NEA vs. SCMB

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA) and Schwab Municipal Bond ETF (SCMB).

SCMB is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the ICE AMT-Free Core U.S. National Municipal Index - Benchmark TR Gross. It was launched on Oct 11, 2022.

Performance

NEA vs. SCMB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA) and Schwab Municipal Bond ETF (SCMB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NEA vs. SCMB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
NEA Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund	-1.74%	11.31%	9.50%	0.75%	6.36%
SCMB Schwab Municipal Bond ETF	-0.51%	3.78%	0.91%	5.86%	3.05%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NEA achieves a -1.74% return, which is significantly lower than SCMB's -0.51% return.

NEA

• 1D: 2.28%
• 1M: -4.67%
• YTD: -1.74%
• 6M: 2.13%
• 1Y: 8.05%
• 3Y*: 6.92%
• 5Y*: 0.07%
• 10Y*: 3.01%

SCMB

• 1D: 0.24%
• 1M: -2.42%
• YTD: -0.51%
• 6M: 1.25%
• 1Y: 3.88%
• 3Y*: 2.44%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

Return for Risk

NEA vs. SCMB — Risk / Return Rank

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

NEA

NEA Risk / Return Rank: 65
NEA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 67
NEA Sortino Ratio Rank: 58
NEA Omega Ratio Rank: 60
NEA Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
NEA Martin Ratio Rank: 74

SCMB

SCMB Risk / Return Rank: 49
SCMB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
SCMB Sortino Ratio Rank: 47
SCMB Omega Ratio Rank: 61
SCMB Calmar Ratio Rank: 45
SCMB Martin Ratio Rank: 35

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.

NEA vs. SCMB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA) and Schwab Municipal Bond ETF (SCMB). 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.

	NEA	SCMB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.72	0.94	-0.23
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.04	1.22	-0.18
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.15	1.21	-0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.02	1.05	-0.03
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.27	2.98	+1.30
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NEA vs. SCMB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NEA Sharpe Ratio is 0.72, which is comparable to the SCMB Sharpe Ratio of 0.94. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NEA and SCMB, 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

	NEA	SCMB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.72	0.94	-0.23
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.01	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.26	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.31	0.90	-0.59

Correlation

The correlation between NEA and SCMB is 0.56, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

NEA vs. SCMB - Dividend Comparison

NEA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 7.49%, more than SCMB's 3.38% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NEA Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund	7.49%	7.36%	6.63%	3.95%	5.49%	4.50%	4.45%	4.46%	5.40%	5.33%	5.70%	5.71%
SCMB Schwab Municipal Bond ETF	3.38%	3.36%	3.34%	3.10%	0.59%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

NEA vs. SCMB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NEA drawdown since its inception was -43.83%, which is greater than SCMB's maximum drawdown of -6.13%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NEA and SCMB.

Drawdown Indicators

	NEA	SCMB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-43.83%	-6.13%	-37.70%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-8.45%	-3.79%	-4.66%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-36.57%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-36.57%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.64%	-2.42%	-6.22%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-8.03%	-1.32%	-6.71%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.02%	1.34%	+0.68%

Volatility

NEA vs. SCMB - Volatility Comparison

Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA) has a higher volatility of 4.87% compared to Schwab Municipal Bond ETF (SCMB) at 1.47%. This indicates that NEA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SCMB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NEA	SCMB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.87%	1.47%	+3.40%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.04%	2.02%	+5.02%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	11.31%	4.15%	+7.16%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	11.17%	4.22%	+6.95%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	11.67%	4.22%	+7.45%