iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
IEF BondUpdated: Jul 4, 2026, 21:17 UTC
Key Metrics
About This ETF
The iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) is a Bond ETF with an expense ratio (TER) of 0.15% and $48.3B in assets under management. The ETF currently yields 3.87% in dividends. Year-to-date, IEF has returned -0.45%.
The underlying index measures the performance of public obligations of the U.S. Treasury that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to seven years and less than ten years. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index, and the fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities that the advisor believes will help the fund track the underlying index.
FAQ — IEF
What is the TER of IEF (iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF)?
IEF has a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.15 % per year. That sits above the bond category median (0.15 % across 8 peer ETFs). The TER is deducted directly from the fund and lowers your effective return.
What return has IEF delivered?
Performance for IEF: YTD: -0.45 % · 3-year p.a.: +3.03 % · 5-year p.a.: -1.23 %. Over 5 years, IEF underperforms the bond category median of +0.21 % by -1.44 pp. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.
Does IEF pay dividends?
IEF has a current dividend yield of 3.87 %. Distributing ETFs pay this out in cash; accumulating versions reinvest it inside the fund. Check the share class on your broker before buying.
Where can I buy or set up a savings plan for IEF?
IEF is available at most major brokers. For a free monthly savings plan from €1, look at Trade Republic, Scalable Capital or Flatex. The broker comparison on this site shows fees, free-savings-plan ETFs and execution exchanges side by side.
What is the iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF?
The iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) holds U.S. government bonds with a remaining maturity between seven and ten years. It targets the intermediate part of the Treasury yield curve – long enough to capture meaningful yield, yet short enough to avoid the sharp price swings of very long maturities. With an expense ratio of 0.15 % and roughly $48.5 billion in assets, it is one of the largest building blocks for managing duration and interest-rate exposure within a fixed-income portfolio.
Performance and its drivers
For bonds, what matters is the interplay between ongoing income and interest-rate sensitivity rather than pure price gains. IEF carries a distribution yield of 3.85 %, funded by the coupons on its U.S. Treasuries. Price moves, by contrast, follow duration: when market rates rise, the price falls; when they ease, it rises.
The three-year return of 2.69 % and the five-year return of −1.06 % reflect the rate-hiking cycle and the higher-for-longer phase that pressured intermediate maturities. Year to date IEF stands at −0.34 %. The 52-week range of $92.95 to $98.05 illustrates the moderate volatility typical of this maturity bucket.
Risk profile
The dominant risk is interest-rate risk: with its intermediate duration, IEF responds clearly to rate moves – rising yields push the price down, falling yields lift it. Credit risk, by contrast, is minimal, since these are obligations of the U.S. government carrying the highest credit standing.
For euro-area investors, currency risk is added on top: IEF is denominated in U.S. dollars. A weaker dollar against the euro can fully erode the bond return, while a stronger dollar works the other way. There is also inflation risk, which lowers real returns, and a modest reinvestment risk as bonds mature.
Who is it suitable for?
IEF suits investors who want to add a stabilizing fixed-income building block with sovereign-level credit quality to their portfolio. It works as a diversifier against equities, as a parking spot with ongoing income, and as a tool for deliberately managing duration in the intermediate maturity range. The investment horizon should be medium-term so that rate swings can be smoothed out.
It is less suitable for investors seeking short-term capital preservation with no price risk – money-market or short-duration funds fit that need better. Those chasing pure growth and high returns will not find the right profile here either. Euro investors should knowingly accept the open dollar exposure.
How it compares to other bond ETFs
IEF focuses narrowly on U.S. Treasuries maturing in seven to ten years. Broader alternatives include the iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) and the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND), which combine government bonds with corporate and mortgage-backed debt across the full maturity spectrum – more diversification, but slightly higher credit risk.
- Shorter duration and lower rate sensitivity come from short-term Treasury funds.
- Longer maturities with stronger rate leverage are covered by long-term Treasury funds.
- For euro investors, the Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) reduces dollar risk through currency hedging.
Where can I buy IEF?
Compare the best brokers for ETF savings plans — low fees, trusted providers, fully regulated.