Morningstar Defensive Bond Fund (MSTBX) belongs to the Short-Term Bond category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with MSTBX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX charges 0.52% annually. There are 60 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.02%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Institutional Short-Term Bond Fund | 0.02% | — | Jun 2015 | MSTBX vs VISTX | |
| Vanguard Institutional Intermediate-Term Bond Fund | 0.02% | — | Jun 2015 | MSTBX vs VIITX | |
| Fidelity Short-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund | 0.03% | — | Dec 2005 | MSTBX vs FUMBX | |
| Schwab Short-Term Bond Index Fund | 0.06% | — | Feb 2017 | MSTBX vs SWSBX | |
| TIAA-CREF Short-Term Bond Index Fund | 0.09% | — | Aug 2015 | MSTBX vs TNSHX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 26. There are 121 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 99.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuidepathConservative Income Fund | 99 | — | Apr 2018 | MSTBX vs GPICX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | 99 | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund | 99 | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEAX | |
| DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio | 98 | — | Nov 2013 | MSTBX vs DFAIX | |
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares Series A Portfo... | 97 | — | Sep 2015 | MSTBX vs BATAX |
Top Performing MSTBX Alternatives (YTD)
MSTBX is at -0.22% YTD. There are 125 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 8.20%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuidePath Absolute Return Allocation Fund | 8.20% | — | Apr 2011 | MSTBX vs GPARX | |
| Leader Short Term High Yield Bond Fund | 4.01% | — | Jul 2005 | MSTBX vs LCCMX | |
| DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio | 2.10% | — | Nov 2013 | MSTBX vs DFAIX | |
| Holbrook Income Fund | 1.91% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs HOBEX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | 1.88% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has 2.16% 1-year volatility. There are 86 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.80%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuidepathConservative Income Fund | 0.80% | — | Apr 2018 | MSTBX vs GPICX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | 1.07% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund | 1.12% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEAX | |
| DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio | 1.13% | — | Mar 2009 | MSTBX vs DFEQX | |
| DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund Class N | 1.19% | — | Sep 2011 | MSTBX vs DLSNX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.41%. There are 77 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.25%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuidepathConservative Income Fund | -0.25% | — | Apr 2018 | MSTBX vs GPICX | |
| DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio | -0.47% | — | Nov 2013 | MSTBX vs DFAIX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund | -0.50% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEAX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | -0.50% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX | |
| Holbrook Income Fund | -0.61% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs HOBEX |
Other Mutual Funds from Morningstar
The 8 most viewed Morningstar mutual funds shown here include MSTRX, MSTVX, MSTFX and span 7 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningstar Total Return Bond Fund | Intermediate Core Bond | 11 | -0.37% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTRX | |
| Morningstar Alternatives Fund | Multistrategy | 75 | 1.22% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTVX | |
| Morningstar International Equity Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 18 | 11.71% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTFX | |
| Morningstar Global Income Fund | Global Allocation | 66 | 6.05% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTGX | |
| Morningstar U.S. Equity Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 2 | 4.35% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTQX | |
| Morningstar Multisector Bond Fund | Multisector Bonds | 48 | 1.80% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTMX | |
| Morningstar Global Opportunistic Equity Fund | Global Allocation | 6 | 5.46% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTSX | |
| Morningstar Municipal Bond Fund | Municipal Bonds | 75 | 1.48% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTPX |
Often Compared With MSTBX
Investors most often compare MSTBX with DFCFX, STBFX, TSDLX. These 7 comparison targets span 1 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio | Short-Term Bond | 65 | 1.62% | — | Jun 1996 | MSTBX vs DFCFX | |
| Sextant Short Term Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | — | — | — | Sep 1995 | MSTBX vs STBFX | |
| T. Rowe Price Short Duration Income Fund | Short-Term Bond | 86 | 0.58% | — | Dec 2020 | MSTBX vs TSDLX | |
| Destinations Low Duration Fixed Income Fund | Short-Term Bond | 95 | 1.72% | — | Mar 2017 | MSTBX vs DLDFX | |
| Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund | Short-Term Bond | 29 | -0.13% | — | Mar 1994 | MSTBX vs VBISX | |
| DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | 97 | 1.06% | — | Sep 2011 | MSTBX vs DBLSX | |
| SEI Asset Allocation Trust Defensive Strategy Fund | Short-Term Bond | 85 | 1.56% | — | Nov 2003 | MSTBX vs SNSAX |
Compare MSTBX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare MSTBX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair MSTBX with funds that move differently
Morningstar Defensive Bond Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to MSTBX.
Explore MSTBX Diversifiers