ASTEX Alternatives & Similar Mutual Funds

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 172 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
LSMSX	Western Asset SMASh Series TF Fund	0.01%	—	Dec 2015	ASTEX vs LSMSX
VTMFX	Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares	0.05%	12.30B	Sep 1994	ASTEX vs VTMFX
NMTRX	Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts	0.05%	—	May 2007	ASTEX vs NMTRX
FHMIX	Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort...	0.05%	—	Feb 2021	ASTEX vs FHMIX
FSMUX	Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund	0.06%	—	Jun 2021	ASTEX vs FSMUX

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to ASTEX

ASTEX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 80. There are 192 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
DFABX	DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port...	100	—	Apr 2022	ASTEX vs DFABX
DFSMX	DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio	100	—	Aug 2002	ASTEX vs DFSMX
ATOIX	abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund	99	—	Dec 2002	ASTEX vs ATOIX
FHMIX	Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort...	99	—	Feb 2021	ASTEX vs FHMIX
TFCYX	SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat...	99	—	Apr 2016	ASTEX vs TFCYX

Top Performing ASTEX Alternatives (YTD)

ASTEX is at 1.12% YTD. There are 384 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 11.06%.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
NMI	Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc.	11.06%	—	Apr 1998	ASTEX vs NMI
NRK	Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income	10.21%	—	Nov 2002	ASTEX vs NRK
MIY	BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund	8.32%	—	Oct 1992	ASTEX vs MIY
AFB	AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund	6.66%	—	Nov 2001	ASTEX vs AFB
MUC	BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund	6.62%	—	Feb 1998	ASTEX vs MUC

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to ASTEX

ASTEX has 1.39% 1-year volatility. There are 43 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.55%.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	AUM	Inception
DFSMX	DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio	0.55%	—	Aug 2002	ASTEX vs DFSMX
DFABX	DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port...	0.56%	—	Apr 2022	ASTEX vs DFABX
DFCMX	DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio	0.57%	—	Apr 2007	ASTEX vs DFCMX
USMSX	JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund	0.58%	—	May 2016	ASTEX vs USMSX
USMTX	JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund	0.59%	—	May 2016	ASTEX vs USMTX

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to ASTEX

ASTEX has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.28%. There are 36 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
BATVX	BlackRock Allocation Target Shares	0.00%	—	May 2021	ASTEX vs BATVX
ATOIX	abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund	-0.10%	—	Dec 2002	ASTEX vs ATOIX
FHMIX	Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort...	-0.10%	—	Feb 2021	ASTEX vs FHMIX
TFCYX	SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat...	-0.10%	—	Apr 2016	ASTEX vs TFCYX
DFABX	DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port...	-0.11%	—	Apr 2022	ASTEX vs DFABX

Other Mutual Funds from American Funds

The 10 most viewed American Funds mutual funds shown here include ABALX, AIVSX, AWSHX and span 7 categories.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
ABALX	American Funds American Balanced Fund Class A	Diversified Portfolio	79	9.44%	—	Jul 1975	ASTEX vs ABALX
AIVSX	American Funds Investment Company of America Class...	Large Cap Blend Equities	40	10.50%	—	Jan 1934	ASTEX vs AIVSX
AWSHX	American Funds Washington Mutual Investors Fund Cl...	Large Cap Blend Equities	39	8.07%	—	Jul 1952	ASTEX vs AWSHX
RGAGX	American Funds The Growth Fund of America Class R-...	Large Cap Growth Equities	24	9.06%	—	Dec 1973	ASTEX vs RGAGX
RERGX	American Funds EUPAC Fund Class R-6	Foreign Large Cap Equities, Large Cap Growth Equities, Actively Managed	37	10.66%	—	May 2009	ASTEX vs RERGX
ANCFX	American Funds Fundamental Investors Class A	Large Cap Blend Equities, Actively Managed	62	14.17%	—	Aug 1978	ASTEX vs ANCFX
ANWPX	American Funds New Perspective Fund Class A	Global Equities, Large Cap Growth Equities, Actively Managed	24	6.76%	—	Mar 1973	ASTEX vs ANWPX
GFFFX	American Funds The Growth Fund of America Class F-...	Large Cap Growth Equities	24	9.00%	—	Dec 1973	ASTEX vs GFFFX
AMECX	American Funds The Income Fund of America Class A	Diversified Portfolio, Dividend	55	6.96%	—	Dec 1973	ASTEX vs AMECX
AMCPX	American Funds AMCAP Fund Class A	Large Cap Growth Equities	20	6.73%	—	Jan 1967	ASTEX vs AMCPX

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.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	AUM	Inception
AAATX	American Funds 2010 Target Date Retirement Fund	Target Retirement Date	62	4.08%	—	Jan 2007	ASTEX vs AAATX
NYAAX	American Funds Tax-Exempt Fund of New York	Municipal Bonds	84	2.45%	—	Oct 2010	ASTEX vs NYAAX
TEPAX	American Funds Tax-Exempt Preservation Portfolio	Municipal Bonds	67	0.92%	—	May 2012	ASTEX vs TEPAX
LTEBX	American Funds Limited Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund	Municipal Bonds	64	0.88%	—	Oct 1993	ASTEX vs LTEBX
AFTEX	American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund	Municipal Bonds	77	1.83%	—	Oct 1979	ASTEX vs AFTEX
EBNAX	American Funds Emerging Markets Bond Fund	Emerging Markets Bonds	56	2.52%	—	Apr 2016	ASTEX vs EBNAX
INPAX	American Funds Conservative Growth and Income Port...	Diversified Portfolio	49	4.79%	—	May 2012	ASTEX vs INPAX
MIAQX	American Funds Multi-Sector Income Fund	Multisector Bonds	44	1.07%	—	Mar 2019	ASTEX vs MIAQX
AMUSX	American Funds U.S. Government Securities Fund	Government Bonds	11	-0.85%	—	Oct 1985	ASTEX vs AMUSX
FXAIX	Fidelity 500 Index Fund	S&P 500	63	11.06%	—	Feb 1988	ASTEX vs FXAIX
VGIT	Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF	Government Bonds	24	-0.68%	49.50B	Nov 2009	ASTEX vs VGIT
NAARX	American Funds Retirement Income Portfolio - Conse...	Diversified Portfolio	47	3.61%	—	Aug 2015	ASTEX vs NAARX
TAIAX	American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and I...	Diversified Portfolio	70	7.01%	—	May 2012	ASTEX vs TAIAX
AIBAX	American Funds Intermediate Bond Fund of America	Short-Term Bond	22	-0.26%	—	Feb 1988	ASTEX vs AIBAX
NJTFX	T. Rowe Price New Jersey Tax Free Bond Fund	Municipal Bonds	94	2.32%	—	Apr 1991	ASTEX vs NJTFX
BOND	PIMCO Active Bond ETF	Intermediate Core-Plus Bond	43	0.17%	8.31B	Mar 2012	ASTEX vs BOND
BIL	SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF	Government Bonds, Ultrashort Bond	100	1.88%	46.75B	May 2007	ASTEX vs BIL
APUSX	Cavanal Hill Ultra Short Tax-Free Income Fund	Municipal Bonds	19	1.00%	—	Dec 2017	ASTEX vs APUSX
FXIEX	PIMCO Fixed Income SHares: Series TE	Municipal Bonds	88	2.22%	—	Jun 2012	ASTEX vs FXIEX
NPV	Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund	Municipal Bonds	29	6.33%	—	Mar 1993	ASTEX vs NPV

Compare ASTEX with Any Fund or Stock

Compare ASTEX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

Diversifiers

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

American Funds Short-Term Tax Exempt Bond Fund (ASTEX) Alternatives