AHLT vs. SPXL

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about American Beacon AHL Trend ETF (AHLT) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares (SPXL).

AHLT and SPXL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AHLT is an actively managed fund by American Beacon. It was launched on Aug 30, 2023. SPXL is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index (300%). It was launched on Nov 5, 2008.

Performance

AHLT vs. SPXL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in American Beacon AHL Trend ETF (AHLT) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares (SPXL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AHLT vs. SPXL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
AHLT American Beacon AHL Trend ETF	7.41%	13.73%	6.08%	-8.33%
SPXL Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares	-14.06%	31.94%	63.61%	13.74%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AHLT achieves a 7.41% return, which is significantly higher than SPXL's -14.06% return.

AHLT

• 1D: 0.12%
• 1M: -3.25%
• YTD: 7.41%
• 6M: 17.23%
• 1Y: 23.17%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SPXL

• 1D: 2.30%
• 1M: -13.75%
• YTD: -14.06%
• 6M: -11.40%
• 1Y: 34.55%
• 3Y*: 38.52%
• 5Y*: 17.51%
• 10Y*: 25.61%

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

AHLT vs. SPXL - Expense Ratio Comparison

AHLT has a 0.95% expense ratio, which is lower than SPXL's 1.02% expense ratio.

SPXL

Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares

AHLT

American Beacon AHL Trend ETF

Return for Risk

AHLT vs. SPXL — Risk / Return Rank

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

AHLT

AHLT Risk / Return Rank: 64
AHLT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 69
AHLT Sortino Ratio Rank: 65
AHLT Omega Ratio Rank: 60
AHLT Calmar Ratio Rank: 80
AHLT Martin Ratio Rank: 49

SPXL

SPXL Risk / Return Rank: 40
SPXL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 32
SPXL Sortino Ratio Rank: 41
SPXL Omega Ratio Rank: 45
SPXL Calmar Ratio Rank: 40
SPXL Martin Ratio Rank: 44

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.

AHLT vs. SPXL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Beacon AHL Trend ETF (AHLT) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares (SPXL). 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.

	AHLT	SPXL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.26	0.64	+0.62
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.69	1.22	+0.48
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.18	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.39	1.07	+1.32
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.07	4.25	+0.81
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AHLT vs. SPXL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AHLT Sharpe Ratio is 1.26, which is higher than the SPXL Sharpe Ratio of 0.64. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AHLT and SPXL, 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

	AHLT	SPXL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.26	0.64	+0.62
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.35	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.48	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.39	0.48	-0.09

Correlation

The correlation between AHLT and SPXL is 0.37, 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

AHLT vs. SPXL - Dividend Comparison

AHLT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.58%, more than SPXL's 0.78% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AHLT American Beacon AHL Trend ETF	1.58%	1.70%	0.00%	3.72%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SPXL Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares	0.78%	0.69%	0.74%	0.98%	0.32%	0.11%	0.22%	0.84%	1.02%	3.88%

Drawdowns

AHLT vs. SPXL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AHLT drawdown since its inception was -20.18%, smaller than the maximum SPXL drawdown of -76.86%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AHLT and SPXL.

Drawdown Indicators

	AHLT	SPXL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-20.18%	-76.86%	+56.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-9.39%	-33.42%	+24.03%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-63.80%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-76.86%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.84%	-18.62%	+13.78%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.84%	-15.85%	+6.01%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.43%	8.42%	-3.99%

Volatility

AHLT vs. SPXL - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for American Beacon AHL Trend ETF (AHLT) is 3.54%, while Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares (SPXL) has a volatility of 16.04%. This indicates that AHLT experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than SPXL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AHLT	SPXL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.54%	16.04%	-12.50%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.81%	28.52%	-13.71%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.50%	54.32%	-35.82%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.78%	50.26%	-32.48%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.78%	53.36%	-35.58%