Global X Short-Term Treasury Ladder ETF

Global X Short-Term Treasury Ladder ETF (SLDR) is an index fund that tracks the FTSE US Treasury 1-3 Years Laddered Bond Index. It splits its money equally between US Treasury notes that mature in 1 to 2 years and notes that mature in 2 to 3 years, and it rolls that ladder forward every February. The main drawback is cost. Its 0.12% expense ratio is four times the 0.03% charged by Schwab's SCHO and Vanguard's VGSH.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, SLDR returned +1.9%, 7th of 8 among similar funds.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+4.7%); its best was 2025 (+4.7%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 0.9% (Feb 27, 2026 to Mar 26, 2026), recovered by Jun 26, 2026.

As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 87 securities; the ten largest made up 27.58% of assets.

The bonds mature in 1.5 years on average (weighted by size), with an average coupon of 3.38%.

• Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $1.5M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.26%, +0.20%, +0.07%.

SLDR is an index fund run by Global X Management Company LLC. Before fees, it aims to match the FTSE US Treasury 1-3 Years Laddered Bond Index, which is built by FTSE Russell. A bond "ladder" spreads money across bonds that mature at staggered dates, called "rungs." This index has two rungs of equal size. One holds Treasuries maturing 1 to 2 years after the annual rebalance. The other holds Treasuries maturing 2 to 3 years after it. Within each rung, bonds are weighted by their market value. A bond must have at least $5 billion available to the public, meaning not held by the Federal Reserve. T-bills, floating-rate notes, inflation-linked bonds and zero-coupon strips are excluded.

The ladder rolls forward on the last business day of each February. The fund sells the shorter-rung bonds that leave the index. The 2-to-3-year rung then becomes the 1-to-2-year rung, and the sale proceeds buy new 2-to-3-year notes. Each month the index may add newly issued notes and reweight bonds within each rung, but no bond changes rungs. Because bonds are sold before they mature, the fund has no end date when holders get their money back at face value.

The fund uses "representative sampling," which means it holds a sample that closely resembles the index instead of every bond in it. As of August 31, 2026, it held 87 positions, with an average of 1.5 years to maturity and an average coupon of 3.38%. It used no derivatives.

• SLDR charges 0.12% a year, versus an average of 0.06% for the similar funds below (7th 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).

It holds almost entirely short-term US Treasury notes, and its price has barely moved over its short history.

SLDR could add a low-volatility layer of US government bonds to a portfolio. The fund launched on September 10, 2024, so it did not exist during the 2008, 2020 or 2022 sell-offs. In its only full calendar year, 2025, it returned 4.67%. Its deepest drop was 0.9%, from February 27 to March 26, 2026. It recovered in about three months, by June 26, 2026. For someone who may need to sell shares in a bad year, that record is reassuring but short. Short maturities reduce, but don't remove, the price damage when interest rates rise. The trailing 12-month yield was 3.74% as of October 27, 2026, and the fund pays monthly. That income would fall if rates fall. The fund costs 0.12% a year, or $12 in the SEC's standard $10,000 example, compared with a 0.06% average for similar funds. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by bond funds with the closest average maturity and issuer mix (N-PORT).