NEAR vs JAAA Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
NEAR and JAAA sit in related but distinct corners of the ETF landscape — NEAR centers on actively managed, ultra-short-duration income above pure cash rates, while JAAA focuses on actively managed, floating-rate AAA CLO income above cash and Treasury yields. Investors choosing between them should weigh how each fund's strategy lines up with their own goals rather than assuming they're interchangeable.
Choosing between NEAR and JAAA comes down to which specific exposure — actively managed, ultra-short-duration income above pure cash rates or actively managed, floating-rate AAA CLO income above cash and Treasury yields — better matches the role you want this holding to play in a diversified portfolio.
JAAA holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. JAAA has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+4.96% vs +1.75% for NEAR).
- want actively managed, ultra-short-duration income above pure cash rates
- prefer iShares (BlackRock)'s approach and fund lineup
- value active management can capture modest yield pickup over Treasury bills
- are comfortable with not principal-guaranteed like a bank deposit or T-bill fund
- want actively managed, floating-rate AAA CLO income above cash and Treasury yields
- prefer Janus Henderson's approach and fund lineup
- value aAA credit rating combined with a meaningful yield pickup over Treasuries
- are comfortable with cLO market is less liquid and more complex than plain Treasury or corporate bonds
| Metric | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 24.3 | 23.8 |
| Latest closei | $49.97 | $50.58 |
| 1M returni | +0.15% | +0.28% |
| 3M returni | -0.06% | +1.19% |
| 6M returni | +0.21% | +2.32% |
| 1Y returni | +1.75% | +4.96% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.64K (+6.4%) started 2025-10-16 | $11.03K (+10.3%) started 2025-10-16 |
| 5Y ago | $14.97K (+49.7%) started 2021-10-18 | $16.65K (+66.5%) started 2021-10-18 |
| 10Y ago | $18.27K (+82.7%) started 2016-10-17 | $17.23K (+72.3%) started 2020-10-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.25% | 0.20% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $5.13B | $31.49B |
| Dividend yieldi | 4.48% | 5.30% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| 52-week change | 1.75% | 4.96% |
| Metric | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +1.75% | +4.96% |
| 6M returni | +0.21% | +2.32% |
| 3M returni | -0.06% | +1.19% |
| 1M returni | +0.15% | +0.28% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -1.97 | 0.50 |
| Betai | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Dividend yieldi | 4.48% | 5.30% |
| 5Y CAGR | +3.90% | +4.94% |
Over the past year, NEAR and JAAA have moved barely in the same direction (correlation of 0.05), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +1.75% | +4.96% |
| CAGRi | +1.75% | +4.96% | |
| Volatilityi | 1.40% | 0.73% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -1.97 | 0.50 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -2.41 | 0.67 | |
| Max drawdowni | 1.15% | 0.39% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.56% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.22% | 0.03% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 0.36% | 0.07% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.28% | 0.23% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 0.50% | 0.37% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +21.04% | +27.24% |
| CAGRi | +3.90% | +4.94% | |
| Volatilityi | 1.40% | 1.68% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.47 | 0.21 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.63 | 0.28 | |
| Max drawdowni | 1.26% | 2.60% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.56% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.25% | 0.26% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 0.41% | 0.62% | |
| Max daily dropi | 0.67% | 1.03% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 0.71% | 1.52% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +32.02% | +29.82% |
| CAGRi | +2.82% | +4.45% | |
| Volatilityi | 2.51% | 1.61% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.67 | -0.07 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.76 | -0.09 | |
| Max drawdowni | 9.61% | 2.60% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.56% | 0.00% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 0.20% | 0.23% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 0.56% | 0.57% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.24% | 1.03% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 8.13% | 1.52% |
| Category | NEAR | JAAA |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.25% | 0.20% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $5.13B | $31.49B |
| Dividend yieldi | 4.48% | 5.30% |
- Active management can capture modest yield pickup over Treasury bills
- Very low interest-rate sensitivity given ultra-short duration
- Diversified across investment-grade corporate and government debt
- AAA credit rating combined with a meaningful yield pickup over Treasuries
- Floating-rate structure means minimal interest-rate duration risk
- Rapidly growing, popular income vehicle among institutional and retail investors
- Not principal-guaranteed like a bank deposit or T-bill fund
- Modest credit risk from corporate-debt holdings
- Yield pickup over pure T-bill funds is typically small
- CLO market is less liquid and more complex than plain Treasury or corporate bonds
- Relatively new, fast-growing fund category without a long stress-tested track record
- Structured-credit complexity makes it harder to evaluate than a plain bond fund
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