High-yield municipal bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) invest in the debt issued by states, counties, cities, special purpose districts, or local government agencies. These municipalities issue bonds to raise money for civic projects, such as building public schools, repairing bridges, or expanding airports. Generally, this type of ETF tracks the performance of an index that focuses on high-yield municipal bonds by using a sampling approach.
Although this sector of the muni universe offers high potential returns, it carries a moderate-to-high degree of credit risk. That makes it a good candidate for the ETF structure: Investors can mitigate some of that risk via the diversification of the fund's portfolio. Like the underlying debt instruments they hold, these ETFs are tax-exempt, which can be highly beneficial to investors in high-income tax brackets.
Here are three leading muni bond ETFs. All data is current as of July 2023.
Key Takeaways
- High-yield municipal bond ETFs offer tax-exempt yields to investors in diversified portfolios that mitigate some of the debt instruments' risk.
- Munis can provide tax-free income at the federal, state, and municipal levels.
- Three leading ETFs in this sector are SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond ETF, the VanEck Vectors High-Yield Municipal Index ETF, and the BlackRock High Yield Muni Income Bond ETF
1. SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond ETF
This fund (HYMB) began life in 2011 as the SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF. In October 2019, its sponsor State Street Global Advisors changed the benchmark, and hence the name, to SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond ETF. The fund seeks to provide investment results corresponding to the performance of this index, which measures the performance of USD-denominated high-yield municipal bonds issued by U.S. states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and local governments or agencies. It invests at least 80% (and usually virtually all) of its assets in securities in the index, or with identical characteristics to those in the index.
HYMB is heavily weighted toward below-investment-grade municipal bonds with 10 or more years to maturity. Its top holdings include bonds issued by entities in Puerto Rico, Ohio, and Chicago.
HYMB has a current yield of 4.66%, a taxable equivalent yield of 7.36% (based on the highest marginal tax bracket), and a modified adjusted duration of 7.36 years. HYMB charges an expense ratio of 0.35%.
Based on these statistics, the fund is best suited for fixed-income investors with investment horizons greater than 10 years who have high-risk tolerances seeking exposure to the high-yield municipal bond market while generating high potential federal tax-exempt yields.
2. VanEck Vectors High Yield Municipal Index ETF
Established in 2009 as the Market Vectors High Yield Municipal Index ETF (HYD), this fund seeks to replicate and provide investment results corresponding to the Bloomberg Municipal Custom High Yield Composite Index. HYD's benchmark index is designed to track the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated, long-term, high-yield, tax-exempt bonds.
The fund has total net assets of $2.87 billion, 1,491 holdings, and an expense ratio of 0.32%. HYD takes a more conservative approach than HYMB. Although HYD's primary focus is on high-yield municipal bonds, which generally have below-investment-grade credit ratings, it also allocates 30.99% of its portfolio to investment-grade debt. Currently, its top 10 holdings include issuers based in Illinois, Puerto Rico, Texas, New York, and California.
HYD has an average yield to maturity of 5.24% and a taxable equivalent 30-day SEC yield of 4.46% at the highest tax bracket). It has an average coupon of 4.88% and a modified duration of 9.16 years. Due to its high duration, HYD carries a moderate-to-high degree of interest rate risk. If yields increase by 100 basis points, HYD's portfolio theoretically decreases by 6.65%. Therefore, HYD is best suited for fixed-income investors with high-risk tolerances and long-term investment horizons who seek exposure to a diversified portfolio of high-yield municipal bonds that generate monthly income.
Municipal bond ETFs are exempt from federal income tax; however, since they usually hold a geographically mixed portfolio of debt, they may be subject to an investor's state and local income taxes.
3. BlackRock High Yield Muni Income Bond ETF
The BlackRock High Yield Muni Income Bond ETF (HYMU) seeks to maximize tax-free current income and capital appreciation with a portfolio composed principally of high yield and other income generating U.S. municipal bonds. The ETF is actively managed by the municipal bond team at BlackRock
HYMU was first issued in March 16, 2021. It has 139 holdings, net assets of $57,848,886 as of July 10, 2023, and a expense ratio of 0.46%.
With a 30-day SEC Yield of 3.94%, HYMU has an averate yield to maturity of 4.89% and an effective duration of 7.91 years.
What Is the Largest Municipal Bond ETF?
The largest muni bond ETF is the iShares National Muni Bond ETF (MUB) with $32.25 billion in assets.
Are Municipal Bond ETFs Tax-Free?
Yes: interest payments from a muni bond are free from federal income tax; usually they're also also tax-free at state and municipal levels.
What Are the Benefits of a Municipal Bond?
Muni bonds are an attractive investment becasue they offer stability for your capital with low default rates. Interest payments from muni bonds are also tax exempt. However, they may have lower interest rates than riskier investments like corporate bonds or stocks.
The Bottom Line
Municipal bond ETFs are considered a relatively safe investment, but they yield relatively low returns. High-yield municipal bonds, on the other hand, offer higher potential returns than investment-grade muni bonds, but they also involve higher risks. Diversified portfolios help mitigate some of the debt instruments' risk. The yields are tax free, wich make high-yield muni bond ETFs an attractive investment.
