ETF Evaluator:
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF (GSST)
Follow This ETF
(as of Sep 03)
Best Performing in Ultrashort Bond Over the Last Year
| 6.2% | iShares Interest Rate Hdg L/T Corp BdETF (IGBH) |
| 5.8% | Simplify Treasury Option Income ETF (BUCK) |
| 5.7% | iShares Interest Rate Hedged Corp Bd ETF (LQDH) |
| 5.3% | iShares Interest Rt Hdg U.S. Aggt Bd ETF (AGRH) |
| 5.3% | NEOS Enhanced Inc 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (CSHI) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF Overview
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF (GSST) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Ultrashort Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). Goldman Sachs launched the ETF in 2019.
The investment seeks to provide current income with preservation of capital.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) ("Net Assets") in a broad range of U.S. dollar denominated bonds. It will concentrate its investments in the financial services group of industries. Under normal circumstances, the fund's effective duration is expected to be one year or less.
About Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF (GSST)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.66 years: John Olivo (2025), David Westbrook (2019), Todd Henry (2021) and Tasneem Nalwala (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and FTSE Treasury Bill 3 Mon USD index with a weighting of 100%. Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has 385 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 12.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has 29.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 74.7% (45.7% domestic bond, 29.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has 25.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $5 billion average for the Ultrashort Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
GSST Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Ultrashort Bond category. Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.16%, which is 27% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 127%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 57% for the Ultrashort Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF returned 0.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Ultrashort Bond category had an average return of 0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 4.29%, which is above the 4.07% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 2.2%, 0.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 4.3% over the past year (grade of B), 5.4% over the past three years (grade of B) and 3.9% per year over the past five years (grade of B).
For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Goldman Sachs Ultra Short Bond ETF, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
GSST Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GSST Return (NAV) | 0.3% | 1.0% | 4.3% | 5.4% | 3.9% | na |
| GSST Return (Price) | 0.3% | 1.0% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 3.9% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.020% | -0.010% | -0.061% | -0.028% | -0.006% | na |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 0.3% | 0.9% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 3.0% |
| GSST Grade (NAV) | C | B | B | B | B | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | -0.0% | na |
| GSST Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.7% | 2.0% | 1.6% | na |
GSST Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GSST Return (NAV) | 2.2% | 5.2% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 1.7% | na | na | na | na |
| GSST Return (Price) | 2.2% | 5.2% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1.7% | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.023% | 0.004% | -0.004% | -0.002% | 0.289% | -0.644% | 0.042% | na | na | na | na |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 2.2% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 3.6% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| GSST Grade (NAV) | C | B | B | B | D | C | B | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | -0.3% | -0.1% | 0.2% | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.07 |
| R-Squared: | 72% |
| Standard Deviation: | 0.6% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.04 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Low |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.3% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,588 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,588 Mil |
| Turnover: | 127.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.16% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Westbrook David (2019), Henry Todd (2021), Nalwala Tasneem (2025), Olivo John (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 385 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 12.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 29.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 45.7% |
| Foreign Bond: | 29.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 25.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Goldman Sachs |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-2550 |
| Website: | am.gs.com |
| Inception Date: | April 15, 2019 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.16% (Rating: Low) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.22% |
