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Performance
Performance Chart
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.
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Returns By Period
American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A (GBLAX) has returned -1.99% so far this year and 12.79% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, GBLAX has returned 6.42% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.
American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A
- 1D
- -0.08%
- 1M
- -6.65%
- YTD
- -1.99%
- 6M
- 0.72%
- 1Y
- 12.79%
- 3Y*
- 10.14%
- 5Y*
- 5.07%
- 10Y*
- 6.42%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- 2.91%
- 1M
- -5.09%
- YTD
- -4.63%
- 6M
- -2.39%
- 1Y
- 16.33%
- 3Y*
- 16.69%
- 5Y*
- 10.18%
- 10Y*
- 12.16%
Monthly Returns
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 1, 2011, GBLAX's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.53%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 10.9 years.
Historically, 63% of months were positive and 37% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +8.6%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -8.7%. The longest winning streak lasted 11 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, GBLAX closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +4.9%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -6.8%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.46% | 2.47% | -6.65% | -1.99% | |||||||||
| 2025 | 3.03% | 0.61% | -1.82% | 0.75% | 3.26% | 3.54% | 0.10% | 1.89% | 1.93% | 1.46% | 1.22% | 0.07% | 17.12% |
| 2024 | -0.36% | 1.46% | 2.48% | -2.85% | 3.05% | 0.34% | 2.43% | 2.58% | 1.83% | -2.88% | 0.65% | -2.09% | 6.56% |
| 2023 | 4.83% | -3.38% | 2.74% | 1.63% | -1.72% | 3.51% | 1.73% | -2.44% | -3.64% | -1.39% | 6.82% | 4.88% | 13.68% |
| 2022 | -2.68% | -2.32% | -0.46% | -6.40% | 1.68% | -6.93% | 3.85% | -3.53% | -7.04% | 4.21% | 6.89% | -1.37% | -14.25% |
| 2021 | -0.43% | 0.83% | 1.24% | 2.48% | 1.55% | 0.32% | 0.66% | 1.51% | -2.75% | 2.64% | -2.03% | 2.96% | 9.18% |
Benchmark Metrics
American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A has an annualized alpha of 0.14%, beta of 0.53, and R² of 0.82 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 02, 2011.
- This fund participated in 68.67% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 56.53% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.53 indicates this fund moves significantly less than S&P 500 Index — a genuinely defensive profile with reduced participation in both market rallies and downturns.
- Alpha
- 0.14%
- Beta
- 0.53
- R²
- 0.82
- Upside Capture
- 56.53%
- Downside Capture
- 68.67%
Expense Ratio
GBLAX has an expense ratio of 0.80%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
GBLAX ranks 75 for risk / return — better than 75% 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 Global Balanced Fund Class A (GBLAX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).
| GBLAX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 1.37 | 0.90 | +0.48 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 1.95 | 1.39 | +0.56 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.28 | 1.21 | +0.06 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 1.79 | 1.40 | +0.39 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 7.39 | 6.61 | +0.78 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
Explore GBLAX risk-adjusted metrics in detail
Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.
Dividends
Dividend History
American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A provided a 6.50% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.56 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.56 | $2.56 | $2.03 | $0.59 | $0.49 | $2.32 | $0.46 | $0.64 | $0.69 | $1.02 | $0.59 | $0.92 |
Dividend yield | 6.50% | 6.34% | 5.53% | 1.61% | 1.52% | 6.02% | 1.24% | 1.87% | 2.30% | 3.15% | 2.00% | 3.28% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A. 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 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.18 | $0.18 | |||||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.18 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.30 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.88 | $2.56 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.50 | $2.03 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.10 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.59 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.13 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.04 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.49 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.18 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.84 | $2.32 |
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 Global Balanced Fund Class A. 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 Global Balanced Fund Class A was 23.36%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 95 trading sessions.
The current American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A drawdown is 6.74%.
Depth | Start | To Bottom | Bottom | To Recover | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -23.36% | Feb 13, 2020 | 27 | Mar 23, 2020 | 95 | Aug 6, 2020 | 122 |
| -22.55% | Nov 10, 2021 | 232 | Oct 12, 2022 | 351 | Mar 7, 2024 | 583 |
| -14.15% | May 3, 2011 | 107 | Oct 3, 2011 | 234 | Sep 6, 2012 | 341 |
| -13.28% | Jan 29, 2018 | 229 | Dec 24, 2018 | 131 | Jul 3, 2019 | 360 |
| -12.51% | May 18, 2015 | 171 | Jan 20, 2016 | 120 | Jul 12, 2016 | 291 |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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