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HYXF vs. FTSL
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

HYXF vs. FTSL

Last updated Jun 4, 2026

HYXF (iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF) and FTSL (First Trust Senior Loan Fund) are both High Yield Bonds funds. HYXF is passively managed, while FTSL is actively managed. Over the past 5 years, HYXF returned 3.66%/yr vs 5.02%/yr for FTSL. At a 0.43 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. HYXF charges 0.35%/yr vs 0.86%/yr for FTSL.

Performance

HYXF vs. FTSL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) and First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Loading charts...

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, HYXF achieves a 0.91% return, which is significantly higher than FTSL's 0.62% return.

HYXF

1D
-0.24%
1M
0.34%
YTD
0.91%
6M
1.51%
1Y
5.86%
3Y*
8.56%
5Y*
3.66%
10Y*
—

FTSL

1D
-0.02%
1M
0.20%
YTD
0.62%
6M
0.99%
1Y
4.53%
3Y*
7.34%
5Y*
5.02%
10Y*
4.45%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

HYXF vs. FTSL - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020201920182017
HYXF
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF		0.91%8.88%8.35%11.87%-11.90%2.60%6.07%14.87%-0.24%6.89%
FTSL
First Trust Senior Loan Fund		0.62%5.98%8.27%11.58%-2.50%3.94%2.99%10.11%-1.30%2.59%

Correlation

The correlation between HYXF and FTSL is 0.48, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.48

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.52

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.51

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Jun 20, 2016

0.43

The correlation between HYXF and FTSL has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.43 to 0.52 - a consistent structural relationship.

HYXF vs. FTSL - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
HYXF
FTSL

Communication Services

100.0%

-

Basic Materials

-

100.0%

Consumer Cyclical

-

-

Consumer Defensive

-

-

Energy

-

-

Financial Services

-

-

Healthcare

-

-

Industrials

-

-

Real Estate

-

-

Technology

-

-

Utilities

-

-

Communication Services

HYXF
100.0%
FTSL

-

Basic Materials

HYXF

-

FTSL
100.0%

Consumer Cyclical

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Consumer Defensive

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Energy

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Financial Services

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Healthcare

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Industrials

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Real Estate

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Technology

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Utilities

HYXF

-

FTSL

-

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

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iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

First Trust Senior Loan Fund

Often compared with HYXF:
HYXF vs. EUSBHYXF vs. ARTFXHYXF vs. USHYHYXF vs. SRLNHYXF vs. FDHYHYXF vs. SGOVHYXF vs. BSJP
Often compared with FTSL:
FTSL vs. BKLNFTSL vs. AAAFTSL vs. SJNKFTSL vs. HYLBFTSL vs. PFFDFTSL vs. LONZFTSL vs. SLYV

Return for Risk

HYXF vs. FTSL — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
HYXF
HYXF Risk / Return Rank: 4949
Overall Rank
HYXF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 4545
Sharpe Ratio Rank
HYXF Sortino Ratio Rank: 4848
Sortino Ratio Rank
HYXF Omega Ratio Rank: 4646
Omega Ratio Rank
HYXF Calmar Ratio Rank: 4747
Calmar Ratio Rank
HYXF Martin Ratio Rank: 5959
Martin Ratio Rank
FTSL
FTSL Risk / Return Rank: 6060
Overall Rank
FTSL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 6363
Sharpe Ratio Rank
FTSL Sortino Ratio Rank: 7373
Sortino Ratio Rank
FTSL Omega Ratio Rank: 8383
Omega Ratio Rank
FTSL Calmar Ratio Rank: 3939
Calmar Ratio Rank
FTSL Martin Ratio Rank: 4444
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

HYXF vs. FTSL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) and First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL). 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.

HYXFFTSLDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
1.56
2.15

-0.59

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
2.35
3.35

-0.99

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.29

1.51

-0.21

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

2.29

1.95

+0.34

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

10.32

7.25

+3.07

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

HYXF vs. FTSL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current HYXF Sharpe Ratio is 1.56, which is comparable to the FTSL Sharpe Ratio of 2.15. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of HYXF and FTSL, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

HYXFFTSLDifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

1.56

2.15

-0.59

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.46

1.50

-1.05

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

—

0.86

—

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.61

0.85

-0.24

Drawdowns

HYXF vs. FTSL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum HYXF drawdown since its inception was -18.75%, smaller than the maximum FTSL drawdown of -22.67%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for HYXF and FTSL.

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Drawdown Indicators

HYXFFTSLDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-18.75%

-22.67%

+3.92%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-2.57%

-2.33%

-0.24%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-4.81%

-2.66%

-2.15%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-16.00%

-6.96%

-9.04%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

—

-22.67%

—

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-0.27%

-0.03%

-0.24%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-2.58%

-0.76%

-1.82%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

0.57%

0.63%

-0.06%

Volatility

HYXF vs. FTSL - Volatility Comparison

iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF) has a higher volatility of 1.15% compared to First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) at 0.36%. This indicates that HYXF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FTSL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

HYXFFTSLDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

1.15%

0.36%

+0.79%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

2.93%

1.95%

+0.98%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

3.78%

2.11%

+1.67%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

8.04%

3.35%

+4.69%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

8.32%

5.19%

+3.13%

HYXF vs. FTSL - Expense Ratio Comparison

HYXF has a 0.35% expense ratio, which is lower than FTSL's 0.86% expense ratio.

Dividends

HYXF vs. FTSL - Dividend Comparison

HYXF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.09%, less than FTSL's 6.46% yield.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
FTSL
First Trust Senior Loan Fund		6.46%6.59%7.56%7.59%4.77%3.17%3.48%4.44%4.29%3.64%3.70%3.95%
HYXF
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF		6.09%6.19%6.40%5.93%5.37%4.56%4.96%5.29%6.14%5.85%3.16%0.00%

Frequently Asked Questions

HYXF and FTSL have a correlation of 0.48, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

HYXF has higher volatility (1.15%) compared to FTSL (0.36%). In terms of maximum drawdown, HYXF dropped -18.75% vs FTSL's -22.67%.

On 5-year performance, FTSL leads with 5.02% vs 3.66% for HYXF. On fees, HYXF is cheaper at 0.35% per year. On volatility, FTSL has been the lower-risk option at 0.36%. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Over the 5-year period, FTSL has performed better with a 5.02% return vs 3.66%. Past performance does not guarantee future results, so compare this with risk, fees, and fund exposure.

HYXF is cheaper with a 0.35% expense ratio, compared with 0.86% for FTSL.

FTSL has the higher dividend yield at 6.46%, compared with 6.09% for HYXF.

They also come from different issuers: iShares and First Trust. Their fees differ too: 0.35% for HYXF and 0.86% for FTSL.

FTSL currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (2.15 vs 1.56), 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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