PFFL vs. PFF
Compare and contrast key facts about ETRACS 2xMonthly Pay Leveraged Preferred Stock Index ETN (PFFL) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF).
PFFL and PFF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PFFL is a passively managed fund by UBS that tracks the performance of the Solactive Preferred Stock ETF Index (+200%). It was launched on Sep 25, 2018. 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. Both PFFL and PFF 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
PFFL vs. PFF - Performance Comparison
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PFFL vs. PFF - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PFFL ETRACS 2xMonthly Pay Leveraged Preferred Stock Index ETN | -4.36% | 2.18% | 4.77% | 8.65% | -39.15% | 7.52% | -15.47% | 30.21% | -11.05% |
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | -1.42% | 4.87% | 7.24% | 9.22% | -18.19% | 7.15% | 7.89% | 15.93% | -5.61% |
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, PFFL achieves a -4.36% return, which is significantly lower than PFF's -1.42% return.
PFFL
- 1D
- 0.68%
- 1M
- -7.39%
- YTD
- -4.36%
- 6M
- -7.76%
- 1Y
- 0.89%
- 3Y*
- 2.13%
- 5Y*
- -6.10%
- 10Y*
- —
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%
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PFFL vs. PFF - Expense Ratio Comparison
PFFL has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is higher than PFF's 0.46% expense ratio.
Return for Risk
PFFL vs. PFF — Risk / Return Rank
PFFL
PFF
PFFL vs. PFF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ETRACS 2xMonthly Pay Leveraged Preferred Stock Index ETN (PFFL) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF). 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.
| PFFL | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 0.05 | 0.56 | -0.51 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 0.20 | 0.82 | -0.63 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.03 | 1.11 | -0.08 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | -0.01 | 0.80 | -0.80 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | -0.02 | 2.28 | -2.29 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| PFFL | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.05 | 0.56 | -0.51 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | -0.26 | 0.10 | -0.36 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | — | 0.26 | — |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | -0.08 | 0.20 | -0.28 |
Correlation
The correlation between PFFL and PFF is 0.85, 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
PFFL vs. PFF - Dividend Comparison
PFFL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 13.68%, more than PFF's 5.97% yield.
| TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PFFL ETRACS 2xMonthly Pay Leveraged Preferred Stock Index ETN | 13.68% | 13.27% | 13.76% | 13.71% | 13.90% | 8.82% | 9.75% | 11.21% | 2.02% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
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% |
Drawdowns
PFFL vs. PFF - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum PFFL drawdown since its inception was -80.68%, which is greater than PFF's maximum drawdown of -65.55%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PFFL and PFF.
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Drawdown Indicators
| PFFL | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -80.68% | -65.55% | -15.13% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -11.92% | -5.28% | -6.64% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -48.51% | -21.05% | -27.46% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | — | -34.10% | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -41.08% | -4.65% | -36.43% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -28.32% | -5.81% | -22.51% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 4.74% | 1.84% | +2.90% |
Volatility
PFFL vs. PFF - Volatility Comparison
ETRACS 2xMonthly Pay Leveraged Preferred Stock Index ETN (PFFL) has a higher volatility of 6.74% compared to iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) at 2.59%. This indicates that PFFL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than PFF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| PFFL | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 6.74% | 2.59% | +4.15% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 12.28% | 5.10% | +7.18% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 19.42% | 8.32% | +11.10% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 23.54% | 10.26% | +13.28% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 55.95% | 12.63% | +43.32% |