CLOC vs PAAA

CLOCBAAM Crescent CLO ETF

PAAAAPGIM AAA CLO ETF

In short

CLOC A 2025 arrival in the CLO aisle that undercuts the category on fee: 0.18% a year, below the typical CLO fund and below the giants it competes with. Its mandate leads with capital preservation, then low correlation and current income.

PAAA PGIM's entry in the AAA CLO race: an actively run book of the senior-most slice of collateralized loan obligations, floating-rate, priced at 0.19%, paid out monthly. Same playbook as the category's biggest names, a hair cheaper.

Stated mandate

CLOC The Fund seeks capital preservation, low correlation with traditional asset classes, and current income.

PAAA The Fund seeks to maximize total return through current income and capital appreciation. It invests primarily in U.S. dollar-denominated AAA-rated CLOs and is actively managed rather than designed to replicate a specific index.

Why people hold it

• CLOC Cheapest seat in the CLO aisle: 0.18% a year against a 0.25% category median, and a step under the biggest AAA CLO funds (JAAA, CLOA, PAAA, FAAA, ACLO at 0.19%-0.20%).
• The mandate is unusually explicit: capital preservation first, low correlation with traditional asset classes second, current income third.
• Young, but it already stands in the upper half of a crowded 27-fund CLO group.

• PAAA At 0.19%, one of the cheapest tickets into AAA CLOs, undercutting the 0.20% charged by CLOA, JAAA, FAAA and ACLO and sitting well below the category median.
• Keeps at least 80% of investable assets in US dollar CLOs rated AAA at purchase, the tranche that stands first in line for cash from the underlying loan pool.mutualfunds.compgim.com
• CLO coupons float, so the income stream resets with short-term rates rather than locking to a fixed coupon. Cash goes out monthly.pgim.com
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, with spread and execution behavior among the strongest in its peer group.

Worth knowing

• CLOC Thinly traded next to the multi-billion-dollar CLO names, so spreads can be wider and larger orders take patience.
• Launched in October 2025, so the history is short and there is not yet a full credit cycle to judge it by.
• Distributions have come on an irregular schedule rather than a fixed monthly rhythm, so income timing is less predictable.

• PAAA Actively managed against the JP Morgan CLOIE AAA Index, not built to match it. Holdings and results can diverge from the benchmark by design.
• The AAA stamp sits atop a pool of leveraged loans to below-investment-grade borrowers, and up to 20% of investable assets can go outside AAA-rated CLOs.mutualfunds.com
• Launched in 2023, so the track record is short and does not yet span a full credit cycle.

Full CLOC profile⁠

Full PAAA profile⁠