At a glance
EUSB charges 0.12% a year, below the 0.18% average of the 7 funds most like it (the 5th cheapest of 8). It has $710.3M in assets, the 6th largest of that group; it paid 4.08% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, monthly. Over the past year it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, 7th of those 8 funds; over three years it returned +5.4% a year. At its worst it fell 14.3% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 35 months after the low. Its ten largest positions make up 4.3% of the fund, out of 4,349 in all.
The short version
iShares ESG Advanced Total USD Bond Market ETF (EUSB) is a BlackRock index fund. It holds a broad mix of US dollar bonds, from Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities to corporate debt. It screens out fossil fuel companies, issuers with weak ESG (environmental, social and governance) ratings and many controversial industries. Its 0.12% expense ratio is double the 0.06% charged by iShares' unscreened sibling, IUSB, so holders pay extra for the screens.
Price history
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EUSB -1.0% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUSB official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +7.28% | — | -0.09% | — | +0.24% |
| Bloomberg US Universal Index index, same period | — | +7.58% | — | +0.06% | — | +0.49% |
| EUSB price data to Oct 27, 2026 | -1.0% | -1.0% | +5.4% | 0.0% | — | +0.1% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, EUSB returned -1.0%, 7th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was 0.0%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-12.8%); its best was 2025 (+7.4%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 17.5% (Aug 3, 2021 to Oct 20, 2022), recovered by Nov 26, 2025.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | -1.0% | — |
| 2025 | +7.4% | +7.28% |
| 2024 | +1.9% | +1.94% |
| 2023 | +5.8% | +5.86% |
| 2022 | -12.8% | -12.71% |
| 2021 | — | -1.49% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 14.1% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 14.3%, back to its old high 34.8 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $1.3000 | |
| 2025 | $1.6800 | +7.0% |
| 2024 | $1.5700 | +17.2% |
| 2023 | $1.3400 | +44.1% |
| 2022 | $0.9300 |
What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 4,349 securities; the ten largest made up 4.25% of assets, and 4.27% sat in cash and money-market holdings.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.58% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.47% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.45% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.41% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.39% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.39% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.39% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.39% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.39% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.38% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.38% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.37% | |
| Government National Mortgage Association Mortgage-backed securities | 0.37% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.37% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.36% |
By country
United States 84.9%XX 1.86%Canada 1.8%Japan 1.37%Cayman Islands 0.62%By issuer
US Treasury 39.46%Companies 29.65%US government-sponsored enterprises 15.8%Foreign governments 6.26%US government agencies 4.84%The bonds mature in 11.4 years on average (weighted by size), with an average coupon of 3.91%.
Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Aug 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors added a net $17.3M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.23%, -1.21%, +0.39%.
How it works
EUSB tracks the Bloomberg MSCI US Universal Choice ESG Screened Index. Bloomberg starts with the Bloomberg US Universal Index. That index covers taxable US dollar bonds with at least one year to maturity: Treasurys, government-related debt, investment-grade and high-yield (lower-rated) corporate bonds, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and dollar bonds from emerging markets. It then drops issuers that get poor ESG ratings from MSCI. It also removes the entire Bloomberg energy sector and any company tied to coal, oil or gas. Other exclusions include tobacco, alcohol, gambling, weapons, nuclear power, private prisons, predatory lending and companies in very serious controversies.
The index weights bonds by modified market value, so issuers with more debt outstanding carry more weight. It is updated on the last business day of each month. As of February 28, 2026, it held 10,338 issues, mostly agency mortgage-backed securities and Treasurys. The fund uses representative sampling. That means it holds a subset of bonds chosen to match the index's duration (sensitivity to interest rates), credit quality and yield. It held 4,349 holdings as of August 31, 2026, and must keep at least 80% of assets in index bonds or close equivalents.
The fund does not try to beat the index or move to cash when markets fall. Turnover was 87%, which is high, as bonds mature and the index changes each month.
What it really costs
- EUSB charges 0.12% a year, versus an average of 0.18% for the similar funds below (5th of 8, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $12 in the first year and $154 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUSB | $12 | $39 | $68 | $154 |
Structure and tax notes
- Bond prices move opposite to interest rates; the longer the maturities it holds, the more its price reacts to rate changes.
In a retirement portfolio
It spreads money across thousands of mostly government and investment-grade US dollar bonds, so it can serve as a portfolio's main bond position for investors who want ESG screens.
EUSB's broad, mostly high-quality bond mix can steady a stock-heavy portfolio, but it can still lose money. It launched in June 2020, so it has no record from 2008, and its price history starts in February 2021, after the COVID crash. In the 2022 bear market it fell 14.3% and took almost 35 months to recover. Its deepest drop, 17.5% from August 2021 to October 2022, was not fully won back until November 2025. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -12.71%. Anyone who sold shares for spending money in late 2022 locked in those losses.
The trailing 12-month yield was 4.08% as of October 27, 2026, paid monthly. The 0.12% expense ratio comes to $154 over 10 years on $10,000 in the SEC's standard example. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Bond investors who want to avoid fossil fuel companies, weapons makers, tobacco and similar industries but still own a broad US dollar bond mix.
- People looking for monthly income; the trailing yield was 4.08% as of October 27, 2026.
- Those wanting wide diversification: 4,349 holdings, with the top 10 making up only 4.25% of assets as of August 31, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: BND and AGG charge 0.03% and IUSB 0.06%, compared with EUSB's 0.12%.
- Anyone needing short-term stability; EUSB fell 17.5% from August 2021 to October 2022 and took about 37 months to recover.
- Investors who don't want ESG screens limiting their choices, since the prospectus warns the fund may lag funds that skip ESG criteria.
Close alternatives
Matched by bond funds with the closest average maturity and issuer mix (N-PORT).
| Fund | Avg. maturity | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUSB this fund | 11.4 yrs | 0.12% | $710.3M | -1.0% | +5.4% |
| IUSB iShares Core Total USD Bond Market ETF | 11.8 yrs | 0.06% | $43.00B | -0.3% | +5.1% |
| BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | 11.7 yrs | 0.03% | $397.11B | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | 12.4 yrs | 0.03% | $138.32B | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| FBND Fidelity Total Bond ETF | 14.4 yrs | 0.36% | $28.16B | -0.2% | +5.4% |
| STOT SPDR DoubleLine Short Duration Total Return… | 13.2 yrs | 0.45% | $473.3M | +2.1% | +4.8% |
| BIV Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF | 7.5 yrs | 0.03% | $52.45B | -0.7% | +5.1% |
| TOTR T. Rowe Price Total Return ETF | 16.1 yrs | 0.32% | $572.6M | -1.2% | +5.6% |
Questions investors ask
Is EUSB good for retirement?
It may suit retirees who want a broad core bond fund with ESG screens, but it carries interest rate risk. It held mostly Treasurys, government-backed mortgage bonds and investment-grade corporate debt as of August 31, 2026. Even so, it lost 12.71% in 2022 and needed about 37 months to recover from its deepest drop. It pays monthly and charges 0.12% a year. It is worth comparing with cheaper unscreened funds such as IUSB, BND and AGG.
Does EUSB pay monthly dividends?
Yes. EUSB pays distributions monthly. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid $1.72 per share, a trailing yield of 4.08%. The income comes from interest on the fund's bonds, which had an average coupon of 3.91% as of August 31, 2026. The prospectus warns that income can fall when interest rates drop, because maturing or called bonds get replaced with lower-yielding ones.
What's the difference between EUSB and IUSB?
The main difference is EUSB's ESG screens. Both are iShares broad US dollar bond funds and are 94% similar by maturity and issuer mix. IUSB has no ESG screens and charges 0.06% a year, half of EUSB's 0.12%. IUSB is also much larger, with about $43 billion in net assets as of July 31, 2026, compared with about $710 million for EUSB as of August 31, 2026. Over three years, IUSB returned 5.8% a year as of October 30, 2026, and EUSB returned 5.4% a year as of October 27, 2026.
What does EUSB exclude?
EUSB drops bond issuers with poor ESG ratings from MSCI, every company in the Bloomberg energy sector and any company tied to coal, oil or gas. It also screens out adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, genetic engineering, controversial, nuclear and conventional weapons, civilian firearms, palm oil, private prisons, predatory lending and nuclear power. Some screens apply above revenue limits and others ban entire categories. Companies in very serious business controversies are removed too.
How much did EUSB lose in 2022?
EUSB lost 12.71% in calendar 2022, according to its prospectus, as rising interest rates pushed bond prices down. Its worst quarter was the first quarter of 2022, at -5.87%. From its August 2021 peak to its October 2022 low, it fell 17.5% and didn't fully recover until November 2025. Its average maturity of 11.4 years as of August 31, 2026, means its price still reacts noticeably when rates change.