AFTEX vs. SGOV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund (AFTEX) and iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV).

AFTEX is managed by American Funds. It was launched on Oct 2, 1979. SGOV is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the ICE 0-3 Month US Treasury Securities Index. It was launched on May 26, 2020.

Performance

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund (AFTEX) and iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
AFTEX American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund	-0.33%	4.88%	2.28%	5.96%	-9.68%	1.87%	5.06%
SGOV iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF	0.88%	4.24%	5.27%	5.12%	1.58%	0.04%	0.05%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AFTEX achieves a -0.33% return, which is significantly lower than SGOV's 0.88% return.

AFTEX

• 1D: 0.32%
• 1M: -2.06%
• YTD: -0.33%
• 6M: 1.01%
• 1Y: 3.60%
• 3Y*: 3.38%
• 5Y*: 0.84%
• 10Y*: 2.11%

SGOV

• 1D: 0.02%
• 1M: 0.30%
• YTD: 0.88%
• 6M: 1.89%
• 1Y: 4.07%
• 3Y*: 4.80%
• 5Y*: 3.41%
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Expense Ratio Comparison

AFTEX has a 0.50% expense ratio, which is higher than SGOV's 0.09% expense ratio.

AFTEX

American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund

SGOV

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF

Return for Risk

AFTEX vs. SGOV — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AFTEX

AFTEX Risk / Return Rank: 40
AFTEX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 40
AFTEX Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
AFTEX Omega Ratio Rank: 60
AFTEX Calmar Ratio Rank: 37
AFTEX Martin Ratio Rank: 31

SGOV

SGOV Risk / Return Rank: 100
SGOV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
SGOV Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
SGOV Omega Ratio Rank: 100
SGOV Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
SGOV Martin Ratio Rank: 100

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund (AFTEX) and iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AFTEX	SGOV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.89	20.61	-19.72
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.20	283.87	-282.67
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.24	201.33	-200.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.05	411.31	-410.26
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.50	4,618.08	-4,614.58
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AFTEX Sharpe Ratio is 0.89, which is lower than the SGOV Sharpe Ratio of 20.61. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AFTEX and SGOV, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AFTEX	SGOV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.89	20.61	-19.72
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.23	14.12	-13.90
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.56	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.42	12.34	-10.92

Correlation

The correlation between AFTEX and SGOV is 0.02, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Dividend Comparison

AFTEX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.03%, less than SGOV's 3.95% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AFTEX American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund	3.03%	3.98%	2.90%	2.22%	1.75%	2.31%	2.43%	2.83%	2.86%	3.30%	2.90%	3.21%
SGOV iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF	3.95%	4.10%	5.10%	4.87%	1.45%	0.03%	0.05%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AFTEX drawdown since its inception was -14.55%, which is greater than SGOV's maximum drawdown of -0.03%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AFTEX and SGOV.

Drawdown Indicators

	AFTEX	SGOV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-14.55%	-0.03%	-14.52%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-4.51%	-0.01%	-4.50%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-14.55%	-0.03%	-14.52%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-14.55%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.29%	0.00%	-2.29%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.67%	0.00%	-1.67%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.35%	0.00%	+1.35%

Volatility

AFTEX vs. SGOV - Volatility Comparison

American Funds Tax Exempt Bond Fund (AFTEX) has a higher volatility of 1.09% compared to iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) at 0.06%. This indicates that AFTEX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SGOV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AFTEX	SGOV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.09%	0.06%	+1.03%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.65%	0.13%	+1.52%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.58%	0.20%	+4.38%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.72%	0.24%	+3.48%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.77%	0.24%	+3.53%