Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Bluemonte Short Term Bond ETF
$24.43+0.01 (+0.04%)
- 0.28%
- $170M
- 0.0%
- 3.90%
- 0M sh
- $24.41
- low $22.77high $25.49
The ETF.net BLST Grade
B
Score 62 out of 100
- 56 of 117
Score 62 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.B60 out of 100Rank 43 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A93 out of 100Rank 69 of 101Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B66 out of 100Rank 22 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C49 out of 100Rank 61 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.F22 out of 100Rank 111 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C41 out of 100Rank 79 of 117
Our read on BLST
BAn actively managed short-duration bond fund that gets there by owning other funds, priced below the typical bond ETF and paying monthly. A 2025 arrival working the calm end of the curve while its cohort giants buy the whole market.
The Fund seeks total return and income. It is actively managed and obtains at least 80% bond exposure, primarily through underlying funds holding short-duration debt securities.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.25% a year against a 0.36% median for its bond cohort, and that buys an active manager rather than an index sleeve.
- Short duration by mandate: at least 80% bond exposure, held through funds owning short-dated debt, the corner of the market that moves least when rates swing.
- Distributions arrive monthly rather than quarterly, so income lands on a bill-paying rhythm.
- What is inside matches what the prospectus describes: an active short-duration book, with little drift toward the long end.
Worth knowing
- It is a fund of funds. You own a basket of other bond funds rather than the bonds themselves, which puts a layer between you and the actual credits.
- The filings disclose that payouts can include return of capital, meaning part of a monthly distribution may be your own money coming back.
- Launched in 2025 and still a small, lightly traded fund, so spreads matter more here than at cohort index giants like BND and SCHZ, which charge 0.03%.
BLST Holdings
- Bonds
- 4
- 100%
- BSV
Sectors
- Financials100.0%
Geography
- United States100.00%
BLST Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
BLST$10,002
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | BLST |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −0.7% |
| 1 month | −0.4% |
| 3 months | −1.1% |
| 1 year | 0.0% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | BLST |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −0.7% | |
| 2025 | +2.9% |
BLST in the news
BLST Dividends
- 3.90%
- $0.95
- $0.08 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
BLST Risk
- 2.3%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- −1.14
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −2.3%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.05
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BLST Cost
0.28%
BLST0.28%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
41 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- BBYLDiShares Yield Optimized Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.41%1 year return −0.1%
- BCORBAB Active ETFs, Inc. - AB Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.28%1 year return —
- BTOTRT. Rowe Price Total Return ETFExpense ratio 0.31%1 year return −1.8%
- BVCOBVoya Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return —
- BGTOSInvesco Short Duration Total Return Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.31%1 year return +2.7%