iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond Index ETF (XSH)
Important Information
WOWA.ca is an independent information website. We are not affiliated with iShares or iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond Index ETF. This page is for general information only and is not investment advice, an offer or a solicitation. Past returns don’t guarantee future results.
- Investment focus:Short-term corporate bonds issued in Canadian dollars
- Category:Canadian corporate bonds
- Management style:Index (passive)
- Managed by:iShares
- Market data as of:October 30, 2026
With C$3.17 billion in assets, XSH is the 13th largest of the 42 bond ETFs WOWA tracks. Its management expense ratio (MER) is 0.10%, and over the past 12 months it paid out 4.00% of its unit price in distributions.
Jump to section: Overview • Index • Performance • Distributions • Risks • Fit • Ranking • Compare
AUM
C$3.17B
as of Oct 30, 2026
MER
0.10%
annual cost
Trailing yield
4.00%
past 12 months
5-year return
3.10%
annualized
About XSH
iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond Index ETF (XSH) is a bond ETF from iShares, launched on September 13, 2011. It tracks a FTSE index of short-term, investment-grade corporate bonds issued in Canadian dollars, including maple bonds sold here by foreign issuers.
What XSH tracks
| Fund detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Index | FTSE Canada Universe + Maple Short Term Corporate Bond Index |
| Rebalancing | Daily, following the index |
This FTSE index holds company bonds in Canadian dollars that come due in one to five years. They pay a fixed rate and are rated BBB or better. “Maple” in the name means it also takes bonds that foreign companies issue here in Canadian dollars. So foreign borrowers sit next to Canadian banks, pipelines and utilities, with no currency risk.
XSH fund facts
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Fund detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Fund basics | |
| Ticker | XSH |
| Provider | iShares |
| Inception date | September 13, 2011 |
| Legal structure | Mutual fund trust |
| Management style | Index (passive) |
| Portfolio | |
| Bond market | Canada |
| Bond sector | Corporate |
| Maturity segment | Short |
| Credit mandate | Investment grade |
| Currency treatment | Canadian-dollar bonds |
| Number of holdings | 656 (as of September 10, 2026) |
| Costs and distributions | |
| Management fee | 0.09% |
| MER | 0.10% |
| Distribution frequency | Monthly |
| Trailing distribution yield | 4.00% |
| Risk rating (issuer) | Low |
| Size and trading | |
| Assets under management | C$3.17 billion (as of October 30, 2026) |
| Average daily volume | 94,111 units a day (listing exchange) |
XSH performance
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Period | XSH | Canadian corporate median |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 1.54% | 0.76% |
| 3 years, annualized | 5.86% | 6.36% |
| 5 years, annualized | 3.10% | 2.36% |
| 10 years, annualized | 2.87% | 2.68% |
Total returns with distributions reinvested, in CAD, as of October 30, 2026. Category median: the middle value among the funds in the Canadian corporate group with a return for that period (8 funds for one year, 7 for three and five years, 5 for ten years). N/A: no complete return record for the period. Past performance does not predict future results.
$10,000 invested in XSH ten years ago would be worth about $13,300 as of October 30, 2026, with distributions reinvested and before taxes and trading costs.
Risk and return measures
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Measure | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatility | 2.39% | 2.93% | 3.65% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.03 | -0.01 | 0.25 |
Volatility shows how much monthly returns have swung, as a yearly percentage. The Sharpe ratio compares the return above 3-month Government of Canada T-bills with that volatility. Higher means more return for each unit of risk, and below 0 means the fund earned less than T-bills.
XSH distributions
XSH pays distributions monthly. Over the 12 months to October 30, 2026, it paid 4.00% of its unit price, its trailing distribution yield. Amounts can change from one payment to the next.
What XSH’s 2025 distributions were made of
| Component | Share of total |
|---|---|
| Total distribution per unit | $0.732 |
| Interest and other income | 95.60% |
| Return of capital | 4.40% |
- Interest and other income is taxed like employment income in a non-registered account.
- Return of capital is not taxed when you receive it, but it lowers your adjusted cost base, which raises the capital gain when you sell.
Inside a TFSA or RRSP, the type of income does not change your tax. Our guide to registered and non-registered accounts explains the trade-offs.
2025 tax-year breakdown reported for the fund. Shares of the total distribution per unit.
Risks to know
iShares rates XSH’s risk as low on the standard Canadian fund scale, which runs from low to high. The rating reflects how much the fund’s returns have varied, not the chance that a borrower defaults.
Short maturities limit rate risk, but the fund holds only corporate debt, so company credit matters. Maple bonds are in Canadian dollars and add no currency risk.
- Credit: It holds investment-grade company debt, which can still lose value if a borrower's outlook weakens or its rating is cut.
Is XSH a good fit?
| Good fit if you | Think twice if you |
|---|---|
| want more income than government bonds usually pay and accept company credit risk. | want the lowest credit risk: government bond funds carry less. |
| may need the money within a few years and want smaller price swings than a broad bond fund. | want to lock in today's yields for many years: short-term bonds reinvest at whatever rates are on offer when they mature. |
| want a low-cost fund: its 0.10% MER is below the Canadian corporate median of 0.17%. | need a set amount back on a set date: a bond ETF has no maturity date, unlike a GIC. |
General pointers based on the fund’s category, structure and costs, not personal advice.
How XSH ranks
By assets
13th
of 42 bond ETFs
By lowest MER
8th (tied)
of 42 bond ETFs
By 5-year return
1st
of 7 Canadian corporate bond ETFs
XSH ranks 13th by assets among the 42 bond ETFs WOWA monitors, 8th (tied) by lowest MER, and 1st of 7 by five-year return in the Canadian corporate group, as of October 30, 2026. See the full list of Canadian bond ETFs.
Compare XSH with similar bond ETFs
XSH is in the Canadian corporate group on our Best Canadian Bond ETFs page. These are the largest other funds in that group.
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Ticker | Exposure and strategy | 5-year return | MER | Trailing yield | AUM (CAD B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XSH | Short-term corporate bonds issued in Canadian dollars | 3.10% | 0.10% | 4.00% | 3.17 |
| ZCS | Short-term Canadian corporate bonds | 3.04% | 0.11% | 4.07% | 5.38 |
| XCB | Canadian investment-grade corporate bonds | 2.24% | 0.17% | 4.27% | 3.88 |
| CACB | Canadian investment-grade corporate bonds · active | 2.23% | 0.38% | 4.93% | 2.53 |
| ZCB | Canadian investment-grade corporate bonds | 2.18% | 0.17% | 4.22% | 2.15 |
See all 8 funds in this group.
Other bond ETFs from iShares
| Fund | Investment focus | AUM | Fund page |
|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF (XBB) | Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds | C$10.94B | Learn more |
| iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF (XSB) | Short-term Canadian investment-grade bonds | C$4.54B | Learn more |
| iShares Core Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF (XCB) | Canadian investment-grade corporate bonds | C$3.88B | Learn more |
| iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (XSTH) | Short-term US inflation-protected Treasury bonds, hedged to CAD | C$2.60B | Learn more |
| iShares Canadian Government Bond Index ETF (XGB) | Canadian federal, provincial and municipal government bonds | C$1.61B |
We cover 1 more bond ETFs from iShares. See them all on our Best Canadian Bond ETFs page.
How to buy XSH
You can buy XSH through any Canadian brokerage account, including a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA, by searching for its ticker. When comparing Canadian trading platforms, look at commissions, account fees and currency-conversion costs.
Before you place the order, check the bid-ask spread and consider a limit order, which caps the price you pay but may not fill. If this is your first account, our brokerage account guide walks you through opening one. Buying inside a TFSA? Our guide to the best TFSA investment options covers the other choices for that account.
If you’re from iShares and would like to add or update information on this page, please contact us.
Returns, volatility, Sharpe ratios, trailing yield and trading volume: WOWA calculations from Yahoo Finance prices adjusted for distributions, as of October 30, 2026. Assets under management: as of October 30, 2026. Fees, risk rating and inception date: iShares fund documents. Distribution breakdown: 2025 tax year. Fund page: iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond Index ETF.
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and is not investment advice. WOWA does not recommend any specific fund. Figures come from issuer and third-party sources, may contain errors and can change after publication, so check the fund’s own documents before you invest.