ETFIQ Municipal Bonds benchmark
Tax-aware family · 0% stocks, not in a bandETFIQ is an independent publisher of exchange-traded fund data. It is not a fund issuer, broker-dealer or investment adviser, takes no payment from issuers, and makes no recommendations.
Over 10 years to Sep 30, 2026, ETFIQ Municipal Bonds had a total return of +1.48% a year, hypothetical.
One sentence, recomputed nightly. A benchmark is a rule, not a recommendation.
Stock-share scale
Holdings as of Jul 31, 2026Five bands, open below and closed above: 15 to 30, 30 to 50, 50 to 70, 70 to 85, over 85. The portfolio is a dot with its figure, date and band. Under 15% is not a band and is drawn as empty track.
Growth of $10,000
Trailing ranges end on Sep 30, 2026, All on Oct 7, 2026. The hypothetical span is dashed and shaded; the largest drawdown is shaded and dated under the chart. Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices.
| Value on | Sep 30, 2025 | Dec 10, 2025 | Feb 24, 2026 | May 7, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | $10,000 | $10,123 | $10,336 | $10,255 | $10,261 | $9,785 |
| Reference | $10,000 | $10,083 | $10,245 | $10,128 | $10,076 | $9,815 |
| Value on | Sep 29, 2023 | May 6, 2024 | Dec 10, 2024 | Jul 21, 2025 | Feb 25, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | $10,000 | $10,632 | $11,003 | $10,705 | $11,470 | $10,853 |
| Reference | $10,000 | $10,476 | $11,001 | $11,195 | $11,754 | $11,264 |
| Value on | Sep 30, 2021 | Sep 29, 2022 | Sep 29, 2023 | Sep 27, 2024 | Sep 30, 2025 | Sep 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | $10,000 | $8,939 | $9,181 | $10,069 | $10,182 | $9,964 |
| Reference | $10,000 | $8,570 | $8,604 | $9,619 | $9,874 | $9,691 |
| Value on | Sep 30, 2016 | Sep 28, 2018 | Sep 29, 2020 | Sep 27, 2022 | Sep 27, 2024 | Sep 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | $10,000 | $10,072 | $11,367 | $10,396 | $11,709 | $11,587 |
| Reference | $10,000 | $9,858 | $11,654 | $9,769 | $11,081 | $11,164 |
| Value on | Aug 25, 2015 | Nov 10, 2017 | Feb 4, 2020 | Apr 22, 2022 | Jul 16, 2024 | Oct 7, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | $10,000 | $10,723 | $11,852 | $11,415 | $12,194 | $12,236 |
| Reference | $10,000 | $10,532 | $11,696 | $11,016 | $11,285 | $11,807 |
Facts
As of Oct 7, 2026- Family · band
- Tax-aware · not in a band
- Stock share, the rule
- 0%
- Stock share, measured
- 0.00%
- Rebalance
- Rebalanced on the last trading day of each month
- Cash rate
- Treasury 13-week bill rate
- Fee treatment
- Fund fees inside prices; nothing else deducted
- Start of series
- Aug 25, 2015
- Base date
- Aug 25, 2015 = $10,000
- Tracked from
- Oct 5, 2026
- Method version
- v1.3
ETFIQ takes no payment from any fund company. A benchmark is a rule, not a recommendation.
Return table
Prices to Oct 7, 2026| YTD* | 1Y* | 3Y* | 5Y* | 10Y* | Since start* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ETFIQ Municipal Bonds | −4.00% | −2.15% | +2.76% | −0.07% | +1.48% | +1.89% |
| All bonds, the reference | −2.63% | −1.85% | +4.05% | −0.63% | +1.11% | +1.54% |
| Difference | −1.37 | −0.30 | −1.29 | +0.56 | +0.37 | +0.35 |
*Hypothetical as a whole: the window begins before the tracked date, Oct 5, 2026. YTD and 1Y are total returns; 3Y, 5Y, 10Y and since start are annualised; the difference row is the two figures above it subtracted, in percentage points. Series starts Aug 25, 2015; tracked from Oct 5, 2026. The reference: the strategic member at stock share 0.
Risk by window
Prices to Sep 30, 2026| Measure | 3 years* | 5 years* | 10 years* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Reference | Portfolio | Reference | Portfolio | Reference | |
Volatility (annualised) Sample standard deviation of monthly returns, times the square root of 12 | 5.59% | 5.55% | 6.35% | 6.50% | 5.27% | 5.23% |
Maximum drawdown Largest fall from a peak to a later low, on daily values, in the window | −6.58% (Jul 6 to Sep 29, 2026) | −4.78% (Sep 16, 2024 to Jan 13, 2025) | −12.35% (Dec 23, 2021 to Oct 25, 2022) | −17.35% (Nov 9, 2021 to Oct 20, 2022) | −17.00% (Mar 9 to Mar 19, 2020) | −18.50% (Aug 4, 2020 to Oct 20, 2022) |
Worst month Lowest single calendar-month return | −3.73% (Sep 2026) | −2.58% (Sep 2026) | −3.73% (Sep 2026) | −4.16% (Sep 2022) | −3.81% (Nov 2016) | −4.16% (Sep 2022) |
Sharpe on T-bills Return over the Treasury 13-week bill rate, per unit of volatility, monthly | −0.29 | −0.07 | −0.60 | −0.67 | −0.17 | −0.24 |
Beta to the reference Sensitivity to the reference’s monthly moves | 0.87 | not published | 0.90 | not published | 0.87 | not published |
Up capture Share of the reference’s gains kept in its up months | 83.49% | not published | 91.17% | not published | 92.17% | not published |
Down capture Share of the reference’s losses taken in its down months | 94.16% | not published | 85.81% | not published | 84.94% | not published |
*Hypothetical as a whole: the window begins before the tracked date, Oct 5, 2026. Not published: the reference’s beta and captures. A reference measured against itself.
Calendar years with percentile in band
prices to Oct 7, 2026| Year | Municipal Bonds | All bonds, the reference | Band median | Percentile · funds | Band low to high |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 to Oct 7, 2026* | −4.00% | −2.63% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2025* | +3.72% | +7.14% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2024* | +1.31% | +1.34% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2023* | +6.15% | +5.65% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2022* | −8.00% | −13.07% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2021* | +1.14% | −1.82% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2020* | +5.20% | +7.60% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2019* | +7.35% | +8.65% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2018* | +1.04% | −0.01% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2017* | +4.87% | +3.56% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2016* | +0.18% | +2.47% | not published | not published | not published |
| 2015 | not published | not published | not published | not published | not published |
*Hypothetical: the year starts before Oct 5, 2026, when the tracked record starts. Not published: 2015. The history starts 2015-08-25, after the last close of December 2014. Not published: the band median, percentile and range. ETFIQ has not placed allocation funds in bands yet, so there is no set to take a percentile in.
Stress windows
Rule version 1 · prices to each window’s last close11 windows, found by the published rule on every run: each card draws the family’s members from $10,000 at the window’s first close, with the return, the dollars and the largest drawdown inside it.
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 20 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 40 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 60 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 80 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 95 | no history | ||
Not shown, outside a member’s history: Municipal Bonds: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 20: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 40: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 60: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 80: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 95: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07).
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 20 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 40 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 60 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 80 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 95 | no history | ||
Not shown, outside a member’s history: Municipal Bonds: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 20: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 40: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 60: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 80: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 95: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07).
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 20 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 40 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 60 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 80 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 95 | no history | ||
Not shown, outside a member’s history: Municipal Bonds: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 20: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 40: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 60: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 80: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 95: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07).
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 20 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 40 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 60 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 80 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 95 | no history | ||
Not shown, outside a member’s history: Municipal Bonds: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 20: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 40: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 60: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 80: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); Tax-Aware 95: outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07).
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 20 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 40 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 60 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 80 | no history | ||
| Tax-Aware 95 | no history | ||
Not shown, outside a member’s history: Municipal Bonds: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit; Tax-Aware 20: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit; Tax-Aware 40: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit; Tax-Aware 60: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit; Tax-Aware 80: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit; Tax-Aware 95: partly outside its history (its history runs 2015-08-25 to 2026-10-07); a window is never cut to fit.
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | +1.69% | $10,169 | −1.80% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −2.88% | $9,712 | −2.93% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −7.32% | $9,268 | −7.32% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −11.66% | $8,834 | −11.66% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | −15.87% | $8,413 | −15.87% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | −18.96% | $8,104 | −18.96% |
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | −9.72% | $9,028 | −17.00% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −14.99% | $8,501 | −18.87% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −20.08% | $7,992 | −21.93% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −24.98% | $7,502 | −25.39% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | −29.69% | $7,031 | −29.69% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | −33.11% | $6,689 | −33.11% |
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | −12.49% | $8,751 | −12.77% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −14.45% | $8,555 | −14.45% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −16.43% | $8,357 | −16.43% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −18.41% | $8,159 | −18.41% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | −20.40% | $7,960 | −20.40% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | −21.89% | $7,811 | −21.89% |
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | −9.07% | $9,093 | −11.70% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −6.10% | $9,390 | −14.32% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −3.21% | $9,679 | −17.27% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −0.43% | $9,957 | −20.21% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | +2.25% | $10,225 | −23.24% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | +4.19% | $10,419 | −25.60% |
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | −9.88% | $9,012 | −11.40% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −13.31% | $8,669 | −14.32% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −16.68% | $8,332 | −17.27% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −19.98% | $8,002 | −20.21% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | −23.22% | $7,678 | −23.22% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | −25.60% | $7,440 | −25.60% |
| Member | Return | On $10,000 | Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Bonds | −3.15% | $9,685 | −4.28% |
| Tax-Aware 20 | −5.92% | $9,408 | −6.32% |
| Tax-Aware 40 | −8.64% | $9,136 | −8.71% |
| Tax-Aware 60 | −11.31% | $8,869 | −11.31% |
| Tax-Aware 80 | −13.94% | $8,606 | −13.94% |
| Tax-Aware 95 | −15.87% | $8,413 | −15.87% |
The rule. A fall of VT of 10% or more, and a fall of AGG of 5% or more, measured exactly on the published adjusted closes. A fall of 9.99% in VT is not a window. A window runs from its peak close to its trough close, both days included, and is named by them. Rule version 1.
Holdings
Weights in force since Aug 25, 2015| Fund | Sleeve | Weight | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTEB Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF | Municipal bonds | 100% | 0.03% |
The weights the rule sets at each rebalance, in force since Aug 25, 2015. Each fund’s expense ratio is from its prospectus, as of Feb 27, 2026.
Exposures against the reference
Holdings as of Jul 31, 2026Stocks0.00%0.00%level
Preferred shares0.00%0.00%level
Bonds98.93%98.62%0.31 points over
Funds0.00%0.00%level
Other, including cash1.07%1.38%0.31 points under
Municipal bonds98.93%
- Stocks by region
- not published (the portfolio holds no stocks)
- Sectors
- not published (the portfolio holds no stocks)
- Bonds by issuer, Government
- not published (no held fund with bonds publishes a government share of its bonds)
- Bonds by issuer, Corporate
- not published (no held fund with bonds publishes a corporate share of its bonds)
Percent of the portfolio, looked through to each fund’s filings. The lower bar is All bonds, by the same rule; the difference is in percentage points. Not published: Municipal bonds for the reference. The reference publishes no such row.
Factor loadings
132 months to Aug 31, 2026Regression of monthly excess returns on the five Fama-French factors and momentum, by least squares, with a t statistic for each.
R² 0.19. Factor returns from the Kenneth R. French data library, as named in Sources. Loadings over a span that begins before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical. Not published: the lower bar and the difference. The reference’s loadings cover Jan 29, 2010 to Aug 31, 2026, not the same months as these, Aug 31, 2015 to Aug 31, 2026.
Turnover
12 months to Sep 30, 2026 · 0.00% a yearShare of the benchmark traded each month, from the rule’s rebalances.
Each month is the sum of its rebalances’ turnover, one side of the trades over the portfolio; the 12 add up to 0.00% a year. Trading costs are not deducted from the returns. Since Aug 31, 2015: 0.00% a year.
Look-through holdings
Books as of Aug 31, 2026100.00% of the portfolio seen through to securities; 0.00% unmatched (rows with no ETFIQ security id, never ranked). Percent of the gross long weight; negative lines, such as cash owed and written options, net −0.05% of the portfolio. Matched by ETFIQ security id (all 1 books read carry a sid for every row). Books: VTEB Aug 31, 2026.
| # | Security | Share of portfolio | Held by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanguard Municipal Low Duration Fund CMTHeld by VTEB 0.81 | 0.81% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 2 | State of California CASHeld by VTEB 0.16 | 0.16% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 3 | State of California CASHeld by VTEB 0.15 | 0.15% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 4 | City of New York NY NYCHeld by VTEB 0.12 | 0.12% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 5 | University of California UNVHGRHeld by VTEB 0.11 | 0.11% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 6 | Oregon State Facilities Authority ORSFACHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 7 | State of Idaho IDSHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 8 | Tarrant County Cultural Education Facilities Finance Corp TAREDUHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 9 | State of California CASHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 10 | New Jersey Turnpike Authority NJSTRNHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 11 | New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority NJSMEDHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 12 | City of New York NY NYCHeld by VTEB 0.10 | 0.10% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 13 | State of Maryland MDSHeld by VTEB 0.09 | 0.09% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 14 | State of Wisconsin WISHeld by VTEB 0.09 | 0.09% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 15 | Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority TRBTRNHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 16 | Dallas Independent School District DALSCDHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 17 | New York State Thruway Authority NYSTRNHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 18 | Ohio Water Development Authority Water Pollution Control Loan Fund OHSPOLHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 19 | Energy Northwest ENEPWRHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 20 | New Jersey Turnpike Authority NJSTRNHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 21 | Ohio State University/The OHSHGRHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 22 | New York State Dormitory Authority NYSHGRHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 23 | State of Illinois ILSHeld by VTEB 0.08 | 0.08% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 24 | Kentucky State Property & Building Commission KYSFACHeld by VTEB 0.07 | 0.07% | 1 of 1 funds |
| 25 | Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County TN METHeld by VTEB 0.07 | 0.07% | 1 of 1 funds |
The 25 largest of 10,723 securities matched across 1 funds; each row opens to list the funds that hold it.
Costs
Fees from prospectuses, Feb 27, 2026| Layer | A year | On $10,000 | Source · date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted fund fee | 0.03% | $3.00 | Prospectuses · Feb 27, 2026 |
Weighted expense ratio 0.03%, each weight times its fund’s expense ratio. It is already inside the returns below.
Change log
Every target-weight change since Aug 25, 2015 · newest first| Date | Holding | Old | New | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2015 | VTEB | not held | 100.00% | Initial allocation |
*A change before Oct 5, 2026 is hypothetical: the rule applied to earlier prices. 134 drift rebalances between Aug 25, 2015 and Oct 7, 2026 reset the weights to these targets; they are counted, not listed.
Method, definitions and disclosures
Methodology v1.3 · read it- Total return
- Value at the end over value at the start, minus 1: distributions reinvested, each fund’s fees inside its price.
- Annualised
- (1 + total return) to the power 12 over the number of whole months, minus 1; from 12 months.
- Volatility
- Sample standard deviation of monthly returns, times the square root of 12; from 36 monthly returns.
- Maximum drawdown
- The largest fall from a peak to a later low, on daily values, with the dates of both.
- Sharpe on T-bills
- 12 times the mean monthly return over the Treasury 13-week bill rate, over the square root of 12 times its standard deviation; from 36 months.
- Turnover
- The trading of the rebalances inside the window, a year, the start excluded.
The rule: 100% VTEB, rebalanced on the last trading day of each month. The tax-aware family’s rule, as the method states it: “x% VT, (100 - x)% VTEB.” Methodology version 1.3; launched on Oct 3, 2026, when ETFIQ froze the family’s rule. Every weight follows from the rule and public facts.
Launched on Oct 3, 2026, when ETFIQ froze its rule. Figures before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical: today’s rule and funds applied to earlier prices, which is look-ahead. From Oct 5, 2026 the record is tracked, and a window that starts before it is hypothetical as a whole.
Total returns are market price with distributions reinvested, net of each fund’s own fees, with nothing else deducted. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias. Data sourced by Tiingo.
Questions people ask about Municipal Bonds
- What is ETFIQ Municipal Bonds?
- A rules-based benchmark: 100% VTEB, rebalanced on the last trading day of each month. ETFIQ publishes it to measure tax-aware and tax-sensitive allocation models that hold only bonds. It is not a fund and cannot be bought.
- Is ETFIQ Municipal Bonds a recommendation?
- No. It is a yardstick, the same for everyone, and every weight follows from a written rule and public facts. ETFIQ publishes no trades for it and takes no payment from the issuer of any fund it holds.
- Why are some of its returns hypothetical?
- ETFIQ froze the rule on Oct 3, 2026. Returns before Oct 5, 2026 apply today’s rule and funds to earlier prices, which is look-ahead; returns from that date are tracked. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias.
ETFIQ takes no payment from any fund company. A link is not an endorsement. Figures are calculated by ETFIQ from the sources above and are free to use with attribution.
ETFIQ, ETFIQ Municipal Bonds: weights, rule and returns, data as of Oct 7, 2026. https://etfiq.com/benchmarks/municipal-bonds/
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data. Figures before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical.