PortfoliosLab logoPortfoliosLab logo

Documentation

Upgrade your plan
PILL vs. IHE
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

PILL vs. IHE

Last updated Jun 24, 2026

PILL (Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares) and IHE (iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF) are both exchange-traded funds - PILL is a Leveraged Equities fund tracking the Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Intellidex Index, while IHE is a Health & Biotech Equities fund tracking the Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, PILL returned -7.89%/yr vs 10.55%/yr for IHE. Their correlation of 0.83 suggests significant overlap in exposure. PILL charges 0.98%/yr vs 0.42%/yr for IHE.

Performance

PILL vs. IHE - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) and iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Loading charts...

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PILL achieves a 26.72% return, which is significantly higher than IHE's 11.65% return.

PILL

1D
5.13%
1M
27.73%
YTD
26.72%
6M
23.80%
1Y
194.90%
3Y*
24.44%
5Y*
-7.89%
10Y*
—

IHE

1D
1.60%
1M
3.16%
YTD
11.65%
6M
10.97%
1Y
46.87%
3Y*
18.43%
5Y*
10.55%
10Y*
8.99%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

PILL vs. IHE - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020201920182017
PILL
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares		26.72%75.14%-7.26%-12.06%-43.16%-37.33%0.28%19.26%-21.15%16.39%
IHE
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF		11.65%31.69%8.13%1.06%-4.87%13.07%13.66%15.47%-7.76%3.64%

Correlation

The correlation between PILL and IHE is 0.76, which is moderate. They share some common price drivers but move independently often enough to provide real diversification benefit when combined.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.76

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.78

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.79

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 15, 2017

0.83

The correlation between PILL and IHE has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.76 to 0.83 - a consistent structural relationship.

PILL vs. IHE - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
PILL
IHE

Healthcare

100.0%
100.0%

Basic Materials

-

-

Communication Services

-

-

Consumer Cyclical

-

-

Consumer Defensive

-

-

Energy

-

-

Financial Services

-

-

Industrials

-

-

Real Estate

-

-

Technology

-

-

Utilities

-

-

Healthcare

PILL
100.0%
IHE
100.0%

Basic Materials

PILL

-

IHE

-

Communication Services

PILL

-

IHE

-

Consumer Cyclical

PILL

-

IHE

-

Consumer Defensive

PILL

-

IHE

-

Energy

PILL

-

IHE

-

Financial Services

PILL

-

IHE

-

Industrials

PILL

-

IHE

-

Real Estate

PILL

-

IHE

-

Technology

PILL

-

IHE

-

Utilities

PILL

-

IHE

-

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.

Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares

iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF

Often compared with PILL:
PILL vs. CUREPILL vs. BNKUPILL vs. KUREPILL vs. XHBPILL vs. SPXLPILL vs. QLDPILL vs. VOO
Often compared with IHE:
IHE vs. PPHIHE vs. XPHIHE vs. XLVIHE vs. VYMIHE vs. PJPIHE vs. IAKIHE vs. BBP

Return for Risk

PILL vs. IHE — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
PILL
PILL Risk / Return Rank: 8686
Overall Rank
PILL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 9393
Sharpe Ratio Rank
PILL Sortino Ratio Rank: 8080
Sortino Ratio Rank
PILL Omega Ratio Rank: 7272
Omega Ratio Rank
PILL Calmar Ratio Rank: 9292
Calmar Ratio Rank
PILL Martin Ratio Rank: 9090
Martin Ratio Rank
IHE
IHE Risk / Return Rank: 8787
Overall Rank
IHE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8888
Sharpe Ratio Rank
IHE Sortino Ratio Rank: 9090
Sortino Ratio Rank
IHE Omega Ratio Rank: 8282
Omega Ratio Rank
IHE Calmar Ratio Rank: 9191
Calmar Ratio Rank
IHE Martin Ratio Rank: 8585
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

PILL vs. IHE - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) and iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE). 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.

PILLIHEDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
3.14
2.74

+0.40

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
3.27
3.95

-0.68

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.40

1.46

-0.06

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

5.91

5.56

+0.35

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

19.45

17.09

+2.36

PILL vs. IHE - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PILL Sharpe Ratio is 3.14, which is comparable to the IHE Sharpe Ratio of 2.74. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PILL and IHE, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Loading charts...

Drawdowns

PILL vs. IHE - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PILL drawdown since its inception was -88.76%, which is greater than IHE's maximum drawdown of -38.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PILL and IHE.

Loading charts...

Drawdown Indicators

PILLIHEDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-88.76%

-38.20%

-50.56%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-33.21%

-8.47%

-24.74%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-60.43%

-15.92%

-44.51%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-83.26%

-16.03%

-67.23%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

—

-29.59%

—

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-56.58%

-0.70%

-55.88%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-58.54%

-7.90%

-50.64%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

10.07%

2.75%

+7.32%

Volatility

PILL vs. IHE - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) has a higher volatility of 18.07% compared to iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) at 5.27%. This indicates that PILL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than IHE based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Loading charts...

Volatility by Period

PILLIHEDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

18.07%

5.27%

+12.80%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

48.23%

12.68%

+35.55%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

62.55%

17.22%

+45.33%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

60.62%

16.28%

+44.34%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

63.79%

18.05%

+45.74%

PILL vs. IHE - Expense Ratio Comparison

PILL has a 0.98% expense ratio, which is higher than IHE's 0.42% expense ratio.

Dividends

PILL vs. IHE - Dividend Comparison

PILL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.49%, less than IHE's 1.56% yield.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
IHE
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF		1.56%1.76%1.73%1.39%2.01%1.49%1.19%1.40%1.25%1.36%0.92%1.93%
PILL
Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares		0.49%0.69%1.28%1.83%0.67%0.00%0.00%0.38%0.91%0.10%0.00%0.00%

Frequently Asked Questions

PILL and IHE have a correlation of 0.76, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

PILL has higher volatility (18.07%) compared to IHE (5.27%). In terms of maximum drawdown, PILL dropped -88.76% vs IHE's -38.20%.

On 5-year performance, IHE leads with 10.55% vs -7.89% for PILL. On fees, IHE is cheaper at 0.42% per year. On volatility, IHE has been the lower-risk option at 5.27%. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Over the 5-year period, IHE has performed better with a 10.55% return vs -7.89%. Past performance does not guarantee future results, so compare this with risk, fees, and fund exposure.

IHE is cheaper with a 0.42% expense ratio, compared with 0.98% for PILL.

IHE has the higher dividend yield at 1.56%, compared with 0.49% for PILL.

PILL is categorized as Leveraged Equities, while IHE is Health & Biotech Equities. PILL tracks Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Intellidex Index, while IHE tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. They also come from different issuers: Direxion and iShares. Their fees differ too: 0.98% for PILL and 0.42% for IHE.

PILL currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (3.14 vs 2.74), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.

Portfolio Optimizer

Find the right allocation for PILL and IHE

Add both to a portfolio and optimize allocations for your target — whether that's maximizing returns, minimizing drawdowns, or balancing risk across holdings.

Open Portfolio Optimizer