ETF Evaluator: Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF () Follow This ETF

Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Overview

Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NHYB) is a passively managed Taxable Bond High Yield Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). Nuveen launched the ETF in 2025.

The investment seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the ICE BofA BB-B U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index. The index is comprised of U.S. dollar-denominated below-investment grade publicly issued corporate debt in the U.S. that are currently in a coupon paying period and are rated BB1 through B3, based on an average of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, but caps issuer exposure at 2%. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in component securities of the index. The fund is non-diversified.

About Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NHYB)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.85 years: James Tsang (2025) and Joseph Spinelli (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: ICE BofA BB-B US CP HY Constnd TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has 1682 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 3.7% 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.

Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has 12.0% 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 99.4% (87.4% domestic bond, 12.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has 0.6% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the High Yield 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.

NHYB 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 Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the High Yield Bond category. Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.08%, which is 80% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 69% for the High Yield Bond category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF returned -0.2%, which earned it a grade of C, as the High Yield Bond category had an average return of -0.2%. 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.

Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 6.77% 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.

Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 1.9%, 0.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B.

For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.

Otherwise, for more information about Nuveen High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.