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It’s tough to draw a bead on the bond market these days. After years of near-zero rates, the Federal Reserve started to raise rates late last year. But in just the past week, the fixed-income market has grown concerned about a mix of political risks, both here and abroad, including a nagging worry that the Trump administration will not be able to push through its ballyhooed growth initiatives.

Through the ups and down, some bond funds have attracted new investor cash in the billions over the past 12 months; some as much as $20 billion.

Scroll through to see the fixed-income funds with the highest inflows for the 12 months ending March 31. They are ranked by their performance in the same time period. In this list, the funds near the top have significantly higher expense ratios, while the bottom of the list is dominated by Vanguard and iShares index funds.

All data is from Morningstar.
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20. Vanguard Interm-Term Bond Index Inv (VBIIX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.001%
3-Yr. Return: 3.16%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $6,476
Expense Ratio: 0.15%
Total Assets (millions): $30,700.52
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19. Fidelity US Bond Index Investor (FBIDX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.20%
3-Yr. Return: 2.53%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $7,271
Expense Ratio: 0.20%
Total Assets (millions): $28,972.17
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18. Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Inv (VBMFX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.33%
3-Yr. Return: 2.49%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $20,501
Expense Ratio: 0.15%
Total Assets (millions): $177,875.20
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17. Vanguard Total Bond Market II Idx Inv (VTBIX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.36%
3-Yr. Return: 2.51%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $27,347
Expense Ratio: 0.09%
Total Assets (millions): $123,919.98
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16. iShares Core US Aggregate Bond (AGG)

1-Yr. Return: 0.37%
3-Yr. Return: 2.64%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $9,343
Expense Ratio: 0.07%
Total Assets (millions): $43,330.24
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15. Vanguard Instl Intrm-Trm Bd Instl Plus (VIITX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.37%
3-Yr. Return: N/A
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,377
Expense Ratio: 0.02%
Total Assets (millions): $12,897.75
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14. Metropolitan West Total Return Bd M (MWTRX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.70%
3-Yr. Return: 2.33%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,833
Expense Ratio: 0.66%
Total Assets (millions): $78,555.17
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13. T. Rowe Price New Income (PRCIX)

1-Yr. Return: 0.96%
3-Yr. Return: 2.45%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $5,095
Expense Ratio: 0.59%
Total Assets (millions): $33,517.59
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12. Vanguard Total Intl Bd Idx Institutional (VTIFX)

1-Yr. Return: 1.18%
3-Yr. Return: 4.10%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $20,635
Expense Ratio: 0.07%
Total Assets (millions): $77,252.42
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11. iShares TIPS Bond (TIP)

1-Yr. Return: 1.36%
3-Yr. Return: 1.89%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $6,493
Expense Ratio: 0.20%
Total Assets (millions): $23,016.12
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10. Vanguard Short-Term Infl-Prot Secs ETF (VTIP)

1-Yr. Return: 1.59%
3-Yr. Return: 0.62%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,973
Expense Ratio: 0.07%
Total Assets (millions): $19,405.53
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9. Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Inv (VFSTX)

1-Yr. Return: 1.78%
3-Yr. Return: 1.84%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,514
Expense Ratio: 0.20%
Total Assets (millions): $59,563.76
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8. Vanguard Short-Term Corp Bd Idx I (VSTBX)

1-Yr. Return: 1.86%
3-Yr. Return: 2.00%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $7,586
Expense Ratio: 0.05%
Total Assets (millions): $21,796.61
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7. Vanguard Interm-Term Corp Bd Idx Instl (VICBX)

1-Yr. Return: 2.71%
3-Yr. Return: 4.01%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $5,712
Expense Ratio: 0.05%
Total Assets (millions): $14,407.79
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6. Prudential Total Return Bond A (PDBAX)

1-Yr. Return: 3.15%
3-Yr. Return: 3.45%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $7,968
Expense Ratio: 0.79%
Total Assets (millions): $21,741.54
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5. Lord Abbett Short Duration Income A (LALDX)

1-Yr. Return: 3.47%
3-Yr. Return: 1.98%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,566
Expense Ratio: 0.60%
Total Assets (millions): $39,462.12
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4. PowerShares Senior Loan ETF (BKLN)

1-Yr. Return: 7.28%
3-Yr. Return: 1.99%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,856
Expense Ratio: 0.64%
Total Assets (millions): $8,936.39
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3. iShares JPMorgan USD Emerg Markets Bond (EMB)

1-Yr. Return: 8.05%
3-Yr. Return: 5.50%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $4,102
Expense Ratio: 0.40%
Total Assets (millions): $9,879.58
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2. Lord Abbett Floating Rate I (LFRIX)

1-Yr. Return: 9.12%
3-Yr. Return: 3.78%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $5,120
Expense Ratio: 0.60%
Total Assets (millions): $11,702.68
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1. PIMCO Income Instl (PIMIX)

1-Yr. Return: 9.90%
3-Yr. Return: 6.08%
1-Yr. Net Flows (millions): $17,425
Expense Ratio: 0.45%
Total Assets (millions): $79,077.12
Lee Conrad
Former senior editor, Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser
Bonds Investment insights Mutual funds Morningstar Vanguard T. Rowe Price Fidelity Investments
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