At a glance
IMTB charges 0.06% a year, below the 0.07% average of the 7 funds most like it (the 5th cheapest of 8). It has $274.7M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 4.65% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, monthly. Over the past year it returned −1.2% with distributions reinvested, 6th of those 8 funds; over three years it returned +6.2% a year. At its worst it fell 6.2% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 15.1% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 2 months and 35 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 9.7% of the fund, out of 3,460 in all.
The short version
iShares Core 5-10 Year USD Bond ETF (IMTB) is a BlackRock index fund that tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Universal 5-10 Year Index. That index holds Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, and both investment-grade and high yield bonds that mature in five to ten years. It pays income monthly and may suit investors who want one broad bond fund in this maturity range. Its 0.06% fee is twice that of AGG or BND, and it is much smaller.
Price history
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IMTB -1.2% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMTB official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +8.71% | — | +0.23% | — | +1.93% |
| Bloomberg US Universal Index index, same period | — | +7.58% | — | +0.06% | — | +2.01% |
| IMTB price data to Oct 27, 2026 | -1.4% | -1.2% | +6.2% | +0.2% | — | +1.7% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, IMTB returned -1.2%, 6th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +0.2%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 6.2% and regained its old high 2.1 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-12.8%); its best was 2025 (+8.8%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 18.2% (Dec 31, 2020 to Oct 20, 2022), recovered by Sep 8, 2025.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | -1.4% | — |
| 2025 | +8.8% | +8.71% |
| 2024 | +1.9% | +1.95% |
| 2023 | +6.1% | +6.16% |
| 2022 | -12.8% | -12.87% |
| 2021 | -1.4% | -1.34% |
| 2020 | +6.3% | +6.37% |
| 2019 | +8.6% | +8.82% |
| 2018 | -0.4% | +0.07% |
| 2017 | +4.9% | +3.89% |
| 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 | Lost 2.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 6.2%, back to its old high 2.1 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 14.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 15.1%, back to its old high 34.5 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $1.4800 | |
| 2025 | $1.9300 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $1.8800 | +3.9% |
| 2023 | $1.8100 | +47.2% |
| 2022 | $1.2300 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | $1.2500 | -9.4% |
| 2020 | $1.3800 | -6.1% |
| 2019 | $1.4700 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | $1.4800 | +8.0% |
| 2017 | $1.3700 |
What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 3,460 securities; the ten largest made up 9.67% of assets, and 10.7% sat in cash and money-market holdings.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 1.18% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 1.14% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 1.10% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 1.01% | |
| UMBS, TBA Mortgage-backed securities | 0.92% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.92% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.89% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.85% | |
| Fannie Mae Mortgage-backed securities | 0.84% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.84% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.83% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.81% | |
| Fannie Mae Mortgage-backed securities | 0.81% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.81% | |
| United States Treasury Bonds and notes | 0.81% |
By country
United States 88.97%Canada 1.08%XX 0.82%United Kingdom 0.69%Cayman Islands 0.62%By issuer
US government-sponsored enterprises 35.01%Companies 24.13%US Treasury 21.74%US government agencies 12.1%Foreign governments 4.29%The bonds mature in 16.6 years on average (weighted by size), with an average coupon of 4.23%.
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 $0.00 (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.23%, -1.29%, +0.39%.
How it works
IMTB is an index fund from BlackRock's iShares line. It aims to match the Bloomberg U.S. Universal 5-10 Year Index before fees. This index is a subset of the wider Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. It holds taxable US dollar bonds with remaining effective maturities of five to ten years. Effective maturity is the expected time until investors are repaid, allowing for early payoffs. The bonds include Treasuries, government-related debt, investment-grade and high yield (lower-rated) corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities and emerging market bonds. Municipal bonds and inflation-linked bonds are excluded. As of February 28, 2026, the index had 6,003 issues.
Bloomberg sets the index rules and weights. The fund does not buy every bond. Instead it uses representative sampling: it owns a smaller set of bonds that matches the index on traits such as duration (how much prices move when rates change), credit quality and yield. It had 3,460 holdings as of August 31, 2026. At least 80% of its assets must be in index bonds or to-be-announced (TBA) trades. TBAs are contracts for mortgage pools that are delivered later.
The index includes 20- and 30-year mortgages because early repayments have historically made them behave like 5-10 year bonds. That helps explain why the fund's average stated maturity was 16.6 years. Portfolio turnover was 265%, so the fund trades heavily, and trading costs add up.
What it really costs
- IMTB charges 0.06% a year, versus an average of 0.07% for the similar funds below (5th of 8, cheapest first).
- The fee includes a 0.01% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $6 in the first year and $85 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMTB | $6 | $19 | $34 | $85 |
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 Treasury, mortgage and corporate bonds in one low-cost fund, so it could serve as a portfolio's main bond holding.
IMTB could form the bond part of a portfolio and balance out stocks. Its record shows the limits of that cushion. In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 6.2% between March 5 and March 19, 2020, then recovered by May 21, 2020. Rising rates hit harder. The fund lost 12.87% in 2022, its worst calendar year. Its deepest drop, 18.2% from December 31, 2020 to October 20, 2022, took about 35 months to recover, until September 8, 2025. The fund launched in 2016, so it has no 2008 record. Anyone who sold shares for spending money during 2022 would have sold at a loss. The trailing yield was 4.65% as of October 27, 2026, paid monthly. The SEC's standard example puts costs on $10,000 at $6 for one year and $85 over ten years. 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
- Investors wanting one fund that holds Treasuries, mortgage bonds and corporate bonds maturing in five to ten years, with 3,460 holdings as of August 31, 2026.
- Retirees who value monthly income; the trailing yield was 4.65% as of October 27, 2026.
- Those comparing results: its 6.2% annualized three-year return ranked first of eight similar funds as of October 27, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: AGG and BND charge 0.03% a year, half of IMTB's 0.06%.
- Investors who prefer very large funds: IMTB had $274.7 million in net assets, while AGG had $138.3 billion, as of August 31, 2026.
- Anyone who needs bond money to hold steady when rates rise; it fell 18.2% from 2020 to 2022 and took about 35 months to recover.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMTB this fund | 16.6 yrs | 0.06% | $274.7M | -1.2% | +6.2% |
| AGG iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | 12.4 yrs | 0.03% | $138.32B | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| BND Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | 11.7 yrs | 0.03% | $397.11B | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| BIV Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF | 7.5 yrs | 0.03% | $52.45B | -0.7% | +5.1% |
| BNDX Vanguard Total International Bond ETF | 8.7 yrs | 0.07% | $122.53B | -0.6% | +4.1% |
| IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 8.4 yrs | 0.15% | $41.82B | -1.7% | +4.0% |
| BSV Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF | 2.9 yrs | 0.03% | $69.75B | +1.7% | +4.5% |
| TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 26 yrs | 0.15% | $47.05B | -5.3% | +2.1% |
Questions investors ask
Does IMTB pay monthly dividends?
Yes. IMTB pays income monthly. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid $1.96 per share, a trailing yield of 4.65%. The payout comes from interest on the fund's bonds, so it moves up and down. The prospectus warns that income can fall when interest rates drop, because maturing, called or prepaid bonds may be replaced with lower-yielding ones.
What's the difference between IMTB and AGG?
Both are iShares bond index funds. AGG is cheaper and far larger. AGG charges 0.03% a year against IMTB's 0.06%, and it had $138.3 billion in net assets against IMTB's $274.7 million as of August 31, 2026. IMTB's index targets bonds maturing in five to ten years and also allows high yield and emerging market bonds. IMTB's annualized three-year return was 6.2% as of October 27, 2026. AGG's was 5.4% as of October 30, 2026.
Does IMTB hold junk bonds?
It can. Its index includes both investment-grade and high yield (sometimes called junk) corporate bonds. High yield bonds pay more interest because their issuers are more likely to miss payments. Most of the fund is in government-backed debt, though. As of August 31, 2026, government-sponsored enterprises made up 35.01% of the fund, the US Treasury 21.74% and US government agencies 12.1%. All corporate bonds together, of every credit rating, made up 24.13%.
Why did IMTB lose money in 2022?
Interest rates rose sharply in 2022, and bond prices fall when rates rise. Existing bonds with lower rates lose value next to new bonds that pay more. IMTB returned -12.87% in 2022, its worst calendar year. Its decline from December 31, 2020 to October 20, 2022 reached 18.2%. It didn't recover that loss until September 8, 2025, about 35 months later.
What is IMTB's expense ratio?
IMTB's expense ratio is 0.06% a year, according to the prospectus filed June 18, 2026. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 invested with a 5% annual return would cost about $6 in fees after one year, $34 after five years and $85 after ten. Among similar funds, AGG, BND and BIV charge 0.03%, while IEF and TLT charge 0.15%.