Understanding the BLUEMONTE SHORT TERM BOND ETF (BLST)

What this ETF is trying to do

The BLUEMONTE SHORT TERM BOND ETF (ticker: BLST) is an exchange-traded fund that trades on the NYSE. Based on its name, this fund focuses on short-term bonds.

What the numbers show

As of October 5, 2026, the current price of one share is $24.35. To understand how the price has moved, we can look at two different types of returns:

• Price Return: This measures only the change in the share price. The year-to-date (YTD) price return is approximately -3.51%. The one-year price return is approximately -3.85%.

• Total Return: This includes both the price changes and the money paid out to investors. The YTD total return is approximately -1.01%. The one-year total return is approximately -0.13%.

Because the total return is a different number than the price return, it shows that the cash distributions helped offset some of the share-price decline.

If you had invested in a single share roughly one year ago, the estimated price would have been about $25.32.

Income and distribution explanation

Some investors look at ETFs for regular cash payments, called distributions. This ETF has a distribution yield of approximately 3.91%. Over the last 12 months, it made 11 distributions, which usually happen on a monthly basis. Most of these payments have occurred on Tuesdays.

It is important to remember that a distribution yield tells you how much cash was paid out relative to the price, but it is not the same as your total return.

NAV erosion explanation

"NAV erosion" refers to a decline in the actual value of the assets held by the fund. While a falling share price can sometimes be related to erosion, they are not the same thing.

StockValueFinder uses an "erosion-risk score" to measure this risk. This ETF has an erosion score of 94, which is labeled as "Stable / sideways." The erosion severity is rated as "good," and there is no severe erosion-risk flag present.

Pros

• The fund provides regular cash distributions (usually monthly).

• The erosion-risk score suggests the fund's value has been relatively stable or moving sideways rather than dropping sharply.

Cons

• The share price has seen a decline over the last year and year-to-date.

• The total return has been negative for both the year-to-date and one-year periods.

Beginner takeaway

When looking at an ETF like BLST, it is helpful to distinguish between the share price and the total return. While the share price has gone down, the cash distributions provided to investors helped make the total return slightly better than the price return alone. Always remember that a high distribution yield does not guarantee that your total investment will grow.