American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund (ASTEX) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with ASTEX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to ASTEX
ASTEX charges 0.53% annually. There are 174 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Asset SMASh Series TF Fund | 0.01% | — | Dec 2015 | ASTEX vs LSMSX | |
| Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts | 0.05% | — | May 2007 | ASTEX vs NMTRX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 0.05% | — | Feb 2021 | ASTEX vs FHMIX | |
| Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund | 0.06% | — | Jun 2021 | ASTEX vs FSMUX | |
| Strategic Advisers Tax-Sensitive Short Duration Fu... | 0.07% | — | Dec 2017 | ASTEX vs FGNSX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to ASTEX
ASTEX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 80. There are 43 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 100 | — | Apr 2022 | ASTEX vs DFABX | |
| DFA NY Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Jun 2015 | ASTEX vs DNYMX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Apr 2007 | ASTEX vs DFCMX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 99 | — | Dec 2002 | ASTEX vs ATOIX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Aug 2002 | ASTEX vs DFSMX |
Top Performing ASTEX Alternatives (YTD)
ASTEX is at 0.90% YTD. There are 378 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 10.27%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. | 10.27% | — | Apr 1998 | ASTEX vs NMI | |
| Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income | 8.40% | — | Nov 2002 | ASTEX vs NRK | |
| Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund | 7.07% | — | Mar 1993 | ASTEX vs NPV | |
| AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund | 6.29% | — | Nov 2001 | ASTEX vs AFB | |
| BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund | 5.83% | — | Oct 1992 | ASTEX vs MIY |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to ASTEX
ASTEX has 1.40% 1-year volatility. There are 42 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.56%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 0.56% | — | Apr 2022 | ASTEX vs DFABX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.59% | — | May 2016 | ASTEX vs USMSX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.59% | — | May 2016 | ASTEX vs USMTX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.59% | — | Apr 2007 | ASTEX vs DFCMX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.61% | — | Aug 2002 | ASTEX vs DFSMX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to ASTEX
ASTEX has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.28%. There are 37 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares | 0.00% | — | May 2021 | ASTEX vs BATVX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | -0.10% | — | Apr 2016 | ASTEX vs TFCYX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2002 | ASTEX vs ATOIX | |
| Cavanal Hill Ultra Short Tax-Free Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2017 | ASTEX vs APUSX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | -0.10% | — | Feb 2021 | ASTEX vs FHMIX |
Other Mutual Funds from American Funds
The 10 most viewed American Funds mutual funds shown here include ABALX, AIVSX, RGAGX and span 6 categories.
Often Compared With ASTEX
Investors most often compare ASTEX with AAATX, NYAAX, TEPAX. These 20 comparison targets span 10 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare ASTEX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare ASTEX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair ASTEX with funds that move differently
American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to ASTEX.
Explore ASTEX Diversifiers