Fixed-income funds

By category, ranked by three-year total returns

Dec 23, 2012 @ 12:01 am (Updated 9:36 pm) EST

General and insured municipal debt

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Oppenheimer AMT-Free Municipals A$2,787.622.7%12.3%2.9%1.1%
Guggenheim Municipal Income Fund A$80.213.7%12.1%3.5%0.8%
Wells Fargo CoreBuilder Shares - Series M$41.414.9%10.9% N/A0.0%
Nuveen All-American Municipal Bond Fund A$2,788.314.1%9.8%7.2%0.8%
SEI Tax-Advantaged Income Fund A$459.116.4%9.4%6.1%1.2%
Lord Abbett National Tax-Free Income Fund A$2,035.815.9%9.3%6.3%0.8%
Pioneer AMT-Free Municipal Fund A$933.614.7%9.3%6.6%0.8%
Eaton Vance AMT-Free Municipal Income Fund I$473.817.6%9.3%5.6%0.7%
Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund Institutional$180.912.8%9.1% N/A1.0%
BlackRock National Municipal Fund Institutional$5,122.312.6%8.8%6.7%0.7%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Saratoga Municipal Bond Portfolio I$3.64.2%3.2%2.6%1.6%
Old Westbury Municipal Bond Fund$1,086.05.1%4.4%5.0%0.6%
Manning & Napier Diversified Tax Exempt Series$333.04.3%4.5%4.8%0.6%
ISI Managed Municipal Fund A$111.96.4%4.8%4.7%1.0%
Frost Municipal Bond Fund Institutional$225.86.2%4.9% N/A0.7%
Barclays Municipal Bond Total Return Index 9.2%7.1%6.3% 

 

High-yield debt

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Fidelity Real Estate High Income Fund$869.118.5%18.2%5.0%0.8%
John Hancock Core High Yield Fund A N/A14.9%15.4% N/A1.2%
Hotchkis & Wiley High Yield Fund I$719.515.8%13.6% N/A0.7%
Delaware High-Yield Bond Portfolio$96.116.7%13.3%10.0%0.6%
SEI High Yield Bond Fund A$1,832.414.8%13.2%8.2%1.1%
CNI High Yield Bond Fund Servicing$153.913.2%13.1%8.6%1.1%
Federated High Yield Trust Service$322.616.3%13.0%9.0%1.0%
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio Investor A$9,254.514.5%13.0%8.5%0.9%
Calvert High Yield Bond Fund I$73.513.8%12.9%8.5%0.7%
Waddell & Reed Advisors High Income Fund A$1,831.017.5%12.9%9.1%1.1%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Direxion Dynamic HY Bond Fund Investor$29.59.0%5.7%1.3%1.9%
Intrepid Income Fund Investor$102.95.9%5.8%5.1%1.2%
Wells Fargo Advantage Short-Term High Yield Bond Fund Investor$1,112.46.6%5.9%4.9%0.9%
Iron Strategic Income Fund Institutional$493.07.9%7.2%8.4%1.7%
Aegis High Yield Fund I$50.96.3%7.5%7.6%1.2%
Barclays U.S. High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Total Return Index 14.5%12.3%9.8% 

 

Inflation-protected bond Funds

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Pimco Real Return Asset Fund Institutional$568.115.1%15.7%11.5%0.6%
GMO Inflation Indexed Plus Bond Fund VI$27.313.7%14.3%6.2%0.4%
Pimco Real Return Fund Institutional$25,065.09.4%9.6%8.3%0.5%
DFA Inflation Protected Securities Portfolio Institutional$2,439.27.5%9.6%7.9%0.1%
John Hancock Real Return Bond Fund NAV$692.09.0%9.3%8.1%0.8%
American Independence U.S. Inflation-Indexed Fund Institutional$384.06.5%9.0%7.7%0.3%
Harbor Real Return Fund Institutional$507.18.1%9.0%7.7%0.6%
Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund Institutional$318.07.0%9.0%7.6%0.3%
Nuveen Inflation Protected Securities Fund I$379.26.9%9.0%7.4%0.6%
Loomis Sayles Inflation Protected Securities Fund Institutional$27.06.9%9.0%7.0%0.4%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Franklin Real Return Fund A$554.82.0%3.0%3.2%0.9%
SEI Institutional Managed Real Return Fund A$281.81.0%3.4% N/A0.9%
Federated Real Return Bond Fund Class A$80.05.1%4.9%4.9%0.8%
American Century Inflation Protection Bond Fund Investor$791.92.2%5.7%5.6%0.6%
Fidelity Series Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund$7,918.34.6%6.1% N/A0.2%
Barclays U.S. TIPS Total Return Index 6.9%8.9%7.4% 

 

Intermediate-term investment-grade debt

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Pimco Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund Institutional$8,475.314.4%11.4%10.9%0.5%
USAA Intermediate-Term Bond Fund Retail$2,602.211.5%10.8%8.1%0.7%
BMO TCH Corporate Income Fund I$142.412.8%10.3% N/A0.6%
Pace Strategic Fixed Income Investments P$924.49.8%9.9%9.6%0.8%
Natixis Loomis Sayles Core Plus Bond Fund A$1,388.511.2%9.8%9.1%0.9%
Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund I$9,860.38.8%9.7%8.3%0.5%
Oppenheimer Core Bond Fund A$1,291.510.5%9.7%-1.9%0.9%
Cavanal Hill Bond Fund No-Load Investor$46.86.9%9.5%5.4%0.8%
Metropolitan West Total Return Bond Fund M$22,154.911.2%9.5%8.7%0.6%
Scout Core Plus Bond Fund Inst$496.911.0%9.4%10.2%0.4%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
STAAR General Bond Fund$2.43.4%2.0%2.1%1.8%
Saratoga Investment Quality Bond Portfolio I$9.93.5%3.3%4.1%1.5%
Teton Westwood Intermediate Bond Fund AAA$23.82.8%4.1%4.8%1.0%
Calamos Total Return Bond Fund A$235.73.5%4.3%5.7%0.9%
New Covenant Income Fund$297.22.8%4.3%2.1%0.9%
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Total Return 5.0%6.2%6.3% 

 

International income

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund III$67.511.9%9.8%5.7%0.4%
Pimco Foreign Bond Fund (U.S. Dollar-Hedged) Institutional$5,281.411.2%9.0%8.4%0.5%
Pimco Foreign Bond Fund (Unhedged) Institutional$5,407.87.7%8.5%8.8%0.5%
Aberdeen Asia Bond Fund Institutional$480.18.5%8.4%6.1%0.7%
GMO International Bond Fund III$73.57.0%8.3%4.9%0.4%
Templeton Global Bond Fund A$63,245.610.5%7.7%9.1%0.9%
Touchstone International Fixed Income Fund Institutional$32.15.4%7.7% N/A0.7%
Templeton International Bond Fund A$330.99.2%7.4% N/A1.1%
CGCM International Fixed Income Investments$434.47.8%7.1%6.7%0.7%
Dreyfus International Bond Fund I$1,760.36.7%6.2%9.2%0.8%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
Federated Prudent DollarBear Fund A$240.4-1.3%0.6%1.8%1.3%
American Century International Bond Fund Investor$1,298.02.4%1.9%3.5%0.8%
Federated International Bond Fund A$75.73.1%2.5%4.7%1.0%
BlackRock International Bond Portfolio Service$238.93.1%2.9%3.7%1.1%
MassMutual Premier International Bond Fund S$54.82.0%3.3% N/A0.8%
Barclays Global Aggregate ex U.S. Total Return Index 3.2%3.4%4.8% 

 

Short-term investment-grade debt

Top 10Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
GMO Short-Duration Collateral Share Fund III$36.013.6%7.7%4.3%0.2%
Metropolitan West Low Duration Bond Fund M$1,665.67.4%6.7%3.2%0.6%
Cavanal Hill Short-Term Income Fund No-Load Investor$128.64.3%6.3%2.7%0.7%
Metropolitan West Ultra Short Bond Fund M$110.25.5%5.9%0.8%0.5%
Lord Abbett Short Duration Income Fund A$25,267.36.5%5.4%6.4%0.6%
Pimco Low Duration Fund III Institutional$259.56.1%4.6%4.7%0.5%
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio Institutional$2,249.75.1%4.4%3.3%0.6%
Western Asset Short-Term Bond Fund A$516.03.3%4.3%2.3%0.8%
Pioneer Short Term Income Fund Y$224.44.6%4.3%3.9%0.5%
Pimco Low Duration Fund Institutional$22,685.46.1%4.3%5.1%0.5%

Bottom 5Portfolio net assets ($M)1-year return3-year return5-year returnExpense ratio*
STAAR Short Term Bond Fund$1.31.7%0.4%0.6%1.7%
SA U.S. Fixed Income Fund$381.50.1%0.7%1.7%0.7%
DFA LWAS/DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio$89.00.8%1.1%2.1%0.3%
American Funds Short-Term Bond Fund of America A$4,322.10.9%1.2%1.8%0.6%
Permanent Portfolio Versatile Bond Portfolio$13.53.1%1.3%2.0%0.8%
Barclays 1-3 Year Government/Credit Total Return Index 1.2%1.8%3.1% 

Assets as of September 30, 2012; returns as of November 9, 2012. Distinct classes only. Funds closed to new investors have been omitted. Rankings are based on unrounded figures. Three-year and five-year returns are annualized. In case of multiple share classes, the oldest share class is listed. N/A = not available (fund has been in operation for less than five years). *Net prospectus

Source: Lipper