SMAX.TO vs. ULTY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF (SMAX.TO) and YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY).

SMAX.TO and ULTY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SMAX.TO is an actively managed fund by Hamilton Capital. It was launched on Oct 25, 2023. ULTY is an actively managed fund by YieldMax. It was launched on Feb 28, 2024.

Performance

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF (SMAX.TO) and YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
SMAX.TO Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF	-0.31%	18.64%	26.33%
ULTY YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF	-1.87%	-5.39%	6.48%

Different Trading Currencies

SMAX.TO is traded in CAD, while ULTY is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the ULTY values have been converted to CAD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SMAX.TO achieves a -0.31% return, which is significantly higher than ULTY's -1.87% return.

SMAX.TO

• 1D: 0.82%
• 1M: -1.07%
• YTD: -0.31%
• 6M: 3.10%
• 1Y: 23.01%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

ULTY

• 1D: 0.49%
• 1M: -5.99%
• YTD: -1.87%
• 6M: -18.69%
• 1Y: 7.52%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Expense Ratio Comparison

SMAX.TO has a 0.65% expense ratio, which is lower than ULTY's 1.14% expense ratio.

ULTY

YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF

SMAX.TO

Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF

Return for Risk

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY — Risk / Return Rank

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

SMAX.TO

SMAX.TO Risk / Return Rank: 73
SMAX.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
SMAX.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 72
SMAX.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 77
SMAX.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 72
SMAX.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 72

ULTY

ULTY Risk / Return Rank: 23
ULTY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 23
ULTY Sortino Ratio Rank: 24
ULTY Omega Ratio Rank: 23
ULTY Calmar Ratio Rank: 23
ULTY Martin Ratio Rank: 20

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.

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF (SMAX.TO) and YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY). 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.

	SMAX.TO	ULTY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.33	0.30	+1.03
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.89	0.57	+1.32
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.30	1.07	+0.23
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.97	0.34	+1.63
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.89	0.71	+7.18
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SMAX.TO Sharpe Ratio is 1.33, which is higher than the ULTY Sharpe Ratio of 0.30. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SMAX.TO and ULTY, 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

	SMAX.TO	ULTY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.33	0.30	+1.03
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.87	-0.02	+1.89

Correlation

The correlation between SMAX.TO and ULTY is 0.60, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Dividend Comparison

SMAX.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 15.29%, less than ULTY's 133.15% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
SMAX.TO Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF	15.29%	14.67%	13.88%	2.57%
ULTY YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF	133.15%	142.99%	111.70%	0.00%

Drawdowns

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SMAX.TO drawdown since its inception was -18.22%, smaller than the maximum ULTY drawdown of -26.69%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SMAX.TO and ULTY.

Drawdown Indicators

	SMAX.TO	ULTY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-18.22%	-26.85%	+8.63%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.37%	-24.16%	+12.79%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.73%	-20.55%	+17.82%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.20%	-9.06%	+6.86%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.85%	11.12%	-8.27%

Volatility

SMAX.TO vs. ULTY - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Hamilton U.S. Equity YIELD MAXIMIZER ETF (SMAX.TO) is 5.40%, while YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) has a volatility of 9.09%. This indicates that SMAX.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than ULTY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SMAX.TO	ULTY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.40%	9.09%	-3.69%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.36%	16.80%	-7.44%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.35%	25.01%	-7.66%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.56%	26.85%	-12.29%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	14.56%	26.85%	-12.29%