CGBL vs. HISF

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Capital Group Core Balanced ETF (CGBL) and First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF).

CGBL and HISF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. CGBL is an actively managed fund by Capital Group. It was launched on Sep 26, 2023. HISF is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Aug 13, 2014.

Performance

CGBL vs. HISF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Capital Group Core Balanced ETF (CGBL) and First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

CGBL vs. HISF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
CGBL Capital Group Core Balanced ETF	-1.67%	15.33%	12.76%
HISF First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF	-0.74%	8.39%	3.30%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, CGBL achieves a -1.67% return, which is significantly lower than HISF's -0.74% return.

CGBL

• 1D: 0.58%
• 1M: -4.69%
• YTD: -1.67%
• 6M: 0.29%
• 1Y: 13.65%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

HISF

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: -1.61%
• YTD: -0.74%
• 6M: 0.44%
• 1Y: 4.87%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

CGBL vs. HISF - Expense Ratio Comparison

CGBL has a 0.33% expense ratio, which is lower than HISF's 0.87% expense ratio.

HISF

First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF

CGBL

Capital Group Core Balanced ETF

Return for Risk

CGBL vs. HISF — Risk / Return Rank

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

CGBL

CGBL Risk / Return Rank: 63
CGBL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 60
CGBL Sortino Ratio Rank: 63
CGBL Omega Ratio Rank: 61
CGBL Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
CGBL Martin Ratio Rank: 66

HISF

HISF Risk / Return Rank: 67
HISF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
HISF Sortino Ratio Rank: 70
HISF Omega Ratio Rank: 65
HISF Calmar Ratio Rank: 64
HISF Martin Ratio Rank: 66

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.

CGBL vs. HISF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Capital Group Core Balanced ETF (CGBL) and First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF). 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.

	CGBL	HISF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.10	1.34	-0.23
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.64	1.86	-0.21
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.25	-0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.73	1.79	-0.07
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.00	7.34	-0.34
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

CGBL vs. HISF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current CGBL Sharpe Ratio is 1.10, which is comparable to the HISF Sharpe Ratio of 1.34. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of CGBL and HISF, 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

	CGBL	HISF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.10	1.34	-0.23
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.47	1.32	+0.15

Correlation

The correlation between CGBL and HISF is 0.39, 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

CGBL vs. HISF - Dividend Comparison

CGBL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.03%, less than HISF's 4.92% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
CGBL Capital Group Core Balanced ETF	2.03%	1.98%	1.92%	0.48%
HISF First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF	4.92%	4.69%	3.92%	0.00%

Drawdowns

CGBL vs. HISF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum CGBL drawdown since its inception was -11.66%, which is greater than HISF's maximum drawdown of -3.86%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for CGBL and HISF.

Drawdown Indicators

	CGBL	HISF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-11.66%	-3.86%	-7.80%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-8.11%	-2.90%	-5.21%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.26%	-1.96%	-3.30%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.31%	-0.86%	-0.45%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.00%	0.71%	+1.29%

Volatility

CGBL vs. HISF - Volatility Comparison

Capital Group Core Balanced ETF (CGBL) has a higher volatility of 4.54% compared to First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) at 1.75%. This indicates that CGBL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than HISF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	CGBL	HISF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.54%	1.75%	+2.79%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.40%	2.26%	+5.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.41%	3.67%	+8.74%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	11.01%	3.95%	+7.06%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	11.01%	3.95%	+7.06%