FTSL vs. IBHD

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) and iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF (IBHD).

FTSL and IBHD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FTSL is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on May 1, 2013. IBHD is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg 2024 Term High Yield and Income Index. It was launched on May 7, 2019.

Performance

FTSL vs. IBHD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) and iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF (IBHD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FTSL vs. IBHD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)
FTSL First Trust Senior Loan Fund	-0.05%
IBHD iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF	0.00%

Returns By Period

FTSL

• 1D: 0.11%
• 1M: 1.04%
• YTD: -0.69%
• 6M: 0.98%
• 1Y: 4.82%
• 3Y*: 7.14%
• 5Y*: 4.89%
• 10Y*: 4.50%

IBHD

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.00%
• YTD: —
• 6M: —
• 1Y: —
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

FTSL vs. IBHD - Expense Ratio Comparison

FTSL has a 0.86% expense ratio, which is higher than IBHD's 0.35% expense ratio.

FTSL

First Trust Senior Loan Fund

IBHD

iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF

Return for Risk

FTSL vs. IBHD — Risk / Return Rank

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

FTSL

FTSL Risk / Return Rank: 78
FTSL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 80
FTSL Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
FTSL Omega Ratio Rank: 92
FTSL Calmar Ratio Rank: 74
FTSL Martin Ratio Rank: 68

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.

FTSL vs. IBHD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) and iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF (IBHD). 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.

	FTSL	IBHD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.56	—	—
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.05	—	—
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	—	—
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.06	—	—
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.37	—	—
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	FTSL	IBHD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.56	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.46	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.87	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.83	—	—

Dividends

FTSL vs. IBHD - Dividend Comparison

FTSL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.58%, while IBHD has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FTSL First Trust Senior Loan Fund	6.58%	6.59%	7.56%	7.59%	4.77%	3.17%	3.48%	4.44%	4.29%	3.64%	3.70%	3.95%
IBHD iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF	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

FTSL vs. IBHD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FTSL drawdown since its inception was -22.67%, which is greater than IBHD's maximum drawdown of 0.00%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FTSL and IBHD.

Drawdown Indicators

	FTSL	IBHD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.67%	0.00%	-22.67%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.33%	—	—
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-6.96%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-22.67%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.13%	0.00%	-1.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.77%	0.00%	-0.77%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.65%	—	—

Volatility

Volatility by Period

	FTSL	IBHD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.36%	—	—
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.91%	—	—
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.11%	0.00%	+3.11%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.36%	0.00%	+3.36%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	5.19%	0.00%	+5.19%