KDEF vs. XAR

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) and SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR).

KDEF and XAR are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. KDEF is a passively managed fund by PLUS that tracks the performance of the The Korea Defence Industry Index. It was launched on Feb 5, 2025. XAR is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry. It was launched on Sep 28, 2011. Both KDEF and XAR 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

KDEF vs. XAR - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) and SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

KDEF vs. XAR - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
KDEF PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF	20.17%	117.16%
XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF	5.33%	37.84%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, KDEF achieves a 20.17% return, which is significantly higher than XAR's 5.33% return.

KDEF

• 1D: 2.65%
• 1M: -13.39%
• YTD: 20.17%
• 6M: 11.40%
• 1Y: 121.83%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

XAR

• 1D: 4.85%
• 1M: -10.20%
• YTD: 5.33%
• 6M: 8.19%
• 1Y: 58.67%
• 3Y*: 30.25%
• 5Y*: 15.56%
• 10Y*: 18.07%

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

KDEF vs. XAR - Expense Ratio Comparison

KDEF has a 0.65% expense ratio, which is higher than XAR's 0.35% expense ratio.

KDEF

PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF

XAR

SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

Return for Risk

KDEF vs. XAR — Risk / Return Rank

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

KDEF

KDEF Risk / Return Rank: 95
KDEF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
KDEF Sortino Ratio Rank: 96
KDEF Omega Ratio Rank: 91
KDEF Calmar Ratio Rank: 98
KDEF Martin Ratio Rank: 95

XAR

XAR Risk / Return Rank: 92
XAR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 93
XAR Sortino Ratio Rank: 93
XAR Omega Ratio Rank: 89
XAR Calmar Ratio Rank: 93
XAR Martin Ratio Rank: 91

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.

KDEF vs. XAR - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) and SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR). 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.

	KDEF	XAR	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.79	2.09	+0.70
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.19	2.76	+0.44
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.39	1.35	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	5.57	3.34	+2.23
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	15.53	11.77	+3.75
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

KDEF vs. XAR - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current KDEF Sharpe Ratio is 2.79, which is higher than the XAR Sharpe Ratio of 2.09. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of KDEF and XAR, 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

	KDEF	XAR	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.79	2.09	+0.70
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.68	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.74	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	2.91	0.83	+2.07

Correlation

The correlation between KDEF and XAR 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

KDEF vs. XAR - Dividend Comparison

KDEF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.21%, more than XAR's 0.35% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
KDEF PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF	4.21%	5.06%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF	0.35%	0.40%	0.66%	0.54%	0.50%	0.83%	0.63%	0.75%	1.19%	0.76%	1.09%	2.31%

Drawdowns

KDEF vs. XAR - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum KDEF drawdown since its inception was -22.51%, smaller than the maximum XAR drawdown of -46.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for KDEF and XAR.

Drawdown Indicators

	KDEF	XAR	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.51%	-46.37%	+23.86%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-22.51%	-17.22%	-5.29%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-32.40%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-46.37%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-18.37%	-13.20%	-5.17%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.83%	-6.76%	+0.93%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	8.08%	4.88%	+3.20%

Volatility

KDEF vs. XAR - Volatility Comparison

PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) has a higher volatility of 19.32% compared to SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) at 10.26%. This indicates that KDEF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XAR based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	KDEF	XAR	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	19.32%	10.26%	+9.06%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	33.05%	21.34%	+11.71%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	43.92%	28.28%	+15.64%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	45.29%	22.91%	+22.38%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	45.29%	24.34%	+20.95%