AFSC vs. PPLT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

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

AFSC and PPLT 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. PPLT is a passively managed fund by Aberdeen that tracks the performance of the Platinum London PM Fix ($/ozt). It was launched on Jan 8, 2010.

Performance

AFSC vs. PPLT - 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 Platinum Shares ETF (PPLT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AFSC vs. PPLT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
AFSC abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF	0.79%	2.67%
PPLT Aberdeen Standard Physical Platinum Shares ETF	-4.40%	107.10%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AFSC achieves a 0.79% return, which is significantly higher than PPLT's -4.40% return.

AFSC

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

PPLT

• 1D: 3.49%
• 1M: -17.00%
• YTD: -4.40%
• 6M: 24.74%
• 1Y: 95.06%
• 3Y*: 24.69%
• 5Y*: 9.44%
• 10Y*: 6.81%

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

AFSC vs. PPLT - Expense Ratio Comparison

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

AFSC

abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF

PPLT

Aberdeen Standard Physical Platinum Shares ETF

Return for Risk

AFSC vs. PPLT — 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

PPLT

PPLT Risk / Return Rank: 87
PPLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 91
PPLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
PPLT Omega Ratio Rank: 86
PPLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
PPLT Martin Ratio Rank: 82

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. PPLT - 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 Platinum Shares ETF (PPLT). 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	PPLT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.65	1.95	-1.30
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.05	2.20	-1.15
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.34	-0.20
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.34	2.85	-1.52
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.61	8.64	-3.03
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. PPLT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AFSC Sharpe Ratio is 0.65, which is lower than the PPLT Sharpe Ratio of 1.95. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AFSC and PPLT, 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	PPLT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.65	1.95	-1.30
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.30	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.24	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.14	0.03	+0.11

Correlation

The correlation between AFSC and PPLT is 0.17, 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. PPLT - Dividend Comparison

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

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

Drawdowns

AFSC vs. PPLT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AFSC drawdown since its inception was -21.68%, smaller than the maximum PPLT drawdown of -70.73%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AFSC and PPLT.

Drawdown Indicators

	AFSC	PPLT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-21.68%	-70.73%	+49.05%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.95%	-34.41%	+20.46%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-34.74%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-51.14%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.54%	-29.34%	+21.80%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.56%	-40.08%	+35.52%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.32%	11.36%	-8.04%

Volatility

AFSC vs. PPLT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF (AFSC) is 7.87%, while Aberdeen Standard Physical Platinum Shares ETF (PPLT) has a volatility of 16.06%. This indicates that AFSC experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PPLT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AFSC	PPLT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.87%	16.06%	-8.19%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.07%	44.64%	-30.57%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.82%	49.13%	-26.31%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.98%	32.03%	-9.05%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.98%	28.73%	-5.75%