GOLY vs. UCON

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GOLY) and First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF (UCON).

GOLY and UCON are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GOLY is a passively managed fund by Strategy Shares that tracks the performance of the Solactive Gold-Backed Bond Index. It was launched on May 17, 2021. UCON is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Jun 4, 2018.

Performance

GOLY vs. UCON - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GOLY) and First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF (UCON). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GOLY vs. UCON - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
GOLY Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF	-11.63%	57.98%	19.82%	12.74%	-19.96%	-1.30%
UCON First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF	-0.44%	7.00%	4.69%	7.72%	-5.72%	0.48%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GOLY achieves a -11.63% return, which is significantly lower than UCON's -0.44% return.

GOLY

• 1D: 3.57%
• 1M: -23.39%
• YTD: -11.63%
• 6M: -3.79%
• 1Y: 18.49%
• 3Y*: 19.51%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

UCON

• 1D: 0.08%
• 1M: -1.27%
• YTD: -0.44%
• 6M: 0.59%
• 1Y: 4.86%
• 3Y*: 5.76%
• 5Y*: 2.67%
• 10Y*: —

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

GOLY vs. UCON - Expense Ratio Comparison

GOLY has a 0.79% expense ratio, which is lower than UCON's 0.86% expense ratio.

UCON

First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF

GOLY

Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF

Return for Risk

GOLY vs. UCON — Risk / Return Rank

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

GOLY

GOLY Risk / Return Rank: 29
GOLY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 28
GOLY Sortino Ratio Rank: 29
GOLY Omega Ratio Rank: 30
GOLY Calmar Ratio Rank: 28
GOLY Martin Ratio Rank: 30

UCON

UCON Risk / Return Rank: 79
UCON Sharpe Ratio Rank: 83
UCON Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
UCON Omega Ratio Rank: 78
UCON Calmar Ratio Rank: 73
UCON Martin Ratio Rank: 77

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.

GOLY vs. UCON - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GOLY) and First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF (UCON). 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.

	GOLY	UCON	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.55	1.67	-1.12
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.90	2.36	-1.46
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.13	1.31	-0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.70	2.00	-1.30
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.74	8.70	-5.96
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GOLY vs. UCON - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GOLY Sharpe Ratio is 0.55, which is lower than the UCON Sharpe Ratio of 1.67. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GOLY and UCON, 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

	GOLY	UCON	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.55	1.67	-1.12
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.70	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.39	0.62	-0.23

Correlation

The correlation between GOLY and UCON is 0.31, 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

GOLY vs. UCON - Dividend Comparison

GOLY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 8.77%, more than UCON's 4.66% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
GOLY Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF	8.77%	7.22%	3.85%	2.94%	2.57%	1.11%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
UCON First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF	4.66%	4.63%	4.95%	4.75%	3.12%	2.20%	3.14%	3.25%	1.76%

Drawdowns

GOLY vs. UCON - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GOLY drawdown since its inception was -35.99%, which is greater than UCON's maximum drawdown of -15.31%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GOLY and UCON.

Drawdown Indicators

	GOLY	UCON	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-35.99%	-15.31%	-20.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-27.42%	-2.45%	-24.97%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-9.60%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-23.75%	-1.62%	-22.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-11.33%	-1.50%	-9.83%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.96%	0.56%	+6.40%

Volatility

GOLY vs. UCON - Volatility Comparison

Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GOLY) has a higher volatility of 13.29% compared to First Trust TCW Unconstrained Plus Bond ETF (UCON) at 1.55%. This indicates that GOLY's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than UCON based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GOLY	UCON	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	13.29%	1.55%	+11.74%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	29.56%	2.07%	+27.49%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	33.56%	2.92%	+30.64%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	21.95%	3.84%	+18.11%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.95%	5.94%	+16.01%