GBLAX vs. VGWAX
Compare and contrast key facts about American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A (GBLAX) and Vanguard Global Wellington Fund Admiral Shares (VGWAX).
GBLAX is an actively managed fund by American Funds. It was launched on Feb 1, 2011. VGWAX is managed by Vanguard. It was launched on Nov 2, 2017.
Performance
GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Performance Comparison
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GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GBLAX American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A | -0.20% | 17.12% | 6.56% | 13.68% | -14.25% | 9.18% | 10.47% | 17.26% | -7.60% |
VGWAX Vanguard Global Wellington Fund Admiral Shares | 2.68% | 17.48% | 6.27% | 12.54% | -7.07% | 13.51% | 7.51% | 22.16% | -5.05% |
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, GBLAX achieves a -0.20% return, which is significantly lower than VGWAX's 2.68% return.
GBLAX
- 1D
- 1.83%
- 1M
- -4.53%
- YTD
- -0.20%
- 6M
- 2.19%
- 1Y
- 14.55%
- 3Y*
- 10.81%
- 5Y*
- 5.27%
- 10Y*
- 6.62%
VGWAX
- 1D
- 1.61%
- 1M
- -4.28%
- YTD
- 2.68%
- 6M
- 7.07%
- 1Y
- 15.96%
- 3Y*
- 11.90%
- 5Y*
- 7.69%
- 10Y*
- —
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GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Expense Ratio Comparison
GBLAX has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is higher than VGWAX's 0.29% expense ratio.
Return for Risk
GBLAX vs. VGWAX — Risk / Return Rank
GBLAX
VGWAX
GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A (GBLAX) and Vanguard Global Wellington Fund Admiral Shares (VGWAX). 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.
| GBLAX | VGWAX | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 1.55 | 1.64 | -0.08 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 2.21 | 2.26 | -0.04 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.31 | 1.33 | -0.02 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.22 | 2.29 | -0.07 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 9.00 | 9.01 | -0.01 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| GBLAX | VGWAX | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 1.55 | 1.64 | -0.08 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.54 | 0.85 | -0.31 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.64 | — | — |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.62 | 0.76 | -0.14 |
Correlation
The correlation between GBLAX and VGWAX is 0.90, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.
Dividends
GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Dividend Comparison
GBLAX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.38%, less than VGWAX's 6.59% yield.
| TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GBLAX American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A | 6.38% | 6.34% | 5.53% | 1.61% | 1.52% | 6.02% | 1.24% | 1.87% | 2.30% | 3.15% | 2.00% | 3.28% |
VGWAX Vanguard Global Wellington Fund Admiral Shares | 6.59% | 6.78% | 7.47% | 2.66% | 4.50% | 3.36% | 1.64% | 2.08% | 2.62% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Drawdowns
GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum GBLAX drawdown since its inception was -23.36%, smaller than the maximum VGWAX drawdown of -25.28%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GBLAX and VGWAX.
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Drawdown Indicators
| GBLAX | VGWAX | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -23.36% | -25.28% | +1.92% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -6.75% | -7.04% | +0.29% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -22.55% | -17.46% | -5.09% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -23.36% | — | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -5.03% | -4.94% | -0.09% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -3.72% | -2.94% | -0.78% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.66% | 1.79% | -0.13% |
Volatility
GBLAX vs. VGWAX - Volatility Comparison
American Funds Global Balanced Fund Class A (GBLAX) has a higher volatility of 4.16% compared to Vanguard Global Wellington Fund Admiral Shares (VGWAX) at 3.86%. This indicates that GBLAX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VGWAX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| GBLAX | VGWAX | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 4.16% | 3.86% | +0.30% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 6.34% | 6.00% | +0.34% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 9.60% | 9.69% | -0.09% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 9.86% | 9.12% | +0.74% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 10.42% | 11.00% | -0.58% |