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 64 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 | |
| Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares | 0.06% | 69.90B | Nov 2001 | MSTBX vs VBIRX | |
| Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund Admi... | 0.06% | 51.90B | Nov 2010 | MSTBX vs VSCSX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 31. There are 129 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio | 100 | — | Jun 1996 | MSTBX vs DFCFX | |
| 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 | |
| Destinations Low Duration Fixed Income Fund | 98 | — | Mar 2017 | MSTBX vs DLDFX |
Top Performing MSTBX Alternatives (YTD)
MSTBX is at 0.13% YTD. There are 121 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 8.09%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuidePath Absolute Return Allocation Fund | 8.09% | — | Apr 2011 | MSTBX vs GPARX | |
| Leader Short Term High Yield Bond Fund | 3.65% | — | Jul 2005 | MSTBX vs LCCMX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | 2.50% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX | |
| DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio | 2.38% | — | Nov 2013 | MSTBX vs DFAIX | |
| SEI Asset Allocation Trust Defensive Strategy Fund | 2.33% | — | Nov 2003 | MSTBX vs SNSAX |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has 2.11% 1-year volatility. There are 85 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.72%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio | 0.72% | — | Jun 1996 | MSTBX vs DFCFX | |
| GuidepathConservative Income Fund | 0.79% | — | Apr 2018 | MSTBX vs GPICX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ... | 1.07% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEIX | |
| DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio | 1.12% | — | Mar 2009 | MSTBX vs DFEQX | |
| Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund | 1.12% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs DHEAX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to MSTBX
MSTBX has a 1-year max drawdown of -1.41%. There are 80 mutual funds in the Short-Term Bond category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.21%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio | -0.21% | — | Jun 1996 | MSTBX vs DFCFX | |
| 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 |
Other Mutual Funds from Morningstar
The 8 most viewed Morningstar mutual funds shown here include MSTRX, MSTVX, MSTMX and span 7 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningstar Total Return Bond Fund | Intermediate Core Bond | 11 | -0.93% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTRX | |
| Morningstar Alternatives Fund | Multistrategy | 87 | 1.98% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTVX | |
| Morningstar Multisector Bond Fund | Multisector Bonds | 44 | 1.39% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTMX | |
| Morningstar International Equity Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 27 | 13.40% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTFX | |
| Morningstar Global Income Fund | Global Allocation | 83 | 7.57% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTGX | |
| Morningstar U.S. Equity Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 2 | 7.20% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTQX | |
| Morningstar Global Opportunistic Equity Fund | Global Allocation | 12 | 10.66% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTSX | |
| Morningstar Municipal Bond Fund | Municipal Bonds | 69 | 0.42% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTBX vs MSTPX |
Often Compared With MSTBX
Investors most often compare MSTBX with HOBEX, STBFX, VBISX. These 9 comparison targets span 2 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holbrook Income Fund | Short-Term Bond | 98 | 1.98% | — | Jul 2016 | MSTBX vs HOBEX | |
| Sextant Short Term Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | — | — | — | Sep 1995 | MSTBX vs STBFX | |
| Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Fund | Short-Term Bond | 53 | 0.10% | — | Mar 1994 | MSTBX vs VBISX | |
| TIAA-CREF Short-Term Bond Index Fund | Short-Term Bond | 85 | 0.63% | — | Aug 2015 | MSTBX vs TNSHX | |
| T. Rowe Price Short Duration Income Fund | Short-Term Bond | 94 | 1.35% | — | Dec 2020 | MSTBX vs TSDLX | |
| Schwab Short-Term Bond Index Fund | Short-Term Bond, Government Bonds | 57 | 0.16% | — | Feb 2017 | MSTBX vs SWSBX | |
| DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | 98 | 1.45% | — | Sep 2011 | MSTBX vs DBLSX | |
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares Series A Portfo... | Short-Term Bond | 98 | 2.11% | — | Sep 2015 | MSTBX vs BATAX | |
| DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund Class N | Short-Term Bond | 97 | 1.32% | — | Sep 2011 | MSTBX vs DLSNX |
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