iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF

Not all investment-grade credit is equal, and QLTA holds only the higher-quality end of it. The iShares fund tracks the Bloomberg US Corporate Aaa-A Capped Index, buying dollar-denominated corporate bonds rated between Aaa and A while leaving out the BBB tier that makes up much of the broad investment-grade market. That screen skews the portfolio toward the strongest balance sheets, big banks, blue-chip industrials and utilities, in exchange for a modestly lower yield than a fund that reaches into lower-rated credit. The payoff is meant to show up in a downturn, when higher-rated bonds tend to hold value better as weaker credits sell off. Buyers use it for corporate-bond income with a quality cushion, accepting the usual interest-rate sensitivity that comes with intermediate and long maturities. BlackRock has offered it since 2012 at a low expense ratio.

On MyRWA, QLTA trades tokenized across 1 on-chain venue - see the listings below.