PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO

Last updated Aug 4, 2026

PFIA.TO (PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund) and QBTL.TO (AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF) are both exchange-traded funds - PFIA.TO is a Long-Short fund actively managed by Picton, while QBTL.TO is a Equity Market Neutral fund actively managed by AGF. Both are actively managed. Over the past 5 years, PFIA.TO returned 3.45%/yr vs -4.83%/yr for QBTL.TO. Their 0.01 correlation means their historical movements had little consistent relationship. PFIA.TO charges 1.73%/yr vs 0.55%/yr for QBTL.TO.

Performance

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund (PFIA.TO) and AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF (QBTL.TO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PFIA.TO achieves a 1.12% return, which is significantly higher than QBTL.TO's -15.06% return.

PFIA.TO

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.26%
• 6M: 0.57%
• YTD: 1.12%
• 1Y: 3.30%
• 3Y*: 5.89%
• 5Y*: 3.45%
• 10Y*: —
• ALL TIME*: 4.78%

QBTL.TO

• 1D: 0.78%
• 1M: 6.72%
• 6M: -13.58%
• YTD: -15.06%
• 1Y: -26.30%
• 3Y*: -9.01%
• 5Y*: -4.83%
• 10Y*: —
• ALL TIME*: -7.98%

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

Liquidity Comparison

Position	Avg. Volume Value (2W)	Avg. Volume Value (1M)	Avg. Volume Value (3M)
PFIA.TO PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund	CA$320.53K	CA$347.41K	CA$317.03K
QBTL.TO AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF	CA$48.21K	CA$82.83K	CA$92.70K

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
PFIA.TO PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund	1.12%	5.42%	7.76%	7.26%	-3.42%	3.17%	9.26%	1.30%
QBTL.TO AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF	-15.06%	-21.84%	12.22%	-15.56%	21.08%	-8.37%	-12.51%	-7.06%

Correlation

The correlation between PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO is -0.03, meaning there was essentially no consistent relationship between their historical price movements. Each responded to its own set of market drivers.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Focuses on recent behavior, but can change the most.	-0.03
Correlation (3Y) Balances recent behavior with more history.	0.03
Correlation (5Y) Shows whether the relationship held over a longer period.	-0.01
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Oct 7, 2019	0.01

Return for Risk

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare historical risk-adjusted metric ranks over the past 12 months.

PFIA.TO

PFIA.TO Risk / Return Rank: 62
PFIA.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
PFIA.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
PFIA.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 63
PFIA.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
PFIA.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 58

QBTL.TO

QBTL.TO Risk / Return Rank: 2
QBTL.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1
QBTL.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
QBTL.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 2
QBTL.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 4
QBTL.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 3

The rank (0–100) uses a weighted average of the Sharpe, Sortino, Omega, Calmar, and Martin percentile ranks for the trailing 12 months. Higher means stronger historical risk-adjusted performance within the peer group.

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund (PFIA.TO) and AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF (QBTL.TO). 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.

Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.

	PFIA.TO	QBTL.TO	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	1.47	-1.02	+2.49
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	2.16	-1.43	+3.59
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	0.84	+0.45
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.60	-0.68	+3.28
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	7.25	-1.22	+8.47

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PFIA.TO Sharpe Ratio is 1.47, which is higher than the QBTL.TO Sharpe Ratio of -1.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Drawdowns

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PFIA.TO drawdown since its inception was -17.12%, smaller than the maximum QBTL.TO drawdown of -54.72%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO.

Drawdown Indicators

	PFIA.TO	QBTL.TO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-17.12%	-54.72%	+37.60%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-1.36%	-36.08%	+34.72%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-1.47%	-49.31%	+47.84%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-6.46%	-49.31%	+42.85%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.14%	-48.87%	+48.73%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.11%	-25.32%	+24.21%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.48%	20.18%	-19.70%

Volatility

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund (PFIA.TO) is 0.68%, while AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF (QBTL.TO) has a volatility of 7.40%. This indicates that PFIA.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than QBTL.TO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PFIA.TO	QBTL.TO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.68%	7.40%	-6.72%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.88%	18.57%	-16.69%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.41%	24.14%	-21.73%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	4.18%	19.91%	-15.73%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	6.34%	20.03%	-13.69%

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Expense Ratio Comparison

PFIA.TO has a 1.73% expense ratio, which is higher than QBTL.TO's 0.55% expense ratio.

Dividends

PFIA.TO vs. QBTL.TO - Dividend Comparison

PFIA.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.90%, while QBTL.TO has not paid dividends to shareholders.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
PFIA.TO PICTON Long Short Income Alternative Fund	4.90%	3.97%	3.66%	5.63%	4.69%	4.25%	6.02%	1.66%
QBTL.TO AGF US Market Neutral Anti-Beta CAD-Hedged ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	3.09%	0.00%	6.68%	0.16%

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO in my portfolio?

PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO have a correlation of -0.03, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which ETF is better, PFIA.TO or QBTL.TO?

On fees, QBTL.TO is cheaper at 0.55% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Which ETF is cheaper, PFIA.TO or QBTL.TO?

QBTL.TO is cheaper with a 0.55% expense ratio, compared with 1.73% for PFIA.TO.

What is the main difference between PFIA.TO and QBTL.TO?

PFIA.TO is categorized as Long-Short, while QBTL.TO is Equity Market Neutral. They also come from different issuers: Picton and AGF. Their fees differ too: 1.73% for PFIA.TO and 0.55% for QBTL.TO.