtest for SHY (iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF) using the Moving Average (50/200)* strategy in a Investing context demonstrated its primary role in risk mitigation, experiencing a maximum drawdown of -2.2% (compared to the benchmark's drawdown of -5.7%). Over the evaluated period, this protective approach generated a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.1%, compared to a Buy-and-Hold benchmark return of 1.9%. The strategy executed 10 total trades.

* Moving Average (50/200): Classic Moving Average Crossover (e.g., 50-day crossing 200-day). The foundational basis of research-grade trend following.

🛡️ SHY Drawdown Shield & Downside Protection

Why Drawdown Dictates Longevity →
Peak Drawdown Defense
-2.2% (vs -5.7% B&H)
+3.5% shallower drawdown
Downside Efficiency
2.04 Sortino
+0.24 vs 1.80 B&H
Capital Sheltered from Risk
15.3% of Time
Earning Treasury yield during downturns
* Drawdown Shield demonstrates how systematic trend-following bounded historical drawdowns and protected principal capital compared to passive Buy & Hold.

📊 SHY Quality Metrics & KPI Summary

Metric 1Y5Y10YFull
StrategyB&HStrategyB&HStrategyB&HStrategyB&H
Max Drawdown-0.89%-0.89%-1.58%-5.64%-1.58%-5.71%-2.23%-5.71%
Sharpe Ratio1.361.361.900.881.801.041.551.29
Sortino Ratio1.941.942.661.372.341.502.041.80
CAGR1.79%1.79%3.16%1.77%2.39%1.65%2.13%1.94%
% Time Invested100.0%100.0%71.6%100.0%72.5%100.0%84.7%100.0%
Trades / Year0.00.00.20.00.40.00.50.0

Cumulative Growth Performance

Loading Chart...
Hydrating Performance Trajectory... Loading historical performance data
Figure 1: Cumulative Trajectory Analysis. Logarithmic growth comparison of SHY under the Moving Average (50/200) strategy (Investing) versus Buy & Hold. The strategy produced a 2.1% CAGR with a -2.2% Max Drawdown across 10 trade signals (compared to Buy & Hold's 1.9% CAGR and -5.7% Max Drawdown).

Return Distribution Analysis

Histogram of monthly return distribution for SHY under Moving Average (50/200) strategy in Investing context, illustrating downside risk mitigation and return skewness.
Figure 2: Monthly Return Distribution Profile. Monthly return distribution for SHY under Moving Average (50/200) (Investing). Visualizes return frequency, volatility clustering, and tail-risk truncation relative to standard buy-and-hold returns.
Loading...
Loading Top Diversifiers for SHY...

Top 5 non-correlated asset sleeves evaluated on 1Y daily percentage returns (Pearson r). Compare them side-by-side in Compare Studio to analyze portfolio diversification.

Diversifier Asset Category 1Y Correlation (r) Action
Loading top diversifier assets...

Trade History

This log shows every signal-driven transition. Completed trades reflect standard market cycles. An Open or Mark-to-Market exit denotes an active position (either in the primary asset or a cash/yield sleeve) valued at the current price for reporting purposes. Interest entries record yield accrued from cash or cash alternatives (like BIL) during out-of-market defensive periods.

Entry DateExit DateTypeAllocationEntry PriceExit PriceNet Return %Exit Reason
🔒 Active Positions & Recent Execution Signals Hidden
Trading on delayed data carries high execution risk. Current allocations, pending next-day rebalances, and active execution signals (last 60 days) require a Premium subscription.
Subscribe to Unlock
2021-09-27 2023-02-13 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.03 2.62% Interest Income
2021-09-23 2021-09-27 Completed 100% $74.53 $74.49 -0.11% Signal
2021-07-01 2021-09-23 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.01% Interest Income
2021-05-28 2021-07-01 Completed 100% $74.64 $74.50 -0.23% Signal
2021-04-19 2021-05-28 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.00% Interest Income
2018-07-25 2021-04-19 Completed 100% $69.03 $74.56 7.95% Signal
2017-12-14 2018-07-25 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.01 1.04% Interest Income
2017-05-12 2017-12-14 Completed 100% $69.08 $69.09 -0.05% Signal
2016-12-12 2017-05-12 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.27% Interest Income
2016-02-09 2016-12-12 Completed 100% $68.92 $68.82 -0.19% Signal
2015-12-30 2016-02-09 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.03% Interest Income
2013-11-07 2015-12-30 Completed 100% $67.78 $68.30 0.71% Signal
2013-10-16 2013-11-07 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.00% Interest Income
2013-10-04 2013-10-16 Completed 100% $67.69 $67.66 -0.10% Signal
2013-07-30 2013-10-04 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.01% Interest Income
2011-04-27 2013-07-30 Completed 100% $66.61 $67.61 1.45% Signal
2011-04-04 2011-04-27 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.00% Interest Income
2005-05-19 2011-04-04 Completed 100% $53.86 $66.42 23.27% Signal
2005-03-31 2005-05-19 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.39% Interest Income
2004-08-19 2005-03-31 Completed 100% $53.57 $53.41 -0.35% Signal
2004-07-22 2004-08-19 Interest (CASH) 100% $1.00 $1.00 0.11% Interest Income

Next Steps: Portfolio Integration & Comparative Analysis

Single-ticker trend following is designed to truncate tail risk inside a broader portfolio. View where SHY ranks across 40+ tracked assets, evaluate correlation against non-correlated diversifiers, or model it inside a custom all-weather asset mix.

📊 View Full 40-Asset Backtest Matrix → 🛠️ Build Custom Portfolio with SHY → ⚖️ Compare SHY vs Non-Correlated Assets →