Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Goldman Sachs Core Bond ETF
$48.18+0.05 (+0.10%)
- 0.26%
- $600M
- −2.0%
- 3.96%
- 0M sh
- $48.06
- low $47.64high $53.84
The ETF.net GBND Grade
B
Score 65 out of 100
- 45 of 117
Score 65 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.B66 out of 100Rank 38 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 101Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C50 out of 100Rank 39 of 116Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C45 out of 100Rank 68 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D32 out of 100Rank 101 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C54 out of 100Rank 63 of 117
Our read on GBND
BGoldman's active answer to the core bond aisle: one desk picking Treasuries, mortgage bonds and corporates, with the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate as the yardstick rather than the blueprint. Launched in 2025 at 0.26%.
The Fund seeks total return through capital appreciation and income. It invests primarily in investment-grade core fixed-income securities, including government, mortgage-backed, corporate, and asset-backed debt.
Why people hold it
- Actively run by Goldman's multi-sector fixed income team across government, mortgage-backed, corporate and asset-backed debt, all investment grade (BBB-/Baa3 or better).am.gs.com
- 0.26% undercuts the typical fund in its category and most active core bond rivals measured against the same index, including FBND, CPLS and DBND.
- Pays income monthly, and Goldman built it as a foundational bond holding rather than a tactical sleeve.am.gs.com
- What it owns lines up closely with what the prospectus describes: an investment-grade core, no high-yield detour.
Worth knowing
- Still several times the 0.03% charged by index trackers that own the whole Aggregate, such as AGG, BND and SPAB.
- A couple hundred positions is a focused slice of a benchmark that index funds cover with thousands of bonds.
- Opened in mid-2025 and trades thinly, so the track record is short and spreads can run wider than at the category giants.
GBND Holdings
- Bonds
- 724
- 40%
- ICE CD CDXIG546 1.00 20Jun31 P 1.00% 06/20/2031
Geography
- United States100.00%
GBND 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.
GBND$9,799
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 | GBND |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.7% |
| 1 month | −1.4% |
| 3 months | −2.8% |
| 1 year | −2.0% |
| 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 | GBND |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.7% | |
| 2025 | +3.5% |
GBND in the news
GBND Dividends
- 3.96%
- $1.91
- $0.19 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
GBND Risk
- 4.1%
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.
- −0.87
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.
- −4.9%
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.
- 0.10
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GBND Cost
0.26%
GBND0.26%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
39 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- BAFIXAllspring Exchange-Traded Funds Trust - Allspring Broad Market Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return −1.9%
- BFLIAFranklin International Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +0.5%
- BPABPGIM Active Aggregate Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.19%1 year return −1.9%
- BBDBTBluemonte Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.28%1 year return −1.9%
- BHCRBHartford Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return −2.3%