The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity (NYSEArca: MINT) celebrated its five-year anniversary Monday and it can be said MINT did so in style.
When it debuted in 2009, MINT, not the PIMCO Total Return ETF (NYSE: BOND), became California-based PIMCO’s first actively managed ETF. Five years later, MINT is home to a four-star rating from Morningstar and over $3.6 billion in assets under management, making it the largest actively managed ETF in the U.S., according to issuer data.
“MINT, which was designed as an alternative to money market funds, aims to offer investors more attractive risk adjusted returns by investing in liquid short-duration investment-grade assets that are just beyond the reach of traditional cash-like vehicles,” said Jerome Schneider, managing director and head of PIMCO’s short-term and funding desk, in a statement.
Schneider also manages the PIMCO Low Duration ETF, (NYSEArca: LDUR), which is one of the most successful new ETFs to debut this year. [Fast Start for This PIMCO ETF]
MINT has gained a wide following among investors as new regulations have set in for traditional money market funds. New SEC rules require institutional prime money market funds to float their net asset value, which will allow the daily share price of the funds to fluctuate along with change sin the market-based value of fund assets, essentially breaking the so-called buck, or constant share price of $1.00, that many have come to expect.