MDST vs. ION

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF (ION).

MDST and ION are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. MDST is an actively managed fund by Westwood. It was launched on Apr 8, 2024. ION is a passively managed fund by ProShares that tracks the performance of the S&P Global Core Battery Metals Index - Benchmark TR Net. It was launched on Nov 29, 2022.

Performance

MDST vs. ION - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF (ION). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MDST vs. ION - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF	11.06%	7.09%	17.29%
ION Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF	10.74%	108.37%	-18.86%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both stocks are quite close, with MDST having a 11.06% return and ION slightly lower at 10.74%.

MDST

• 1D: -0.66%
• 1M: -0.59%
• YTD: 11.06%
• 6M: 11.92%
• 1Y: 12.46%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

ION

• 1D: 1.14%
• 1M: -10.68%
• YTD: 10.74%
• 6M: 47.40%
• 1Y: 128.27%
• 3Y*: 16.88%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

MDST vs. ION - Expense Ratio Comparison

MDST has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is higher than ION's 0.58% expense ratio.

MDST

Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF

ION

Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF

Return for Risk

MDST vs. ION — Risk / Return Rank

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

MDST

MDST Risk / Return Rank: 35
MDST Sharpe Ratio Rank: 36
MDST Sortino Ratio Rank: 32
MDST Omega Ratio Rank: 41
MDST Calmar Ratio Rank: 33
MDST Martin Ratio Rank: 36

ION

ION Risk / Return Rank: 97
ION Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
ION Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
ION Omega Ratio Rank: 95
ION Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
ION Martin Ratio Rank: 97

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.

MDST vs. ION - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF (ION). 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.

	MDST	ION	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.72	3.30	-2.59
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.99	3.53	-2.54
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.48	-0.31
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.91	5.46	-4.56
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.50	20.91	-17.41
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MDST vs. ION - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MDST Sharpe Ratio is 0.72, which is lower than the ION Sharpe Ratio of 3.30. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MDST and ION, 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

	MDST	ION	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.72	3.30	-2.59
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.14	0.38	+0.75

Correlation

The correlation between MDST and ION is 0.18, 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

MDST vs. ION - Dividend Comparison

MDST's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 9.50%, more than ION's 1.44% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022
MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF	9.50%	10.22%	6.60%	0.00%	0.00%
ION Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF	1.44%	1.63%	1.74%	2.23%	0.13%

Drawdowns

MDST vs. ION - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MDST drawdown since its inception was -14.19%, smaller than the maximum ION drawdown of -52.08%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MDST and ION.

Drawdown Indicators

	MDST	ION	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-14.19%	-52.08%	+37.89%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.19%	-23.30%	+9.11%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.49%	-12.05%	+9.56%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.18%	-24.59%	+22.41%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.68%	6.09%	-2.41%

Volatility

MDST vs. ION - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) is 2.22%, while Proshares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETF (ION) has a volatility of 12.68%. This indicates that MDST experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than ION based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MDST	ION	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.22%	12.68%	-10.46%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.66%	30.43%	-22.77%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.40%	39.05%	-21.65%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.23%	30.73%	-14.50%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.23%	30.73%	-14.50%