HARD vs. CAOS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF (HARD) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS).

HARD and CAOS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. HARD is an actively managed fund by Simplify. It was launched on Mar 27, 2023. CAOS is an actively managed fund by Alpha Architect. It was launched on Aug 14, 2013.

Performance

HARD vs. CAOS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF (HARD) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

HARD vs. CAOS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
HARD Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF	20.41%	12.19%	20.48%	-5.04%
CAOS Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF	1.10%	2.55%	5.33%	9.43%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, HARD achieves a 20.41% return, which is significantly higher than CAOS's 1.10% return.

HARD

• 1D: -1.39%
• 1M: 8.55%
• YTD: 20.41%
• 6M: 18.31%
• 1Y: 17.15%
• 3Y*: 15.77%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

CAOS

• 1D: 0.07%
• 1M: 0.43%
• YTD: 1.10%
• 6M: 1.37%
• 1Y: 3.19%
• 3Y*: 5.46%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

HARD vs. CAOS - Expense Ratio Comparison

HARD has a 0.75% expense ratio, which is higher than CAOS's 0.63% expense ratio.

HARD

Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF

CAOS

Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF

Return for Risk

HARD vs. CAOS — Risk / Return Rank

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

HARD

HARD Risk / Return Rank: 40
HARD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 41
HARD Sortino Ratio Rank: 38
HARD Omega Ratio Rank: 36
HARD Calmar Ratio Rank: 56
HARD Martin Ratio Rank: 31

CAOS

CAOS Risk / Return Rank: 41
CAOS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 39
CAOS Sortino Ratio Rank: 36
CAOS Omega Ratio Rank: 72
CAOS Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
CAOS Martin Ratio Rank: 23

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.

HARD vs. CAOS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF (HARD) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS). 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.

	HARD	CAOS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.72	0.69	+0.04
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.04	0.97	+0.07
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.26	-0.12
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.34	0.83	+0.51
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.53	1.38	+1.15
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

HARD vs. CAOS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current HARD Sharpe Ratio is 0.72, which is comparable to the CAOS Sharpe Ratio of 0.69. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of HARD and CAOS, 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

	HARD	CAOS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.72	0.69	+0.04
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.90	1.27	-0.37

Correlation

The correlation between HARD and CAOS is -0.07. This indicates that the assets' prices tend to move in opposite directions. Negative correlation can be particularly beneficial for diversification and risk management, as one asset may offset the losses of the other during market fluctuations.

Dividends

HARD vs. CAOS - Dividend Comparison

HARD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.49%, while CAOS has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
HARD Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF	2.49%	2.36%	3.51%	1.95%
CAOS Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

HARD vs. CAOS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum HARD drawdown since its inception was -13.51%, which is greater than CAOS's maximum drawdown of -3.60%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for HARD and CAOS.

Drawdown Indicators

	HARD	CAOS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-13.51%	-3.60%	-9.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.51%	-3.60%	-9.91%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.39%	-0.80%	-0.59%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.44%	-0.90%	-4.54%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.17%	2.18%	+4.99%

Volatility

HARD vs. CAOS - Volatility Comparison

Simplify Commodities Strategy No K-1 ETF (HARD) has a higher volatility of 11.53% compared to Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS) at 0.74%. This indicates that HARD's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CAOS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	HARD	CAOS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	11.53%	0.74%	+10.79%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	17.94%	1.30%	+16.64%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	23.78%	4.68%	+19.10%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.48%	4.37%	+13.11%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.48%	4.37%	+13.11%