IFED vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN (IFED) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

IFED and SPY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IFED is a passively managed fund by UBS that tracks the performance of the IFED Large-Cap US Equity Index - Benchmark TR Gross. It was launched on Sep 14, 2021. SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993. Both IFED and SPY are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IFED vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN (IFED) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IFED vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
IFED ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN	-10.70%	15.02%	23.04%	20.78%	-1.46%	8.46%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-4.37%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-18.18%	6.76%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IFED achieves a -10.70% return, which is significantly lower than SPY's -4.37% return.

IFED

• 1D: 2.06%
• 1M: -5.98%
• YTD: -10.70%
• 6M: -11.02%
• 1Y: 5.41%
• 3Y*: 14.83%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SPY

• 1D: 2.91%
• 1M: -4.94%
• YTD: -4.37%
• 6M: -1.82%
• 1Y: 17.59%
• 3Y*: 18.19%
• 5Y*: 11.69%
• 10Y*: 13.98%

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

IFED vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison

IFED has a 0.45% expense ratio, which is higher than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio.

IFED

ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN

SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

Return for Risk

IFED vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

IFED

IFED Risk / Return Rank: 20
IFED Sharpe Ratio Rank: 19
IFED Sortino Ratio Rank: 19
IFED Omega Ratio Rank: 20
IFED Calmar Ratio Rank: 20
IFED Martin Ratio Rank: 21

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 64
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 75

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.

IFED vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN (IFED) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). 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.

	IFED	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.29	0.93	-0.64
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.52	1.45	-0.94
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	1.22	-0.15
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.39	1.53	-1.13
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.24	7.30	-6.06
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IFED vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IFED Sharpe Ratio is 0.29, which is lower than the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.93. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IFED and SPY, 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

	IFED	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.29	0.93	-0.64
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.69	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.78	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.58	0.56	+0.02

Correlation

The correlation between IFED and SPY is 0.83, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IFED vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

IFED has not paid dividends to shareholders, while SPY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.14%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IFED ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.14%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

IFED vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IFED drawdown since its inception was -22.36%, smaller than the maximum SPY drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IFED and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	IFED	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.36%	-55.19%	+32.83%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.65%	-12.05%	-2.60%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-24.50%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-33.72%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-12.52%	-6.24%	-6.28%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.70%	-9.09%	+3.39%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.64%	2.52%	+2.12%

Volatility

IFED vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for ETRACS IFED Invest with the Fed TR Index ETN (IFED) is 4.91%, while State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has a volatility of 5.31%. This indicates that IFED experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IFED	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.91%	5.31%	-0.40%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.83%	9.47%	+1.36%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.80%	19.05%	-0.25%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	19.72%	17.06%	+2.66%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	19.72%	17.92%	+1.80%