MFLX vs. IBMM

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) and iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF (IBMM).

MFLX and IBMM are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. MFLX is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Sep 27, 2016. IBMM is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series Dec 2024 Index. It was launched on Mar 20, 2018.

Performance

MFLX vs. IBMM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) and iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF (IBMM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MFLX vs. IBMM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)
MFLX First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF	-1.50%
IBMM iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF	0.00%

Returns By Period

MFLX

• 1D: -0.00%
• 1M: -3.00%
• YTD: -0.25%
• 6M: 1.18%
• 1Y: 3.35%
• 3Y*: 4.46%
• 5Y*: 0.01%
• 10Y*: —

IBMM

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.00%
• YTD: —
• 6M: —
• 1Y: —
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

MFLX vs. IBMM - Expense Ratio Comparison

MFLX has a 0.88% expense ratio, which is higher than IBMM's 0.18% expense ratio.

MFLX

First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF

IBMM

iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF

Return for Risk

MFLX vs. IBMM — Risk / Return Rank

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

MFLX

MFLX Risk / Return Rank: 24
MFLX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 23
MFLX Sortino Ratio Rank: 21
MFLX Omega Ratio Rank: 27
MFLX Calmar Ratio Rank: 25
MFLX Martin Ratio Rank: 23

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.

MFLX vs. IBMM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) and iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF (IBMM). 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.

	MFLX	IBMM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.38	—	—
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.58	—	—
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.11	—	—
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.56	—	—
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.69	—	—
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	MFLX	IBMM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.38	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.00	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.16	—	—

Dividends

MFLX vs. IBMM - Dividend Comparison

MFLX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.16%, while IBMM has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
MFLX First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF	4.16%	4.06%	3.81%	3.65%	4.27%	3.69%	3.21%	2.94%	3.74%	3.80%	0.98%
IBMM iShares iBonds Dec 2024 Term Muni Bond ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

MFLX vs. IBMM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MFLX drawdown since its inception was -26.76%, which is greater than IBMM's maximum drawdown of 0.00%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MFLX and IBMM.

Drawdown Indicators

	MFLX	IBMM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-26.76%	0.00%	-26.76%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-6.64%	—	—
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.88%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.12%	0.00%	-7.12%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-8.23%	0.00%	-8.23%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.20%	—	—

Volatility

Volatility by Period

	MFLX	IBMM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.77%	—	—
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.40%	—	—
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	8.77%	0.00%	+8.77%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	10.36%	0.00%	+10.36%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	11.38%	0.00%	+11.38%