- ISIN
- US02630W1036
- CUSIP
- 02630W103
- Issuer
- American Funds
- Inception Date
- Aug 6, 2009
- Category
- Municipal Bonds
- Min. Investment
- $250
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
Share Price Chart
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Performance
ASTEX Performance Chart
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund (ASTEX) is up 1.0% since the beginning of the year. ASTEX is currently trading at $10 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of ASTEX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,082.
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Returns By Period
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund (ASTEX) has returned 1.00% so far this year and 3.71% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, ASTEX has returned 1.57% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund
- 1D
- 0.00%
- 1M
- 0.62%
- YTD
- 1.00%
- 6M
- 1.28%
- 1Y
- 3.71%
- 3Y*
- 3.79%
- 5Y*
- 1.58%
- 10Y*
- 1.57%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
ASTEX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Aug 10, 2009, ASTEX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.13%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 44.5 years.
Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +2.5%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -1.4%. The longest winning streak lasted 11 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, ASTEX closed higher 18% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 25, 2020 with a return of +1.4%, while the worst single day was Mar 20, 2020 at -1.1%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.71% | 0.60% | -0.96% | 0.42% | 0.13% | 0.10% | 1.00% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.85% | 0.86% | -0.04% | 0.05% | 0.54% | 0.73% | 0.53% | 0.53% | 0.53% | 0.13% | 0.12% | 0.38% | 5.34% |
| 2024 | -0.01% | 0.09% | 0.00% | -0.40% | 0.12% | 0.83% | 0.83% | 0.82% | 0.62% | -0.58% | 0.82% | -0.68% | 2.46% |
| 2023 | 1.27% | -1.36% | 1.29% | -0.40% | -0.64% | 0.38% | 0.27% | -0.21% | -1.03% | -0.21% | 2.47% | 1.12% | 2.91% |
| 2022 | -1.23% | -0.26% | -1.35% | -0.96% | 0.69% | -0.30% | 0.81% | -0.99% | -1.42% | 0.03% | 1.57% | 0.16% | -3.25% |
| 2021 | 0.25% | -0.44% | 0.04% | 0.24% | -0.05% | 0.04% | 0.14% | -0.07% | -0.25% | -0.16% | 0.03% | -0.06% | -0.29% |
Benchmark Metrics
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund has an annualized alpha of 1.45%, beta of 0.00, and R2 of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since August 10, 2009.
- This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (5.42%) than losses (1.90%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- Beta of 0.00 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.00 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
- R2 of 0.00 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 1.45%
- Beta
- 0.00
- R²
- 0.00
- Upside Capture
- 5.42%
- Downside Capture
- 1.90%
Expense Ratio
ASTEX has an expense ratio of 0.53%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
ASTEX ranks 78 for risk / return — better than 78% of mutual funds on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund (ASTEX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| ASTEX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.62 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.98 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.86 | 1.37 | +0.49 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.92 | 2.78 | +0.13 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 9.38 | 12.44 | -3.06 |
Dividends
Dividend History
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund provided a 2.74% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.28 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.28 | $0.37 | $0.25 | $0.17 | $0.08 | $0.07 | $0.14 | $0.16 | $0.14 | $0.13 | $0.10 | $0.11 |
Dividend yield | 2.74% | 3.66% | 2.53% | 1.73% | 0.78% | 0.68% | 1.31% | 1.62% | 1.44% | 1.32% | 0.97% | 1.03% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.11 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.04 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.04 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.03 | $0.37 |
| 2024 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.04 | $0.00 | $0.25 |
| 2023 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.17 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.01 | $0.00 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.02 | $0.08 |
| 2021 | $0.01 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.01 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.07 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund was 5.73%, occurring on Oct 25, 2022. Recovery took 432 trading sessions.
The current American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund drawdown is 0.31%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bear market2022 | -5.73%Oct 2022 | 1y 8mo | 1y 8mo | 3y 5moFeb 2021 - Jul 2024 |
COVID crash2020 | -4.46%Mar 2020 | 10d | 2mo 3d | 2mo 13dMar 2020 - May 2020 |
2025 selloff2025 | -1.90%Apr 2025 | 2d | 1mo 21d | 1mo 23dApr 2025 - May 2025 |
2016 pullback2016 | -1.70%Dec 2016 | 4mo 2d | 5mo 17d | 9mo 19dAug 2016 - May 2017 |
2013 pullback2013 | -1.35%Jun 2013 | 1mo 20d | 6mo 26d | 8mo 16dMay 2013 - Jan 2014 |
Drawdown Indicators
| ASTEX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -5.73% | -56.78% | +51.05% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.28% | -9.10% | +7.82% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -1.90% | -18.90% | +17.00% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -5.62% | -25.43% | +19.81% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -5.73% | -33.92% | +28.19% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.31% | -1.80% | +1.49% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.70% | -10.71% | +10.01% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.40% | 2.03% | -1.63% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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