What Is NEAR? iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF

NEAR is iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF, an ETF that tracks Actively managed, no tracked index at a 0.25% expense ratio. NEAR is actively managed rather than tracking an index, and invests in short-duration US bonds. It distributes about 4.43%, and that payout moves with rates rather than being fixed. It launched in 2013. At 0.25% it costs more than the typical short-term bond fund, nearer 0.05%.

NEAR is issued by iShares and tracks Actively managed, no tracked index, so a single ticker gives you the whole portfolio of underlying holdings weighted by the index's methodology rather than by any active stock-picking.

NEAR does not hold a basket of individual stocks. It gets its exposure synthetically, through derivatives such as swaps and futures rather than by owning the underlying shares, so there is no conventional top-10 equity holdings list. See the description above for what NEAR actually tracks and how that exposure is built.

There are three common ways to get NEAR exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of NEAR directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so NEAR sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. NEAR trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.

New to buying funds? See how to buy an ETF, step by step.

Whether NEAR is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks Actively managed, no tracked index, so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is NEAR a buy?

NEAR gives you Actively managed, no tracked index exposure in one ticker at a 0.25% expense ratio. Most investors use it as a core holding and layer more concentrated thematic portfolios on top.

Whether NEAR is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is NEAR a buy?

NEAR yields 4.43% as of August 2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see NEAR dividend: yield and schedule.

New to funds like NEAR? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.