DFEN vs. NVDU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) and Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF (NVDU).

DFEN and NVDU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. DFEN is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index (300%). It was launched on May 3, 2017. NVDU is an actively managed fund by Direxion. It was launched on Sep 13, 2023.

Performance

DFEN vs. NVDU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) and Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF (NVDU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DFEN vs. NVDU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
DFEN Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares	5.76%	156.62%	27.07%	48.37%
NVDU Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF	-16.24%	33.65%	289.29%	9.96%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DFEN achieves a 5.76% return, which is significantly higher than NVDU's -16.24% return.

DFEN

• 1D: 7.00%
• 1M: -30.69%
• YTD: 5.76%
• 6M: 8.27%
• 1Y: 138.06%
• 3Y*: 59.94%
• 5Y*: 32.31%
• 10Y*: —

NVDU

• 1D: 1.74%
• 1M: -9.05%
• YTD: -16.24%
• 6M: -21.93%
• 1Y: 92.89%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

DFEN vs. NVDU - Expense Ratio Comparison

DFEN has a 0.99% expense ratio, which is lower than NVDU's 1.04% expense ratio.

NVDU

Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF

DFEN

Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares

Return for Risk

DFEN vs. NVDU — Risk / Return Rank

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

DFEN

DFEN Risk / Return Rank: 88
DFEN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
DFEN Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
DFEN Omega Ratio Rank: 82
DFEN Calmar Ratio Rank: 92
DFEN Martin Ratio Rank: 89

NVDU

NVDU Risk / Return Rank: 67
NVDU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 62
NVDU Sortino Ratio Rank: 73
NVDU Omega Ratio Rank: 63
NVDU Calmar Ratio Rank: 80
NVDU Martin Ratio Rank: 54

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.

DFEN vs. NVDU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) and Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF (NVDU). 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.

	DFEN	NVDU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.98	1.14	+0.84
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.37	1.90	+0.47
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.24	+0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.43	2.32	+1.11
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.60	5.54	+6.06
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DFEN vs. NVDU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DFEN Sharpe Ratio is 1.98, which is higher than the NVDU Sharpe Ratio of 1.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DFEN and NVDU, 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

	DFEN	NVDU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.98	1.14	+0.84
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.55	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.22	0.93	-0.71

Correlation

The correlation between DFEN and NVDU is 0.29, 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

DFEN vs. NVDU - Dividend Comparison

DFEN's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 8.44%, more than NVDU's 6.92% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DFEN Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares	8.44%	8.89%	14.12%	1.13%	0.46%	1.89%	0.48%	0.50%	1.07%	1.50%
NVDU Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF	6.92%	5.68%	16.85%	0.63%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

DFEN vs. NVDU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DFEN drawdown since its inception was -91.36%, which is greater than NVDU's maximum drawdown of -67.27%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DFEN and NVDU.

Drawdown Indicators

	DFEN	NVDU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-91.36%	-67.27%	-24.09%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-41.75%	-42.27%	+0.52%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-56.23%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-30.69%	-34.90%	+4.21%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-45.53%	-19.07%	-26.46%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	12.33%	17.68%	-5.35%

Volatility

DFEN vs. NVDU - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares (DFEN) has a higher volatility of 24.88% compared to Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares ETF (NVDU) at 20.47%. This indicates that DFEN's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than NVDU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DFEN	NVDU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	24.88%	20.47%	+4.41%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	48.34%	51.19%	-2.85%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	70.19%	81.98%	-11.79%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	59.08%	91.99%	-32.91%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	71.34%	91.99%	-20.65%