SMCF vs. VALQ

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF (SMCF) and American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ).

SMCF and VALQ are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SMCF is a passively managed fund by Themes that tracks the performance of the Solactive US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions Index - Benchmark TR Gross. It was launched on Dec 12, 2023. VALQ is a passively managed fund by American Century that tracks the performance of the iSTOXX American Century USA Quality Value Index. It was launched on Jan 11, 2018. Both SMCF and VALQ are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

SMCF vs. VALQ - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF (SMCF) and American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SMCF vs. VALQ - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
SMCF Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF	6.42%	9.56%	16.30%	4.47%
VALQ American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF	-1.39%	10.58%	16.71%	1.39%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SMCF achieves a 6.42% return, which is significantly higher than VALQ's -1.39% return.

SMCF

• 1D: 1.46%
• 1M: -0.04%
• YTD: 6.42%
• 6M: 8.57%
• 1Y: 25.49%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VALQ

• 1D: 1.32%
• 1M: -5.86%
• YTD: -1.39%
• 6M: 1.66%
• 1Y: 8.97%
• 3Y*: 12.63%
• 5Y*: 8.53%
• 10Y*: —

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

SMCF vs. VALQ - Expense Ratio Comparison

Both SMCF and VALQ have an expense ratio of 0.29%.

SMCF

Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF

VALQ

American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF

Return for Risk

SMCF vs. VALQ — Risk / Return Rank

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

SMCF

SMCF Risk / Return Rank: 63
SMCF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 63
SMCF Sortino Ratio Rank: 62
SMCF Omega Ratio Rank: 64
SMCF Calmar Ratio Rank: 62
SMCF Martin Ratio Rank: 62

VALQ

VALQ Risk / Return Rank: 34
VALQ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 32
VALQ Sortino Ratio Rank: 33
VALQ Omega Ratio Rank: 31
VALQ Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
VALQ Martin Ratio Rank: 39

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.

SMCF vs. VALQ - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF (SMCF) and American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ). 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.

	SMCF	VALQ	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.09	0.59	+0.51
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.58	0.94	+0.64
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.13	+0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.55	0.88	+0.67
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.16	3.65	+2.51
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SMCF vs. VALQ - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SMCF Sharpe Ratio is 1.09, which is higher than the VALQ Sharpe Ratio of 0.59. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SMCF and VALQ, 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

	SMCF	VALQ	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.09	0.59	+0.51
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.59	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.79	0.46	+0.33

Correlation

The correlation between SMCF and VALQ is 0.77, 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

SMCF vs. VALQ - Dividend Comparison

SMCF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.68%, more than VALQ's 1.85% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
SMCF Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF	3.68%	3.91%	0.61%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VALQ American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF	1.85%	1.88%	1.58%	1.76%	2.71%	1.58%	2.08%	2.31%	2.35%

Drawdowns

SMCF vs. VALQ - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SMCF drawdown since its inception was -28.48%, smaller than the maximum VALQ drawdown of -38.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SMCF and VALQ.

Drawdown Indicators

	SMCF	VALQ	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-28.48%	-38.19%	+9.71%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.56%	-11.41%	-5.15%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-20.19%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.37%	-6.63%	+3.26%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.61%	-4.97%	-0.64%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.17%	2.74%	+1.43%

Volatility

SMCF vs. VALQ - Volatility Comparison

Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF (SMCF) has a higher volatility of 4.02% compared to American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ) at 3.31%. This indicates that SMCF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VALQ based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SMCF	VALQ	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.02%	3.31%	+0.71%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.96%	8.37%	+3.59%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	23.41%	15.35%	+8.06%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.84%	14.49%	+6.35%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.84%	17.78%	+3.06%