ETF Evaluator:
AB Core Bond ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Intermediate Core Bond Over the Last Year
| 7.3% | Aptus Enhanced Yield ETF (JUCY) |
| 6.6% | SGI Enhanced Core ETF (USDX) |
| 5.9% | Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond ETF (HTAB) |
| 5.1% | Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF (OVB) |
| 4.8% | NEOS Enhanced Income Aggregate Bond ETF (BNDI) |
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Risk
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ETF Details
AB Core Bond ETF Overview
AB Core Bond ETF (CORB) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). AllianceBernstein launched the ETF in 2002.
The investment seeks to provide safety of principal and a moderate to high rate of current income.
The fund seeks to maintain an average portfolio quality minimum of A, based on ratings given to the Portfolio's securities by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization. It may invest up to 25% of its total assets in fixed-income, non-U.S. Dollar denominated foreign securities, and may invest without limit in fixed-income, U.S. Dollar denominated foreign securities, in each case in developed or emerging-market countries. The fund seeks to maintain an effective duration of three to seven years under normal market conditions.
About AB Core Bond ETF (CORB)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.24 years: Matthew Sheridan (2023), Michael Canter (2016), Fahd Malik (2026) and Serena Zhou (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. AB Core Bond ETF has 722 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 27.4% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
AB Core Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. AB Core Bond ETF has 13.6% 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 0.1% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 96.0% (82.4% domestic bond, 13.6% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). AB Core Bond ETF has 3.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is below the $6 billion average for the Intermediate Core Bond 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.
CORB 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 AB Core Bond ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. AB Core Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.28%, which is 13% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. AB Core Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 33%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 95% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, AB Core Bond ETF returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Intermediate Core Bond category had an average return of -1.2%. 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.
AB Core Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 4.05%, which is below the 4.44% 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.
AB Core Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -0.9%, 0.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 2.2% over the past year (grade of F), 3.9% over the past three years (grade of C) and -0.4% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 1.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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CORB 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 |
|
| CORB Return (NAV) | -1.4% | -0.9% | 2.2% | 3.9% | -0.4% | 1.5% |
| CORB Return (Price) | -1.4% | -0.8% | 2.4% | 4.0% | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.046% | -0.039% | -0.227% | -0.073% | -0.032% | -0.019% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.2% | -0.7% | 3.0% | 4.0% | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| CORB Grade (NAV) | D | F | F | C | C | B |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.2% | -0.2% | -0.8% | -0.0% | -0.1% | 0.0% |
| CORB Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
CORB Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CORB Return (NAV) | -0.9% | 7.2% | 2.2% | 5.5% | -13.6% | -0.9% | 7.9% | 8.6% | -0.2% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| CORB Return (Price) | -0.9% | 7.3% | 2.2% | 5.5% | -13.6% | -0.9% | 7.9% | 8.6% | -0.2% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.002% | 0.015% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.000% | -0.002% | 0.000% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -0.4% | 7.1% | 1.9% | 6.0% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 7.6% | 9.1% | -0.5% | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| CORB Grade (NAV) | F | C | B | D | D | A | B | D | C | B | A |
| +/- Category | -0.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | -0.5% | -0.4% | 0.6% | 0.3% | -0.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.03 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.9% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.05 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.48 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Low |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.1% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,110 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,110 Mil |
| Turnover: | 33.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.28% |
| 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: 10.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Canter Michael (2016), Sheridan Matthew (2023), Zhou Serena (2024), Malik Fahd (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 722 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 27.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 13.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 82.4% |
| Foreign Bond: | 13.6% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 3.9% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | AllianceBernstein |
| Phone Number: | 800-243-5994 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | May 17, 2002 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.28% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.32% |
