AFSC vs. PALL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF (AFSC) and Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF (PALL).

AFSC and PALL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AFSC is an actively managed fund by Aberdeen. It was launched on Jun 29, 2004. PALL is a passively managed fund by Aberdeen that tracks the performance of the Palladium London PM Fix ($/ozt). It was launched on Jan 6, 2010.

Performance

AFSC vs. PALL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF (AFSC) and Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF (PALL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AFSC vs. PALL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
AFSC abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF	0.79%	2.67%
PALL Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF	-7.34%	61.25%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AFSC achieves a 0.79% return, which is significantly higher than PALL's -7.34% return.

AFSC

• 1D: 3.06%
• 1M: -6.08%
• YTD: 0.79%
• 6M: 2.45%
• 1Y: 14.60%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

PALL

• 1D: 5.15%
• 1M: -17.05%
• YTD: -7.34%
• 6M: 17.99%
• 1Y: 48.77%
• 3Y*: -0.08%
• 5Y*: -11.63%
• 10Y*: 9.50%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

AFSC vs. PALL - Expense Ratio Comparison

AFSC has a 0.65% expense ratio, which is higher than PALL's 0.60% expense ratio.

AFSC

abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF

PALL

Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF

Return for Risk

AFSC vs. PALL — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AFSC

AFSC Risk / Return Rank: 41
AFSC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 33
AFSC Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
AFSC Omega Ratio Rank: 32
AFSC Calmar Ratio Rank: 50
AFSC Martin Ratio Rank: 55

PALL

PALL Risk / Return Rank: 58
PALL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 59
PALL Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
PALL Omega Ratio Rank: 60
PALL Calmar Ratio Rank: 62
PALL Martin Ratio Rank: 50

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AFSC vs. PALL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF (AFSC) and Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF (PALL). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AFSC	PALL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.65	1.01	-0.36
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.05	1.48	-0.42
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.21	-0.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.34	1.51	-0.17
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.61	4.55	+1.06
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AFSC vs. PALL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AFSC Sharpe Ratio is 0.65, which is lower than the PALL Sharpe Ratio of 1.01. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AFSC and PALL, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AFSC	PALL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.65	1.01	-0.36
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	-0.28	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.25	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.14	0.20	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between AFSC and PALL is 0.22, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

AFSC vs. PALL - Dividend Comparison

AFSC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.08%, while PALL has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025
AFSC abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF	0.08%	0.08%
PALL Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

AFSC vs. PALL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AFSC drawdown since its inception was -21.68%, smaller than the maximum PALL drawdown of -73.63%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AFSC and PALL.

Drawdown Indicators

	AFSC	PALL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-21.68%	-73.63%	+51.95%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.95%	-34.17%	+20.22%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-73.63%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-73.63%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.54%	-54.34%	+46.80%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.56%	-26.51%	+21.95%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.32%	11.31%	-7.99%

Volatility

AFSC vs. PALL - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF (AFSC) is 7.87%, while Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Shares ETF (PALL) has a volatility of 15.73%. This indicates that AFSC experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PALL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AFSC	PALL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.87%	15.73%	-7.86%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.07%	43.92%	-29.85%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.82%	48.74%	-25.92%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.98%	42.07%	-19.09%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.98%	37.71%	-14.73%