ETF Evaluator:
TCW Core Plus Bond ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Over the Last Year
| 8.9% | Infrastructure Capital Bond Income ETF (BNDS) |
| 5.2% | Monarch Ambassador Income ETF (MAMB) |
| 4.1% | SanJac Alpha Core Plus Bond ETF (SJCP) |
| 4.1% | F/m Opportunistic Income ETF (ZHOG) |
| 3.9% | PIMCO Active Bond ETF (BOND) |
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ETF Details
TCW Core Plus Bond ETF Overview
TCW Core Plus Bond ETF (FIXT) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). TCW launched the ETF in 2002.
The investment seeks to maximize current income, consistent with preservation of capital.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). The fund invests, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities and instruments that generate income in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act.
About TCW Core Plus Bond ETF (FIXT)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.13 years: Bryan Whalen (2004), Jerry Cudzil (2023) and Ruben Hovhannisyan (2023). 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 Bloomberg US Govt/Credit Interm TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has 605 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 44.0% 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.
TCW Core Plus Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has -1.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.1% 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 83.6% (84.7% domestic bond, -1.1% foreign bond and 0.1% convertible bond). TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has 16.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $225 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus 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.
FIXT 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 Core Plus Bond ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.40%, which is 8% 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. TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 446%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 157% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, TCW Core Plus Bond ETF returned -1.2%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Intermediate Core-Plus 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.
TCW Core Plus Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 5.63%, which is above the 4.67% 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 Core Plus Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -0.5%, 0.3 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 3.1% over the past year (grade of C), 4.4% over the past three years (grade of C) and 0.8% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 1.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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FIXT 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 |
|
| FIXT Return (NAV) | -1.2% | -0.7% | 3.1% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| FIXT Return (Price) | -1.2% | -0.3% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.012% | -0.348% | -0.239% | -0.046% | -0.026% | -0.014% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -1.2% | -0.6% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 0.4% | 2.1% |
| FIXT Grade (NAV) | B | C | C | C | A | D |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.0% | -0.0% | -0.1% | -0.2% | 0.4% | -0.2% |
| FIXT Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
FIXT Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| FIXT Return (NAV) | -0.5% | 8.1% | 2.2% | 5.5% | -9.3% | -1.2% | 7.6% | 6.8% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| FIXT Return (Price) | -0.2% | 7.9% | 2.2% | 5.5% | -9.3% | -1.2% | 7.6% | 6.8% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.668% | -0.030% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.000% | -0.000% | 0.000% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -0.2% | 7.5% | 3.0% | 6.6% | -13.2% | -0.7% | 8.0% | 9.8% | -0.2% | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| FIXT Grade (NAV) | D | A | D | F | A | F | D | F | A | F | F |
| +/- Category | -0.3% | 0.6% | -0.8% | -1.1% | 3.9% | -0.5% | -0.4% | -3.0% | 1.1% | -2.2% | -3.1% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.75 |
| R-Squared: | 96% |
| Standard Deviation: | 4.3% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.78 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Low |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.35 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Low |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 5.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 226 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 226 Mil |
| Turnover: | 446.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.40% |
| 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: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 21.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Whalen Bryan (2004), Cudzil Jerry (2023), Hovhannisyan Ruben (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 605 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 44.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | -1.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 84.7% |
| Foreign Bond: | -1.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.1% |
| Other: | 0.1% |
| Cash: | 16.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | TCW |
| Phone Number: | 800-241-4671 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | June 28, 2002 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.40% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.44% |
