Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWALX) Sortino Ratio: 1.08
VWALX's Sortino Ratio of 1.08 indicates that for each unit of downside volatility, it generates 1.08 units of excess return. The ratio is calculated using historical daily returns over the past 12 months (as of Apr 2, 2026).
Unlike other measures, Sortino only focuses on downside volatility (losses), making it particularly useful for investors more concerned about protecting against drawdowns than overall price swings.
VWALX Sortino Ratio Rank
VWALX ranks above 27.4% of all investments in our database based on Sortino Ratio over the past 12 months, indicating below-average returns relative to downside risk taken. Securities are ranked from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).
What moves the rank
- Strong returns with minimal downside volatility → Higher rank
- Severe or frequent drawdowns → Lower rank
- Upside volatility → No impact (Sortino doesn't penalize upside swings)
What you can do with this information
- Returns may not adequately compensate for downside risk taken
- Consider smaller allocation given below-average risk-adjusted profile
- Explore higher-ranked investments with better downside protection
- Assess whether downside exposure aligns with your portfolio goals
VWALX Sortino Ratio Market Positioning
The chart shows VWALX's Sortino Ratio relative to all mutual funds on our platform, with color zones indicating percentile rankings. Higher ratios indicate better downside-adjusted returns.
- Red zone (bottom 25%): 1.15 or lower
- Yellow zone (middle 50%): 1.15 to 2.08
- Green zone (top 25%): 2.08 or higher
- Top 1%: 7.05+
- Median: 1.60 — half of all investments score higher
How it compares to other similar mutual funds
The table compares Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares's Sortino Ratio with other mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category across multiple time periods, showing how VWALX's risk-adjusted performance compares to similar funds.
Data shows 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods, plus each fund's all-time average, as of Apr 2, 2026.
| Symbol | Name | 1Y Sortino Ratio | 5Y Sortino Ratio | 10Y Sortino Ratio | All Time Sortino Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATOIX | abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 16.90 | |||
| APUSX | Cavanal Hill Ultra Short Tax-Free Income Fund | 10.29 | |||
| FHMIX | Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort Fund | 8.93 | |||
| TFCYX | SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservative Income Fund | 8.81 | |||
| DFABX | DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Portfolio | 7.13 | |||
| USMTX | JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 6.92 | |||
| FMNDX | Fidelity Conservative Income Municipal Bond Fund Institutional Class | 6.52 | |||
| DFSMX | DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 6.50 | |||
| USMSX | JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 6.49 | |||
| FUEMX | Fidelity Flex Conservative Income Municipal Bond Fund | 6.06 | |||
| VWALX | Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares | 1.08 |
Historical Sortino Ratio
The chart shows VWALX's rolling Sortino ratio over time compared to your chosen benchmark. Rising trends indicate improving returns relative to downside risk, while declining trends may signal deteriorating risk-adjusted performance or increased volatility during market stress. Use multiple timeframes to distinguish short-term fluctuations from long-term patterns.
Identify market cycles by observing when VWALX consistently outperforms (line above benchmark), underperforms (below benchmark), or aligns with the benchmark.
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Explore VWALX risk-adjusted metrics in detail
Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.