ASTFX Performance — American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund, Class F-2
Data updated: 2026-10-14
ASTFX returned +0.91% year to date and +2.69% over one year to Jul 2026. Annualised returns are +3.47% over 3 years and +1.59% over 5 years. Against its Short-Term Municipal Bond category average the fund came out ahead over three years but behind over one: $100 invested three years ago grew to $111, against $110 for the category, and to $103 over one year, against $103. Volatility over the past three years was 2.21% a year. In the 12 months to Jul 2026 the fund took in a net $213.4M, and assets reached $2.36B.
ASTFX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Short-Term Municipal Bond category average over the same months.
| Period | ASTFX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) | $103 | $103 |
| 3 years (Aug 2023 – Jul 2026) | $111 | $110 |
| 5 years (Aug 2021 – Jul 2026) | $108 | $108 |
| Since data start (Aug 2019 – Jul 2026) | $112 | $112 |
ASTFX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jul 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +0.91% |
| 1 year | +2.69% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +3.47% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +1.59% |
ASTFX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jul) | +0.91% |
| 2025 | +4.50% |
| 2024 | +2.61% |
| 2023 | +3.41% |
| 2022 | −2.86% |
| 2021 | −0.15% |
| 2020 | +3.04% |
| 2019 (Aug–Dec) | +0.54% |
ASTFX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +0.7% | +0.6% | −0.9% | +0.4% | +0.1% | +0.3% | −0.4% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +0.6% | +0.6% | −0.3% | −0.2% | +0.5% | +0.7% | +0.5% | +0.5% | +0.5% | +0.1% | +0.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.0% | +0.1% | 0.0% | −0.4% | +0.1% | +0.8% | +0.8% | +0.8% | +0.6% | −0.6% | +0.6% | −0.4% |
| 2023 | +1.3% | −1.3% | +1.3% | −0.2% | −0.6% | +0.4% | +0.3% | −0.2% | −1.0% | 0.0% | +2.5% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | −1.2% | −0.3% | −1.3% | −0.9% | +0.7% | −0.2% | +0.9% | −1.0% | −1.3% | 0.0% | +1.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | +0.3% | −0.4% | +0.1% | +0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.1% | −0.1% | −0.2% | −0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | +0.6% | +0.4% | −0.7% | −0.1% | +1.7% | +0.2% | +0.6% | 0.0% | +0.1% | −0.1% | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | +0.3% | −0.3% | +0.2% | +0.1% | +0.1% |
ASTFX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Aug 2023 – Jul 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 2.21%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: -0.47 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +2.48% (Nov 2023)
- Worst month: −1.02% (Sep 2023)
ASTFX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: $213.4M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $751.6M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 1.40×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | $51.8M | $36.9M | $14.9M |
| Jun 2026 | $57.8M | $41.4M | $16.4M |
| May 2026 | $80.7M | $37.4M | $43.3M |
| Apr 2026 | $57.2M | $56.2M | $1.0M |
| Mar 2026 | $59.9M | $47.2M | $12.7M |
| Feb 2026 | $51.4M | $36.5M | $14.9M |
| Jan 2026 | $55.9M | $42.6M | $13.3M |
| Dec 2025 | $87.4M | $51.5M | $35.9M |
| Nov 2025 | $46.5M | $41.3M | $5.2M |
| Oct 2025 | $59.9M | $38.0M | $21.9M |
| Sep 2025 | $58.7M | $37.1M | $21.6M |
| Aug 2025 | $84.4M | $72.1M | $12.3M |
ASTFX Assets Under Management
Net assets of American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | $2.36B |
| 2026-04-30 | $2.30B |
| 2026-01-31 | $2.29B |
| 2025-10-31 | $2.22B |
| 2025-07-31 | $2.16B |
| 2025-04-30 | $2.06B |
| 2025-01-31 | $2.03B |
| 2024-10-31 | $1.98B |
| 2024-07-31 | $1.90B |
| 2024-04-30 | $2.00B |
| 2024-01-31 | $2.07B |
| 2023-10-31 | $2.07B |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.