Treasury Bond ETF

The safest bonds are those issued by the US government, but the drawback is much lower yields.   The following US Treasury Bond Fund ETFs provide investors with an easy way to provide some safety within their portfolios.  The ETFs below vary in maturity and yield while some offer inflation protection (TIPS), inverse (or short) exposure as well as leverage.  Only the most liquid Treasury Bond ETFs are listed which means only the iShares offerings are included.  For the inverse and leveraged treasury bond ETF offerings, ProShares & Direxion are the kings.  While other ETF providers such as Vanguard provide treasury bond ETFs, they are too illiquid to consider at this time.  Note: yields are as of June 2010.

iShares Lehman Short Treasury Bond ETF (SHV) .20%
iShares Lehman 1-3YR Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) 1.35%
iShares Lehman 3-7YR Treasury Bond ETF (IEI) 2.3%%
iShares Lehman 7-10YR Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) 3.2%
iShares Lehman 20+YR Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) 3.8%
iShares Lehman Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) 3.7%

Inflation Protected
iShares Lehman TIPS Bond ETF (TIP)

Inverse Treasury Bond ETFs: these ETF’s allow you to short US Treasuries without actually having to borrow shares from your broker.

ProShares Short 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TBF)
ProShares UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (PST) (leveraged 2x)
ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TBT) (leveraged 2x)
Direxion Daily 30-Year Treasury Bond Bear 3x ETF (TMV) (leveraged 3x)

Leveraged Treasury Bond ETFs

Short

ProShares UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (PST) (leveraged 2x)
ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TBT) (leveraged 2x)
Direxion Daily 30-Year Treasury Bond Bear 3x ETF (TMV) (leveraged 3x)

Long

ProShares UltraLong 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (UBT) (leveraged 2x)
Direxion Daily 30-Year Treasury Bond Bull 3x ETF (TMF) (leveraged 3x)

Good Treasury Bond ETF Resources For Further Research:

Guide To US Government Bond ETFs
A Review Of The Top Treasury Bond ETFs