FSMB vs. MEAR

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) and iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF (MEAR).

FSMB and MEAR are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FSMB is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Nov 1, 2018. MEAR is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on Mar 3, 2015.

Performance

FSMB vs. MEAR - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) and iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF (MEAR). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FSMB vs. MEAR - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
FSMB First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF	0.37%	4.22%	2.35%	3.54%	-3.75%	1.20%	3.53%	3.80%	0.61%
MEAR iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF	0.47%	3.76%	3.40%	3.93%	0.10%	0.05%	1.18%	1.91%	0.34%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FSMB achieves a 0.37% return, which is significantly lower than MEAR's 0.47% return.

FSMB

• 1D: 0.05%
• 1M: -1.02%
• YTD: 0.37%
• 6M: 0.98%
• 1Y: 3.64%
• 3Y*: 3.06%
• 5Y*: 1.45%
• 10Y*: —

MEAR

• 1D: 0.12%
• 1M: -0.31%
• YTD: 0.47%
• 6M: 1.07%
• 1Y: 3.12%
• 3Y*: 3.50%
• 5Y*: 2.30%
• 10Y*: 1.74%

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

FSMB vs. MEAR - Expense Ratio Comparison

FSMB has a 0.45% expense ratio, which is higher than MEAR's 0.25% expense ratio.

FSMB

First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF

MEAR

iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF

Return for Risk

FSMB vs. MEAR — Risk / Return Rank

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

FSMB

FSMB Risk / Return Rank: 85
FSMB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 86
FSMB Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
FSMB Omega Ratio Rank: 93
FSMB Calmar Ratio Rank: 79
FSMB Martin Ratio Rank: 82

MEAR

MEAR Risk / Return Rank: 97
MEAR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
MEAR Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
MEAR Omega Ratio Rank: 98
MEAR Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
MEAR Martin Ratio Rank: 97

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.

FSMB vs. MEAR - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) and iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF (MEAR). 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.

	FSMB	MEAR	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.76	2.71	-0.94
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.32	3.63	-1.32
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	1.70	-0.28
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.13	3.69	-1.55
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.08	20.82	-11.74
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FSMB vs. MEAR - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FSMB Sharpe Ratio is 1.76, which is lower than the MEAR Sharpe Ratio of 2.71. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FSMB and MEAR, 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

	FSMB	MEAR	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.76	2.71	-0.94
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.74	2.37	-1.62
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	1.15	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.73	1.09	-0.36

Correlation

The correlation between FSMB and MEAR is 0.22, 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

FSMB vs. MEAR - Dividend Comparison

FSMB's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.13%, more than MEAR's 2.87% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FSMB First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF	3.13%	3.09%	2.88%	2.40%	1.47%	1.20%	1.79%	2.27%	0.19%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
MEAR iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF	2.87%	2.95%	3.44%	3.30%	0.88%	0.30%	0.90%	1.57%	1.36%	1.01%	0.81%	0.53%

Drawdowns

FSMB vs. MEAR - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FSMB drawdown since its inception was -6.32%, which is greater than MEAR's maximum drawdown of -2.68%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FSMB and MEAR.

Drawdown Indicators

	FSMB	MEAR	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-6.32%	-2.68%	-3.64%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.76%	-0.86%	-0.90%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-5.97%	-1.12%	-4.85%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-2.68%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.02%	-0.35%	-0.67%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.17%	-0.19%	-0.98%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.41%	0.15%	+0.26%

Volatility

FSMB vs. MEAR - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) has a higher volatility of 0.60% compared to iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF (MEAR) at 0.36%. This indicates that FSMB's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MEAR based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FSMB	MEAR	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.60%	0.36%	+0.24%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.02%	0.60%	+0.42%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.08%	1.16%	+0.92%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	1.95%	0.98%	+0.97%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	2.95%	1.52%	+1.43%