Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) Performance
NUBD total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- −1.1% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- −1.6% total return
- 5 years
- −0.3% a year
- Since first price
- +1.3% a year since 2017
NUBD trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | NUBD total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +1.0% | +0.6% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | −0.5% | −1.6% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | −1.6% | −3.6% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | −1.1% | −4.0% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | −1.6% | −5.5% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +15.8%+5.0%/yr | +3.4% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | −1.3%−0.3%/yr | −16.5% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionOct 2, 2017 | +12.1%+1.3%/yr | −14.3% | — | — | — |
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: NUBD vs SPY
From Oct 2, 2017: NUBD grew to $11,207, SPY to $34,569.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
NUBD returns by calendar year
6 of 8 full years positive. Best 2019 (+8.2%), worst 2022 (−12.9%). 2026 is year to date.
NUBD annual returns table
| Year | NUBD | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | −1.1% | −4.6% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +6.8% | −2.5% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +1.3% | −4.2% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +5.4% | −7.2% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −12.9% | −16.0% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | −2.2% | −3.7% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +7.2% | −7.3% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +8.2% | −2.0% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | +0.3% | −2.5% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
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.
NUBD largest drawdowns
Now 5.2% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | −19.5% | Oct 20, 2022 | not yet | 2.2 years | 6.2 years so far |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
NUBD risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +3.9% | −0.7% | +1.1% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 5.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.07 | -0.65 | -0.24 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.10 | -0.80 | -0.31 |
| Best month | +4.4% | +4.4% | +4.4% |
| Worst month | −2.6% | −4.1% | −4.1% |
| Best 12 months | +11.3% | +11.3% | +11.3% |
| Worst 12 months | −1.9% | −15.3% | −15.3% |
| Positive months | 67% | 52% | 54% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.22 | 0.26 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.51 | 0.63 | — |
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.
NUBD rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 97 | −15.3% | +2.6% | +11.3% | 64% |
| 3-year (a year) | 73 | −5.8% | +1.3% | +5.5% | 52% |
| 5-year (a year) | 49 | −1.4% | −0.3% | +1.0% | 39% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
NUBD performance overview
Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUBD) returned −1.6% over the past year and −0.3% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +1.3% a year, turning $10,000 into about $11,207. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −19.5%, from Aug 4, 2020 to Oct 20, 2022; the fund has not yet regained that high. NUBD finished 6 of its 8 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2019 (+8.2%) and the worst 2022 (−12.9%). Volatility has been 5.3% a year.
Related: NUBD chart, NUBD dividends. See the NUBD overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
NUBD performance FAQ
What is the NUBD return over the past year?
NUBD returned −1.6% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it fell 5.5%.
What is the average annual return of NUBD?
NUBD has returned −0.3% a year over 5 years, +1.3% a year since October 2, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in NUBD be worth?
$10,000 invested in NUBD at its first recorded close on October 2, 2017 would be worth about $11,207 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for NUBD?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −12.9%. The best was 2019 at +8.2%.
What is the biggest drawdown of NUBD?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −19.5% between August 4, 2020 and October 20, 2022. It has not yet recovered to that high; it is 5.2% below its peak.
How volatile is NUBD?
Over the past 3 years NUBD had an annualized volatility of 5.5% and a Sharpe ratio of -0.07 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).