FFC vs. PFFA
FFC (Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc.) is a stock, while PFFA (Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF) is Preferred Stock fund actively managed by Virtus. Over the past 5 years, FFC returned 0.12%/yr vs 5.57%/yr for PFFA. Their 0.49 correlation means their historical movements had little consistent relationship.
Performance
FFC vs. PFFA - Performance Comparison
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Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, FFC achieves a 2.10% return, which is significantly higher than PFFA's 1.20% return.
FFC
- 1D
- -0.12%
- 1M
- 0.27%
- 6M
- 0.33%
- YTD
- 2.10%
- 1Y
- 6.79%
- 3Y*
- 13.41%
- 5Y*
- 0.12%
- 10Y*
- 4.44%
- ALL TIME*
- 6.93%
PFFA
- 1D
- 0.44%
- 1M
- -0.04%
- 6M
- -0.75%
- YTD
- 1.20%
- 1Y
- 6.02%
- 3Y*
- 11.42%
- 5Y*
- 5.57%
- 10Y*
- —
- ALL TIME*
- 7.21%
Liquidity Comparison
| Position | Avg. Volume Value (2W) | Avg. Volume Value (1M) | Avg. Volume Value (3M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1.53M | $1.42M | $1.82M | |
| $15.74M | $17.23M | $20.45M |
FFC vs. PFFA - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FFC Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc. | 2.10% | 14.30% | 20.06% | -0.28% | -25.21% | -0.81% | 15.93% | 38.76% | -5.34% |
PFFA Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | 1.20% | 8.22% | 16.11% | 26.45% | -20.91% | 23.53% | -7.87% | 31.99% | -7.29% |
Correlation
The correlation between FFC and PFFA is 0.44, which is low. Their historical price movements had little consistent relationship.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Focuses on recent behavior, but can change the most. | 0.44 |
Correlation (3Y) Balances recent behavior with more history. | 0.51 |
Correlation (5Y) Shows whether the relationship held over a longer period. | 0.54 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since May 16, 2018 | 0.49 |
The correlation between FFC and PFFA shifts across timeframes, from 0.44 (1 year) to 0.54 (5 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.
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Return for Risk
FFC vs. PFFA — Risk / Return Rank
FFC
PFFA
FFC vs. PFFA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc. (FFC) and Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA). 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.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| FFC | PFFA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.07 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.08 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.14 | 1.14 | 0.00 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.64 | 0.89 | -0.24 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 2.39 | 2.56 | -0.16 |
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Drawdowns
FFC vs. PFFA - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum FFC drawdown since its inception was -77.72%, which is greater than PFFA's maximum drawdown of -70.52%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FFC and PFFA.
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Drawdown Indicators
| FFC | PFFA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -77.72% | -70.52% | -7.20% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -10.12% | -6.49% | -3.63% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -13.13% | -12.15% | -0.98% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -39.36% | -22.70% | -16.66% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -54.06% | — | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.92% | -3.29% | +2.37% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -10.59% | -6.57% | -4.02% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.71% | 2.25% | +0.46% |
Volatility
FFC vs. PFFA - Volatility Comparison
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc. (FFC) has a higher volatility of 2.63% compared to Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA) at 2.32%. This indicates that FFC's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than PFFA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| FFC | PFFA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 2.63% | 2.32% | +0.31% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 7.98% | 6.46% | +1.52% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 9.46% | 7.62% | +1.84% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 15.34% | 11.59% | +3.75% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 22.74% | 31.55% | -8.81% |
Dividends
FFC vs. PFFA - Dividend Comparison
FFC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 7.62%, less than PFFA's 9.98% yield.
| Position | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FFC Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc. | 7.62% | 7.08% | 6.97% | 7.54% | 9.11% | 7.03% | 6.18% | 6.27% | 8.21% | 7.29% | 8.62% | 8.14% |
PFFA Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | 9.98% | 9.47% | 9.18% | 9.56% | 10.75% | 7.64% | 8.54% | 10.02% | 5.15% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Frequently Asked Questions
FFC and PFFA have a correlation of 0.44, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
FFC has higher volatility (2.63%) compared to PFFA (2.32%). In terms of maximum drawdown, FFC dropped -77.72% vs PFFA's -70.52%.
PFFA currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (0.76 vs 0.69), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.
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