Nuveen Enhanced Yield 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate… (NUSA) Performance
NUSA total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +0.3% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +0.8% total return
- 5 years
- +1.7% a year
- Since first price
- +2.1% a year since 2017
NUSA trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | NUSA total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +0.8% | +0.5% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +0.1% | −0.9% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | −0.1% | −2.1% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +0.3% | −2.5% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +0.8% | −3.0% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +14.0%+4.5%/yr | +1.2% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +8.6%+1.7%/yr | −8.5% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionApr 3, 2017 | +22.2%+2.1%/yr | −9.0% | — | — | — |
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: NUSA vs SPY
From Apr 3, 2017: NUSA grew to $12,220, SPY to $37,431.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
NUSA returns by calendar year
6 of 8 full years positive. Best 2025 (+5.9%), worst 2022 (−5.9%). 2026 is year to date.
NUSA annual returns table
| Year | NUSA | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +0.3% | −1.8% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +5.9% | −0.9% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +3.5% | −1.6% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +5.2% | −1.9% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −5.9% | −8.1% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | −1.0% | −1.6% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +4.9% | −8.0% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +5.6% | −0.8% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | +1.4% | −1.2% | −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.
NUSA risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +4.0% | +1.4% | +2.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.15 | -0.75 | -0.14 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.20 | -0.89 | -0.18 |
| Best month | +1.8% | +1.8% | +1.8% |
| Worst month | −1.3% | −2.0% | −2.0% |
| Best 12 months | +8.0% | +8.0% | +8.0% |
| Worst 12 months | +0.4% | −8.0% | −8.0% |
| Positive months | 75% | 60% | 65% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.06 | 0.10 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.32 | 0.52 | — |
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.
NUSA rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 103 | −8.0% | +3.3% | +8.0% | 79% |
| 3-year (a year) | 79 | −1.6% | +3.1% | +5.2% | 71% |
| 5-year (a year) | 55 | +0.5% | +1.3% | +1.7% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
NUSA performance overview
Nuveen Enhanced Yield 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate… (NUSA) returned +0.8% over the past year and +1.7% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +2.1% a year, turning $10,000 into about $12,220. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
Related: NUSA chart, NUSA dividends. See the NUSA overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
NUSA performance FAQ
What is the NUSA return over the past year?
NUSA returned +0.8% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it fell 3.0%.
What is the average annual return of NUSA?
NUSA has returned +1.7% a year over 5 years, +2.1% a year since April 3, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in NUSA be worth?
$10,000 invested in NUSA at its first recorded close on April 3, 2017 would be worth about $12,220 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for NUSA?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −5.9%. The best was 2025 at +5.9%.
How volatile is NUSA?
Over the past 3 years NUSA had an annualized volatility of 2.5% and a Sharpe ratio of -0.15 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).