VanEck Short Muni ETF
$17.02+0.04 (+0.27%)
- 0.07%
- $369M
- +0.5%
- 2.85%
- 0.2M sh
- $16.94
- low $16.82high $17.53
The ETF.net SMB Grade
A
Score 71 out of 100
- 9 of 28
Score 71 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.A91 out of 100Rank 3 of 28Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 27Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C47 out of 100Rank 15 of 27Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.D36 out of 100Rank 19 of 28Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D33 out of 100Rank 23 of 28Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B65 out of 100Rank 10 of 28
Our read on SMB
AA muni fund built for the short end: VanEck has run this AMT-free, short-maturity national portfolio since 2008, and it charges 0.07%, a fraction of what the typical muni bond ETF costs.
The fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of the ICE Short AMT-Free Broad National Municipal Index before fees and expenses.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.07% a year, well under the typical muni bond ETF fee. When the whole point is tax-free income, the fee line matters.
- The index is AMT-free by design, so the interest it targets is federally tax-exempt without the alternative minimum tax wrinkle.vaneck.com
- Short maturities mean rate swings move prices less than in long-dated muni funds. Roughly 300 bonds, with income paid monthly.
- Running since 2008, so it has an audited record through a full round trip in interest rates rather than a two-year backtest.
Worth knowing
- The short end of the muni curve is the low-income end. This portfolio is about damping rate moves, not maximizing the payout.
- It is a national fund, aimed at federal tax exemption only. State-level exemption is the job of single-state funds like NYF.vaneck.com
- Broad-maturity rivals VTEB and SCMB charge less and cover the whole curve. The short-maturity focus is the reason to look here.
SMB Holdings
- Other
- 347
- 18%
- -Usd Cash-
Geography
- United States100.00%
SMB Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
SMB$10,053
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 | SMB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −0.4% |
| 1 month | −0.2% |
| 3 months | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +0.5% |
| 3 years | +3.1% |
| 5 years | +1.0% |
| 10 years | +1.4% |
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 | SMB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −0.4% | |
| 2025 | +4.6% | |
| 2024 | +2.4% | |
| 2023 | +3.1% | |
| 2022 | −4.5% | |
| 2021 | +0.1% | |
| 2020 | +3.3% |
SMB in the news
SMB Dividends
- 2.85%
- $0.48
- $0.04 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
SMB 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.
- −0.66
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.
- −7.1%
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.
- 0.33
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
SMB Cost
0.07%
SMB0.07%
- The middle half of Short-Duration Municipal Bonds funds
- Median 0.25%
2 of the 27 Short-Duration Municipal Bonds funds charge less.
Other funds in Short-Duration Municipal Bonds
- ASHMState Street SPDR Nuveen ICE Short Term Municipal Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +0.1%
- APUSHPGIM Ultra Short Municipal Bond ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return +2.1%
- BEVSMEaton Vance Short Duration Municipal Income ETFExpense ratio 0.19%1 year return +0.7%
- BMEARiShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETFExpense ratio 0.26%1 year return +1.4%
- BCGSMCapital Group Short Duration Municipal Income ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +0.9%