EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV8.DE) and VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE).

EXV8.DE and DFEN.DE are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. EXV8.DE is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the STOXX® Europe 600 Construction & Materials. It was launched on Jul 8, 2002. DFEN.DE is a passively managed fund by VanEck that tracks the performance of the MarketVector Global Defense Industry. It was launched on Mar 31, 2023. Both EXV8.DE and DFEN.DE are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a €10,000 investment in iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV8.DE) and VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
EXV8.DE iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE)	-2.44%	25.00%	6.42%	14.92%
DFEN.DE VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A	14.28%	50.76%	51.97%	8.67%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, EXV8.DE achieves a -2.44% return, which is significantly lower than DFEN.DE's 14.28% return.

EXV8.DE

• 1D: 3.61%
• 1M: -7.31%
• YTD: -2.44%
• 6M: 3.86%
• 1Y: 12.15%
• 3Y*: 14.68%
• 5Y*: 10.59%
• 10Y*: 10.32%

DFEN.DE

• 1D: 5.38%
• 1M: -2.94%
• YTD: 14.28%
• 6M: 7.10%
• 1Y: 44.45%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Expense Ratio Comparison

EXV8.DE has a 0.46% expense ratio, which is lower than DFEN.DE's 0.55% expense ratio.

DFEN.DE

VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A

EXV8.DE

iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE)

Return for Risk

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE — Risk / Return Rank

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

EXV8.DE

EXV8.DE Risk / Return Rank: 29
EXV8.DE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 30
EXV8.DE Sortino Ratio Rank: 29
EXV8.DE Omega Ratio Rank: 28
EXV8.DE Calmar Ratio Rank: 28
EXV8.DE Martin Ratio Rank: 28

DFEN.DE

DFEN.DE Risk / Return Rank: 81
DFEN.DE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 83
DFEN.DE Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
DFEN.DE Omega Ratio Rank: 76
DFEN.DE Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
DFEN.DE Martin Ratio Rank: 73

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.

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV8.DE) and VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE). 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.

	EXV8.DE	DFEN.DE	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.60	1.68	-1.08
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.94	2.35	-1.42
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.12	1.29	-0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.77	3.16	-2.39
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.64	7.82	-5.19
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current EXV8.DE Sharpe Ratio is 0.60, which is lower than the DFEN.DE Sharpe Ratio of 1.68. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of EXV8.DE and DFEN.DE, 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

	EXV8.DE	DFEN.DE	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.60	1.68	-1.08
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.55	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.51	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.44	2.11	-1.67

Correlation

The correlation between EXV8.DE and DFEN.DE 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

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Dividend Comparison

EXV8.DE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.44%, while DFEN.DE has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
EXV8.DE iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE)	1.44%	1.39%	1.69%	1.59%	1.78%	1.34%	0.53%	1.55%	1.66%	2.87%	2.80%	2.79%
DFEN.DE VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum EXV8.DE drawdown since its inception was -66.09%, which is greater than DFEN.DE's maximum drawdown of -14.00%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for EXV8.DE and DFEN.DE.

Drawdown Indicators

	EXV8.DE	DFEN.DE	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-66.09%	-14.00%	-52.09%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-15.30%	-14.00%	-1.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-29.23%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-42.81%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-9.84%	-6.85%	-2.99%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-15.07%	-2.72%	-12.35%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.45%	5.65%	-1.20%

Volatility

EXV8.DE vs. DFEN.DE - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares STOXX Europe 600 Construction & Materials UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV8.DE) is 8.27%, while VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE) has a volatility of 9.35%. This indicates that EXV8.DE experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than DFEN.DE based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	EXV8.DE	DFEN.DE	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.27%	9.35%	-1.08%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.43%	19.78%	-6.35%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.15%	26.31%	-6.16%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	19.03%	21.39%	-2.36%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.04%	21.39%	-1.35%