PFF vs. CWB

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) and SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF (CWB).

PFF and CWB are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PFF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index. It was launched on Mar 30, 2007. CWB is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg US Convertibles Liquid Bond. It was launched on Apr 14, 2009. Both PFF and CWB 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

PFF vs. CWB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) and SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF (CWB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PFF vs. CWB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF	-1.42%	4.87%	7.24%	9.22%	-18.19%	7.15%	7.89%	15.93%	-4.64%	8.10%
CWB SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF	2.86%	16.61%	10.06%	14.49%	-20.81%	2.18%	53.39%	22.39%	-2.00%	15.69%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PFF achieves a -1.42% return, which is significantly lower than CWB's 2.86% return. Over the past 10 years, PFF has underperformed CWB with an annualized return of 3.24%, while CWB has yielded a comparatively higher 11.06% annualized return.

PFF

• 1D: 0.66%
• 1M: -3.37%
• YTD: -1.42%
• 6M: -1.65%
• 1Y: 4.61%
• 3Y*: 5.39%
• 5Y*: 1.02%
• 10Y*: 3.24%

CWB

• 1D: 2.79%
• 1M: -2.88%
• YTD: 2.86%
• 6M: 1.95%
• 1Y: 21.54%
• 3Y*: 13.06%
• 5Y*: 3.66%
• 10Y*: 11.06%

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

PFF vs. CWB - Expense Ratio Comparison

PFF has a 0.46% expense ratio, which is higher than CWB's 0.40% expense ratio.

PFF

iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

CWB

SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF

Return for Risk

PFF vs. CWB — Risk / Return Rank

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

PFF

PFF Risk / Return Rank: 31
PFF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 32
PFF Sortino Ratio Rank: 30
PFF Omega Ratio Rank: 28
PFF Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
PFF Martin Ratio Rank: 29

CWB

CWB Risk / Return Rank: 82
CWB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
CWB Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
CWB Omega Ratio Rank: 77
CWB Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
CWB Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

PFF vs. CWB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) and SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF (CWB). 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.

	PFF	CWB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.56	1.50	-0.95
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.82	2.07	-1.25
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.11	1.28	-0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.80	2.80	-2.00
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.28	9.27	-6.99
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PFF vs. CWB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PFF Sharpe Ratio is 0.56, which is lower than the CWB Sharpe Ratio of 1.50. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PFF and CWB, 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

	PFF	CWB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.56	1.50	-0.95
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.10	0.29	-0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.26	0.77	-0.52
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.20	0.84	-0.65

Correlation

The correlation between PFF and CWB is 0.55, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

PFF vs. CWB - Dividend Comparison

PFF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.97%, more than CWB's 1.63% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF	5.97%	6.30%	6.32%	6.63%	6.01%	4.45%	4.79%	5.31%	6.32%	5.59%	5.85%	5.76%
CWB SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF	1.63%	1.69%	1.85%	1.97%	2.21%	1.97%	2.34%	3.03%	6.17%	4.25%	4.60%	7.52%

Drawdowns

PFF vs. CWB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PFF drawdown since its inception was -65.55%, which is greater than CWB's maximum drawdown of -32.06%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PFF and CWB.

Drawdown Indicators

	PFF	CWB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-65.55%	-32.06%	-33.49%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-5.28%	-7.52%	+2.24%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-21.05%	-28.41%	+7.36%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-34.10%	-32.06%	-2.04%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.65%	-4.16%	-0.49%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.81%	-6.22%	+0.41%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.84%	2.27%	-0.43%

Volatility

PFF vs. CWB - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) is 2.59%, while SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Convertible Securities ETF (CWB) has a volatility of 6.36%. This indicates that PFF experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than CWB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PFF	CWB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.59%	6.36%	-3.77%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	5.10%	11.48%	-6.38%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	8.32%	14.38%	-6.06%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	10.26%	12.85%	-2.59%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	12.63%	14.33%	-1.70%