PSQO vs. BALT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF (PSQO) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT).

PSQO and BALT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PSQO is an actively managed fund by Palmer Square. It was launched on Sep 11, 2024. BALT is a passively managed fund by Innovator that tracks the performance of the S&P 500. It was launched on Jun 30, 2021.

Performance

PSQO vs. BALT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF (PSQO) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PSQO vs. BALT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
PSQO Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF	0.19%	7.05%	1.96%
BALT Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF	-0.13%	6.65%	2.93%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PSQO achieves a 0.19% return, which is significantly higher than BALT's -0.13% return.

PSQO

• 1D: 0.07%
• 1M: -0.20%
• YTD: 0.19%
• 6M: 1.74%
• 1Y: 5.48%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

BALT

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: -0.87%
• YTD: -0.13%
• 6M: 1.97%
• 1Y: 6.64%
• 3Y*: 7.11%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

PSQO vs. BALT - Expense Ratio Comparison

PSQO has a 0.52% expense ratio, which is lower than BALT's 0.69% expense ratio.

BALT

Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF

PSQO

Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF

Return for Risk

PSQO vs. BALT — Risk / Return Rank

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

PSQO

PSQO Risk / Return Rank: 98
PSQO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
PSQO Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
PSQO Omega Ratio Rank: 98
PSQO Calmar Ratio Rank: 98
PSQO Martin Ratio Rank: 98

BALT

BALT Risk / Return Rank: 86
BALT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
BALT Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
BALT Omega Ratio Rank: 94
BALT Calmar Ratio Rank: 76
BALT Martin Ratio Rank: 92

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.

PSQO vs. BALT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF (PSQO) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT). 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.

	PSQO	BALT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	3.60	1.49	+2.11
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	5.62	2.29	+3.33
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.79	1.43	+0.36
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	7.48	1.91	+5.57
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	28.22	12.79	+15.43
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PSQO vs. BALT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PSQO Sharpe Ratio is 3.60, which is higher than the BALT Sharpe Ratio of 1.49. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PSQO and BALT, 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

	PSQO	BALT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.60	1.49	+2.11
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	3.01	1.70	+1.31

Correlation

The correlation between PSQO and BALT is 0.22, 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

PSQO vs. BALT - Dividend Comparison

PSQO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.19%, while BALT has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024
PSQO Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF	4.19%	4.45%	1.40%
BALT Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

PSQO vs. BALT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PSQO drawdown since its inception was -0.76%, smaller than the maximum BALT drawdown of -4.89%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PSQO and BALT.

Drawdown Indicators

	PSQO	BALT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-0.76%	-4.89%	+4.13%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.72%	-3.48%	+2.76%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.35%	-1.05%	+0.70%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.11%	-0.35%	+0.24%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.20%	0.52%	-0.32%

Volatility

PSQO vs. BALT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Palmer Square Credit Opportunities ETF (PSQO) is 0.57%, while Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) has a volatility of 0.61%. This indicates that PSQO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BALT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PSQO	BALT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.57%	0.61%	-0.04%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	1.11%	1.84%	-0.73%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.54%	4.48%	-2.94%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	1.99%	3.36%	-1.37%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	1.99%	3.36%	-1.37%