BNY Mellon Ultra Short Income ETF (BKUI) Performance
BKUI total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +2.6% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +3.4% total return
- 5 years
- +3.7% a year
- Since first price
- +3.5% a year since 2021
BKUI trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | BKUI total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +0.4% | +0.1% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +0.8% | −0.1% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +1.6% | −0.4% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +2.6% | −0.3% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +3.4% | −0.6% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +15.6%+4.9%/yr | +0.9% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +19.9%+3.7%/yr | −0.6% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionAug 11, 2021 | +19.7%+3.5%/yr | −0.8% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: BKUI vs SPY
From Aug 11, 2021: BKUI grew to $11,974, SPY to $18,368.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
BKUI returns by calendar year
3 of 4 full years positive. Best 2023 (+5.7%), worst 2022 (−0.1%). 2026 is year to date.
BKUI annual returns table
| Year | BKUI | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +2.6% | −0.1% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +4.9% | −0.3% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +5.5% | −0.1% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +5.7% | −0.3% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −0.1% | −1.4% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
BKUI risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +4.9% | +3.6% | +3.5% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.01 | -0.06 | -0.08 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.88 | -0.08 | -0.10 |
| Best month | +0.8% | +0.8% | +0.8% |
| Worst month | +0.1% | −0.5% | −0.5% |
| Best 12 months | +6.5% | +6.5% | +6.5% |
| Worst 12 months | +3.5% | −1.4% | −1.4% |
| Positive months | 100% | 85% | 84% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.02 | 0.02 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.39 | 0.37 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
BKUI rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 51 | −1.4% | +4.9% | +6.5% | 90% |
| 3-year (a year) | 27 | +3.0% | +5.0% | +5.5% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 3 | +3.6% | +3.6% | +3.7% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2021. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
BKUI performance overview
BNY Mellon Ultra Short Income ETF (BKUI) returned +3.4% over the past year and +3.7% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2021 it has returned +3.5% a year, turning $10,000 into about $11,974. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
Related: BKUI chart, BKUI holdings, BKUI dividends. See the BKUI overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
BKUI performance FAQ
What is the BKUI return over the past year?
BKUI returned +3.4% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it fell 0.6%.
What is the average annual return of BKUI?
BKUI has returned +3.7% a year over 5 years, +3.5% a year since August 11, 2021 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in BKUI be worth?
$10,000 invested in BKUI at its first recorded close on August 11, 2021 would be worth about $11,974 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for BKUI?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −0.1%. The best was 2023 at +5.7%.
How volatile is BKUI?
Over the past 3 years BKUI had an annualized volatility of 0.6% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.01 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).