Investment objective & strategy
As of July 25, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The fund seeks to provide income consistent with limited fluctuation in principal value and liquidity.
Strategy. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in fixed income securities. Any derivatives that provide exposure to the investment focus suggested by the funds name, or to one or more market risk factors associated with the investment focus suggested by the funds name, are counted (as applicable) toward compliance with the funds 80% investment policy. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of short-duration fixed income securities. The portfolio seeks to optimize income, consistent with limiting volatility and managing risk across different market conditions and stages of the credit cycle. The fund invests in investment-grade corporate and securitized instruments within the U.S. while also incorporating plus sectors to enhance income … The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in fixed income securities. Any derivatives that provide exposure to the investment focus suggested by the funds name, or to one or more market risk factors associated with the investment focus suggested by the funds name, are counted (as applicable) toward compliance with the funds 80% investment policy. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of short-duration fixed income securities. The portfolio seeks to optimize income, consistent with limiting volatility and managing risk across different market conditions and stages of the credit cycle. The fund invests in investment-grade corporate and securitized instruments within the U.S. while also incorporating plus sectors to enhance income and portfolio diversification. Securitized instruments include commercial mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities (ABS), including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). Plus sectors include below investment-grade (also known as high yield) instruments, leveraged loans (or bank loans), and international and emerging market debt. The fund also invests in U.S. government and agency securities. The funds effective duration is normally 3 years or less. Duration is a calculation that seeks to measure the price sensitivity of a bond or a bond fund to changes in interest rates. It is expressed in years and takes into account the time value of cash flows generated over the bonds life. Future interest and principal payments are discounted to reflect their present value and then multiplied by the number of years they will be received to produce a value expressed in yearsthe duration. Since duration can be computed for bond funds, you can estimate the effect of interest rate fluctuations on share prices by multiplying the funds duration by an expected change in interest rates. For example, the price of a bond fund with a duration of three years would be expected to fall approximately 3% if interest rates rose by one percentage point. The fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in corporate bonds, bank loans, and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade (below BBB-, or an equivalent rating), commonly known as high yield instruments, by each of the credit rating agencies that have assigned a rating to the security or, if unrated, deemed by the adviser to be below investment grade. The fund may invest in securities issued by both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including issuers in emerging market countries. The fund may use a variety of derivatives, such as futures, options, forwards, and swaps for a number of purposes, such as for exposure or hedging. Specifically, the fund uses interest rate futures, interest rate swaptions, interest rate future options, and credit default swaptions. The fund uses interest rate futures, interest rate swaptions, and interest rate future options to manage the funds exposure to changes in interest rates or to adjust portfolio duration. Credit default swaptions are typically used in an effort to protect the value of certain portfolio holdings or to manage the funds overall exposure to changes in credit quality. The fund may also purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities on a delayed delivery or forward commitment basis through the to-be-announced (TBA) market. With TBA transactions, the particular securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date, but the delivered securities must meet specified terms and standards. The fund will generally enter into TBA transactions with the intention of taking possession of the underlying mortgage-backed securities. However, in an effort to obtain underlying mortgage-backed securities on more preferable terms or to enhance returns, the fund may extend the settlement by entering into dollar roll transactions in which the fund sells mortgage-backed securities to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to purchase substantially similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. The fund also expects to engage in short sales of TBA mortgages, including short sales on TBA mortgages the fund does not own, to potentially enhance returns or manage risk.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $23.50M | 10.37% |
| T Rowe Price Government Reserve Investment Fund | TRPGRIA | $10.06M | 4.44% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $9.01M | 3.98% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $4.99M | 2.20% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $4.00M | 1.77% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $3.91M | 1.73% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $3.18M | 1.40% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $2.90M | 1.28% |
| Medline Borrower, L.P. | — | $1.57M | 0.69% |
| US TREASURY N/B | — | $1.45M | 0.64% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| T. Rowe Price Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc. · PRWBX, PASHX, TBSIX, TRZOX | 44% | 0.00% |
| Short-Term Bond Portfolio | 36% | 0.40% |
| T. Rowe Price Limited-Term Bond Portfolio · QAAGWX, QAAGUX | 34% | 0.50% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of July 25, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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