Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Schwab Core Bond ETF
$24.35+0.01 (+0.04%)
- 0.16%
- $1.8B
- −1.9%
- 4.76%
- 0.4M sh
- $24.32
- low $24.12high $26.25
The ETF.net SCCR Grade
A
Score 75 out of 100
- 17 of 117
Score 75 of 100 falls in the A 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.A76 out of 100Rank 27 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.B65 out of 100Rank 26 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A72 out of 100Rank 28 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B57 out of 100Rank 57 of 117
Our read on SCCR
AA 2025 arrival from Schwab: total return plus income across US dollar bonds, roughly 600 positions, 0.16% a year. That is well under half the typical core bond ETF fee, though the plain index giants still undercut it.
The fund seeks total return while generating income by investing in U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities.
Why people hold it
- Runs 0.16% a year against a 0.36% median for the core bond crowd, so a smaller slice of the coupon goes to the manager.
- Pays monthly and spreads across about 600 US dollar debt securities, so no single issuer sets the tone.
- The portfolio matches the mandate on the label closely, and it stands in the top tier of a very crowded core bond field.
- Already a multi-billion-dollar fund with Schwab's bond desk behind it, which is rare shelf space for a fund this new.
Worth knowing
- Cheaper seats exist in the same aisle: BND, SPAB and Schwab's own SCHZ each charge 0.03%, a fraction of this fee.
- Launched in February 2025, so the track record is short and covers only one stretch of the rate cycle.
- This is rate-sensitive core bond exposure: when yields rise, bond prices fall, and the fund moves with them.
SCCR Holdings
- Bonds
- 605
- 17%
- Treasury Note 4.25% 08/15/2029 (BBG02444V9P5)
Sectors
- Financials100.0%
Geography
- United States94.68%
- Canada1.64%
- Singapore1.15%
- Netherlands1.13%
- Japan0.71%
- United Kingdom0.69%
SCCR 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.
SCCR$9,808
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 | SCCR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.6% |
| 1 month | −1.2% |
| 3 months | −2.8% |
| 1 year | −1.9% |
| 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 | SCCR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.6% | |
| 2025 | +6.5% |
SCCR in the news
SCCR Dividends
- 4.76%
- $1.16
- $0.10 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
SCCR Risk
- 3.9%
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.
- −0.72
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.
- 0.05
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
SCCR Cost
0.16%
SCCR0.16%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
28 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- ABNDPVanguard Core-Plus Bond Index ETFExpense ratio 0.05%1 year return —
- AFLCBFranklin U.S. Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return −2.0%
- ATAGGT. Rowe Price QM U.S. Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return −1.7%
- ADFCFDimensional - Core Fixed Income ETFExpense ratio 0.18%1 year return −1.9%
- AEUSBiShares ESG Advanced Universal USD Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.12%1 year return −1.6%