Category Review
Municipal bond funds are down for the year after a third-quarter selloff erased the first-half gain
Sterling Capital Enhanced Core Bond ETF
$23.79+0.04 (+0.16%)
- 0.39%
- $603M
- −2.1%
- 5.24%
- 0.1M sh
- $23.71
- low $23.57high $25.75
The ETF.net SCEC Grade
B
Score 58 out of 100
- 64 of 117
Score 58 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.D37 out of 100Rank 68 of 117Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A99 out of 100Rank 59 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.D39 out of 100Rank 82 of 117Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A71 out of 100Rank 33 of 116Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.D35 out of 100Rank 94 of 117
Our read on SCEC
BA core bond fund that declines to take core bond rate risk. Sterling's active team stays anchored in investment-grade credit but holds average duration to 18 months or less, so yield swings hit the portfolio far more softly.
The Fund seeks enhanced core-bond exposure by actively allocating primarily to fixed-income securities, with investment-grade bonds as the main focus and limited below-investment-grade exposure. It maintains an average duration of 18 months or less.
Why people hold it
- The mandate caps average duration at 18 months or less, keeping price moves from shifting rates short and shallow versus longer core bond portfolios.
- Actively managed with investment-grade bonds doing the heavy lifting and only limited below-investment-grade exposure, so the yield reach stays a sleeve, not the whole bet.
- Pays monthly, and the portfolio it actually holds lines up closely with the strategy the prospectus describes.
- Sits in the upper half of a crowded 187-fund aggregate-bond group despite being one of its newest entrants.
Worth knowing
- At 0.39% it runs above the 0.36% category median, and index-tracking rivals like BND, SPAB and SCHZ charge 0.03%. Active management is the line item you are paying for.
- Short duration cuts both ways: muted damage when yields rise, muted lift when they fall. This is not a stand-in for full aggregate-index duration.
- Launched in 2025, so the live record is short and the fund is still building scale next to the index giants in its group.
SCEC Holdings
- Bonds
- 362
- 16%
- T 4 1/4 08/15/54
SCEC 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.
SCEC$9,786
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 | SCEC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −2.9% |
| 1 month | −1.3% |
| 3 months | −3.0% |
| 1 year | −2.1% |
| 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 | SCEC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −2.9% | |
| 2025 | +5.0% |
SCEC in the news
SCEC Dividends
- 5.24%
- $1.24
- $0.10 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
SCEC Risk
- 4.0%
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.
- −0.84
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.
- −4.8%
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.
- 0.09
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
SCEC Cost
0.39%
SCEC0.39%
- The middle half of US Aggregate Bond funds
- Median 0.34%
64 of the 113 US Aggregate Bond funds charge less.
Other funds in US Aggregate Bond
- BDBNDDoubleLine Opportunistic Core Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return −2.1%
- BPTRBPGIM Total Return Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return −1.9%
- BTCPBThrivent Core Plus Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return −2.1%
- BWCPBWeitz Core Plus Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return −0.5%
- BCPLSAlliance Bernstein - AB Core Plus Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return −2.4%