SARK vs. SPDN

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF (SARK) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares (SPDN).

SARK and SPDN are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SARK is an actively managed fund by AXS. It was launched on Nov 5, 2021. SPDN is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jun 8, 2016.

Performance

SARK vs. SPDN - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF (SARK) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares (SPDN). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SARK vs. SPDN - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
SARK Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF	9.55%	-25.93%	-36.90%	-46.32%	83.35%	20.78%
SPDN Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares	6.05%	-11.09%	-12.88%	-15.04%	18.63%	-2.23%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SARK achieves a 9.55% return, which is significantly higher than SPDN's 6.05% return.

SARK

• 1D: -6.28%
• 1M: 6.42%
• YTD: 9.55%
• 6M: 18.96%
• 1Y: -34.21%
• 3Y*: -27.96%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SPDN

• 1D: -2.74%
• 1M: 5.71%
• YTD: 6.05%
• 6M: 4.90%
• 1Y: -11.05%
• 3Y*: -9.57%
• 5Y*: -7.35%
• 10Y*: —

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

SARK vs. SPDN - Expense Ratio Comparison

SARK has a 0.75% expense ratio, which is higher than SPDN's 0.50% expense ratio.

SARK

Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF

SPDN

Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares

Return for Risk

SARK vs. SPDN — Risk / Return Rank

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

SARK

SARK Risk / Return Rank: 3
SARK Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2
SARK Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
SARK Omega Ratio Rank: 2
SARK Calmar Ratio Rank: 4
SARK Martin Ratio Rank: 7

SPDN

SPDN Risk / Return Rank: 4
SPDN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 3
SPDN Sortino Ratio Rank: 3
SPDN Omega Ratio Rank: 2
SPDN Calmar Ratio Rank: 5
SPDN Martin Ratio Rank: 8

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.

SARK vs. SPDN - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF (SARK) and Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares (SPDN). 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.

	SARK	SPDN	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.74	-0.60	-0.14
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.95	-0.73	-0.22
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.89	0.89	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.52	-0.44	-0.09
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.65	-0.53	-0.12
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SARK vs. SPDN - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SARK Sharpe Ratio is -0.74, which is comparable to the SPDN Sharpe Ratio of -0.60. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SARK and SPDN, 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

	SARK	SPDN	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.74	-0.60	-0.14
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	-0.44	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.19	-0.63	+0.45

Correlation

The correlation between SARK and SPDN is 0.74, 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

SARK vs. SPDN - Dividend Comparison

SARK's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.57%, less than SPDN's 3.56% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SARK Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF	2.57%	2.82%	15.49%	12.57%	25.22%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SPDN Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares	3.56%	4.06%	5.32%	5.84%	0.96%	0.00%	0.10%	1.89%	1.24%	0.42%

Drawdowns

SARK vs. SPDN - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SARK drawdown since its inception was -81.07%, which is greater than SPDN's maximum drawdown of -73.52%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SARK and SPDN.

Drawdown Indicators

	SARK	SPDN	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-81.07%	-73.52%	-7.55%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-59.44%	-26.44%	-33.00%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-39.78%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-75.82%	-71.44%	-4.38%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-45.17%	-48.09%	+2.92%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	47.87%	21.69%	+26.18%

Volatility

SARK vs. SPDN - Volatility Comparison

Tradr Short Innovation Daily ETF (SARK) has a higher volatility of 12.51% compared to Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 1x Shares (SPDN) at 5.48%. This indicates that SARK's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPDN based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SARK	SPDN	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	12.51%	5.48%	+7.03%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	27.14%	9.67%	+17.47%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	46.51%	18.51%	+28.00%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	56.97%	16.87%	+40.10%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	56.97%	18.13%	+38.84%