GCNS.TO vs. ACWV

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio (GCNS.TO) and iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF (ACWV).

GCNS.TO and ACWV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GCNS.TO is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on Sep 2, 2020. ACWV is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI AC World Minimum Volatility (USD). It was launched on Oct 18, 2011.

Performance

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio (GCNS.TO) and iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF (ACWV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
GCNS.TO iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio	-2.08%	7.23%	15.54%	11.66%	-10.94%	8.07%	4.37%
ACWV iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF	2.00%	5.95%	20.95%	5.85%	-3.97%	12.94%	3.21%

Different Trading Currencies

GCNS.TO is traded in CAD, while ACWV is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the ACWV values have been converted to CAD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GCNS.TO achieves a -2.08% return, which is significantly lower than ACWV's 2.00% return.

GCNS.TO

• 1D: 0.40%
• 1M: -4.37%
• YTD: -2.08%
• 6M: -2.07%
• 1Y: 6.64%
• 3Y*: 9.17%
• 5Y*: 5.39%
• 10Y*: —

ACWV

• 1D: 1.25%
• 1M: -2.66%
• YTD: 2.00%
• 6M: 0.65%
• 1Y: 1.37%
• 3Y*: 10.83%
• 5Y*: 8.31%
• 10Y*: 8.05%

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

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Expense Ratio Comparison

GCNS.TO has a 0.25% expense ratio, which is higher than ACWV's 0.20% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

GCNS.TO

iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio

ACWV

iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF

Return for Risk

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV — Risk / Return Rank

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

GCNS.TO

GCNS.TO Risk / Return Rank: 39
GCNS.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 35
GCNS.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 32
GCNS.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 39
GCNS.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 47
GCNS.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 41

ACWV

ACWV Risk / Return Rank: 30
ACWV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 28
ACWV Sortino Ratio Rank: 26
ACWV Omega Ratio Rank: 27
ACWV Calmar Ratio Rank: 32
ACWV Martin Ratio Rank: 37

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.

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio (GCNS.TO) and iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF (ACWV). 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.

	GCNS.TO	ACWV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.65	0.14	+0.51
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.93	0.25	+0.68
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.15	1.03	+0.12
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.22	0.30	+0.92
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.91	0.95	+2.97
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GCNS.TO Sharpe Ratio is 0.65, which is higher than the ACWV Sharpe Ratio of 0.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GCNS.TO and ACWV, 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

	GCNS.TO	ACWV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.65	0.14	+0.51
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.67	0.96	-0.29
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.74	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.74	1.01	-0.27

Correlation

The correlation between GCNS.TO and ACWV is 0.18, 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

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Dividend Comparison

GCNS.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.16%, more than ACWV's 2.07% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GCNS.TO iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio	2.16%	2.07%	2.03%	2.88%	2.09%	1.60%	2.49%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
ACWV iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF	2.07%	2.09%	2.33%	2.41%	2.18%	1.92%	1.77%	2.54%	2.32%	2.04%	2.56%	2.28%

Drawdowns

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GCNS.TO drawdown since its inception was -15.37%, smaller than the maximum ACWV drawdown of -22.14%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GCNS.TO and ACWV.

Drawdown Indicators

	GCNS.TO	ACWV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-15.37%	-28.82%	+13.45%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-5.05%	-7.56%	+2.51%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-15.37%	-18.14%	+2.77%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-28.82%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.43%	-4.54%	+0.11%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.65%	-3.11%	-0.54%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.57%	1.73%	-0.16%

Volatility

GCNS.TO vs. ACWV - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares ESG Conservative Balanced ETF Portfolio (GCNS.TO) is 2.36%, while iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF (ACWV) has a volatility of 3.20%. This indicates that GCNS.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than ACWV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GCNS.TO	ACWV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.36%	3.20%	-0.84%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.91%	5.87%	-0.96%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	9.58%	10.18%	-0.60%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	8.07%	8.71%	-0.64%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.80%	10.96%	-3.16%