PIMCO Income Strategy Fund (PFL) belongs to the Multisector Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with PFL. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to PFL
Among 98 mutual funds in the Multisector Bonds category with expense-ratio data, the lowest-cost alternatives shown here go as low as 0.02%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Vance Short Duration Diversified Income Fund | 0.02% | — | Feb 2005 | PFL vs EVG | |
| MFS Multimarket Income Trust | 0.03% | — | Mar 1987 | PFL vs MMT | |
| Nuveen Multi-Market Income Fund | 0.04% | — | Dec 1988 | PFL vs JMM | |
| KKR Income Opportunities Fund | 0.04% | — | Jul 2013 | PFL vs KIO | |
| Doubleline Selective Credit Fund | 0.05% | — | Aug 2014 | PFL vs DBSCX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to PFL
PFL has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 5. There are 93 mutual funds in the Multisector Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 99.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund | 99 | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXHX | |
| Nationwide Strategic Income A | 99 | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXEX | |
| Boyd Watterson Limited Duration Enhanced Income Fu... | 98 | — | Jul 2016 | PFL vs BWDTX | |
| Rational Special Situations Income Fund | 98 | — | Jul 2019 | PFL vs RFXIX | |
| CrossingBridge Low Duration High Yield Fund | 97 | — | Jan 2018 | PFL vs CBLDX |
Top Performing PFL Alternatives (YTD)
PFL is at -4.39% YTD. There are 99 mutual funds in the Multisector Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 3.52%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. | 3.52% | — | — | PFL vs RA | |
| abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund | 3.36% | — | Jan 2011 | PFL vs ACP | |
| BrandywineGLOBAL - Flexible Bond Fund | 3.03% | — | May 2016 | PFL vs LFLIX | |
| KKR Income Opportunities Fund | 2.60% | — | Jul 2013 | PFL vs KIO | |
| Eaton Vance Short Duration Diversified Income Fund | 2.58% | — | Feb 2005 | PFL vs EVG |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to PFL
PFL has 9.19% 1-year volatility. There are 89 mutual funds in the Multisector Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 1.19%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund | 1.19% | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXHX | |
| Nationwide Strategic Income A | 1.22% | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXEX | |
| Boyd Watterson Limited Duration Enhanced Income Fu... | 1.31% | — | Jul 2016 | PFL vs BWDTX | |
| CrossingBridge Low Duration High Yield Fund | 1.40% | — | Jan 2018 | PFL vs CBLDX | |
| Rational Special Situations Income Fund | 1.40% | — | Jul 2019 | PFL vs RFXIX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to PFL
PFL has a 1-year max drawdown of -7.64%. There are 87 mutual funds in the Multisector Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.41%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Amundi Strategic Income Fund | -0.41% | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXHX | |
| Nationwide Strategic Income A | -0.43% | — | Nov 2015 | PFL vs NWXEX | |
| Rational Special Situations Income Fund | -0.72% | — | Jul 2019 | PFL vs RFXIX | |
| CrossingBridge Low Duration High Yield Fund | -0.73% | — | Jan 2018 | PFL vs CBLDX | |
| Boyd Watterson Limited Duration Enhanced Income Fu... | -1.00% | — | Jul 2016 | PFL vs BWDTX |
Other Mutual Funds from PIMCO
The 10 most viewed PIMCO mutual funds shown here include PIMIX, PTY, PONAX and span 7 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIMCO Income Fund Institutional Class | Multisector Bonds | 42 | 0.72% | — | Mar 2007 | PFL vs PIMIX | |
| PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund | Corporate Bonds | 1 | -3.45% | — | Dec 2002 | PFL vs PTY | |
| PIMCO Income Fund Class A | Multisector Bonds | 38 | 0.55% | — | Apr 2007 | PFL vs PONAX | |
| PIMCO Total Return Fund Institutional Class | Intermediate Core-Plus Bond | 26 | 0.30% | — | May 1987 | PFL vs PTTRX | |
| PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund | Multisector Bonds | 6 | -2.70% | — | Dec 2001 | PFL vs PCN | |
| PIMCO Income Fund Class I-2 | Total Bond Market | 41 | 0.68% | — | — | PFL vs PONPX | |
| PIMCO StocksPLUS Long Duration Fund Class I | Diversified Portfolio | 39 | 8.53% | — | Aug 2007 | PFL vs PSLDX | |
| PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II | Multisector Bonds | 7 | -3.70% | — | Oct 2004 | PFL vs PFN | |
| PIMCO International Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) | Global Bonds | 10 | 0.43% | — | Dec 1992 | PFL vs PFORX | |
| PIMCO StocksPLUS International Fund (U.S. Dollar-H... | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 40 | 13.28% | — | Oct 2003 | PFL vs PISIX |
Often Compared With PFL
Investors most often compare PFL with PDI, PPT, BRW. These 20 comparison targets span 12 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare PFL with Any Fund or Stock
Compare PFL with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair PFL with funds that move differently
PIMCO Income Strategy Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to PFL.
Explore PFL Diversifiers