ETF Evaluator:
TCW AAA CLO ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Securitized Bond - Focused Over the Last Year
| 6.0% | iShares BBB-B CLO Active ETF (BCLO) |
| 5.6% | Nuveen AA-BBB CLO ETF (NCLO) |
| 5.4% | Reckoner Yield Enhanced AAA CLO ETF (RAAA) |
| 5.4% | Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF (CLOZ) |
| 5.3% | BondBloxx Private Credit CLO ETF (PCMM) |
Risk
Index
Risk
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ETF Details
TCW AAA CLO ETF Overview
TCW AAA CLO ETF (ACLO) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Securitized Bond - Focused exchange-traded fund (ETF). TCW launched the ETF in 2024.
The investment seeks to provide capital preservation and current income by investing principally in a portfolio composed of U.S. dollar-denominated AAA-rated collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”).
The fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in U.S. dollar-denominated CLOs that are, at the time of purchase, rated AAA by at least one of the major rating agencies or, if unrated, determined by the adviser to be of comparable quality. The fund is non-diversified.
About TCW AAA CLO ETF (ACLO)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.71 years: Bryan Whalen (2024), Peter Van Gelderen (2024), Elizabeth Crawford (2024) and Palak Pathak (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and JP Morgan CLOIE AAA TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. TCW AAA CLO ETF has 324 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 10.4% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
TCW AAA CLO ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. TCW AAA CLO ETF has 46.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.0% (52.1% domestic bond, 46.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). TCW AAA CLO ETF has 2.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $520 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Securitized Bond - Focused category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
ACLO Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The TCW AAA CLO ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Securitized Bond - Focused category. TCW AAA CLO ETF has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is 36% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. TCW AAA CLO ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 72%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 51% for the Securitized Bond - Focused category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, TCW AAA CLO ETF returned 0.4%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Securitized Bond - Focused category had an average return of 0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
TCW AAA CLO ETF has a trailing yield of 4.89%, which is below the 5.32% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
TCW AAA CLO ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 2.9%, 0.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 5.1% over the past year (grade of C).
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ACLO Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| ACLO Return (NAV) | 0.4% | 1.3% | 5.1% | na | na | na |
| ACLO Return (Price) | 0.5% | 1.3% | 5.1% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.033% | -0.047% | -0.030% | na | na | na |
| Securitized Bond - Focused Avg | 0.3% | 1.2% | 4.9% | 6.6% | 3.4% | 1.9% |
| ACLO Grade (NAV) | C | B | C | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | na | na | na |
| ACLO Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.0% | na | na | na |
ACLO Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ACLO Return (NAV) | 2.9% | 5.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| ACLO Return (Price) | 3.0% | 5.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.022% | 0.000% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Securitized Bond - Focused Avg | 2.5% | 5.9% | 7.6% | 9.0% | -3.7% | 0.3% | 5.8% | 7.5% | 0.6% | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| ACLO Grade (NAV) | B | D | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.4% | -0.4% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 521 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 521 Mil |
| Turnover: | 72.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.20% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Whalen Bryan (2024), Van Gelderen Peter (2024), Crawford Elizabeth (2024), Pathak Palak (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 324 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 10.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 46.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 52.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 46.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | TCW |
| Phone Number: | 866-364-1383 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | November 15, 2024 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.20% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.31% |
