SMST vs. SEF

Last updated Apr 15, 2026

SMST (Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF) and SEF (ProShares Short Financials) are both Inverse Equities funds. SMST is actively managed, while SEF is passively managed. Over the past year, SMST returned 11.34% vs -5.88% for SEF. At 0.26, their price movements are largely independent. SMST charges 1.29%/yr vs 0.95%/yr for SEF.

Performance

SMST vs. SEF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF (SMST) and ProShares Short Financials (SEF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SMST achieves a -43.73% return, which is significantly lower than SEF's 6.30% return.

SMST

• 1D: -7.77%
• 1M: -6.06%
• YTD: -43.73%
• 6M: 65.04%
• 1Y: 11.34%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SEF

• 1D: -0.20%
• 1M: -5.87%
• YTD: 6.30%
• 6M: 3.97%
• 1Y: -5.88%
• 3Y*: -10.81%
• 5Y*: -7.07%
• 10Y*: -11.97%

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

SMST vs. SEF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
SMST Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF	-43.73%	-44.36%	-90.90%
SEF ProShares Short Financials	6.30%	-9.82%	-8.32%

Correlation

The correlation between SMST and SEF is 0.25, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.25
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Aug 22, 2024	0.26

Return for Risk

SMST vs. SEF — Risk / Return Rank

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

SMST

SMST Risk / Return Rank: 10
SMST Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8
SMST Sortino Ratio Rank: 16
SMST Omega Ratio Rank: 16
SMST Calmar Ratio Rank: 4
SMST Martin Ratio Rank: 4

SEF

SEF Risk / Return Rank: 3
SEF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 3
SEF Sortino Ratio Rank: 3
SEF Omega Ratio Rank: 3
SEF Calmar Ratio Rank: 3
SEF Martin Ratio Rank: 3

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.

SMST vs. SEF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF (SMST) and ProShares Short Financials (SEF). 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.

	SMST	SEF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.09	-0.39	+0.47
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.14	-0.47	+1.60
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.15	0.95	+0.20
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.26	-0.50	+0.24
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.42	-0.76	+0.34
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SMST vs. SEF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SMST Sharpe Ratio is 0.09, which is higher than the SEF Sharpe Ratio of -0.39. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SMST and SEF, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SMST	SEF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.09	-0.39	+0.47
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	-0.39	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	-0.58	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.53	-0.49	-0.03

Drawdowns

SMST vs. SEF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SMST drawdown since its inception was -99.25%, roughly equal to the maximum SEF drawdown of -96.51%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SMST and SEF.

Drawdown Indicators

	SMST	SEF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-99.25%	-96.51%	-2.74%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-68.45%	-16.76%	-51.69%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-41.62%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-75.66%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-97.79%	-96.18%	-1.61%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-89.98%	-82.61%	-7.37%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	42.94%	11.02%	+31.92%

Volatility

SMST vs. SEF - Volatility Comparison

Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF (SMST) has a higher volatility of 33.71% compared to ProShares Short Financials (SEF) at 5.23%. This indicates that SMST's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SEF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SMST	SEF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	33.71%	5.23%	+28.48%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	122.68%	11.65%	+111.03%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	133.91%	15.35%	+118.56%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	167.88%	18.03%	+149.85%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	167.88%	20.55%	+147.33%

SMST vs. SEF - Expense Ratio Comparison

SMST has a 1.29% expense ratio, which is higher than SEF's 0.95% expense ratio.

Dividends

SMST vs. SEF - Dividend Comparison

SMST has not paid dividends to shareholders, while SEF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.43%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
SMST Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SEF ProShares Short Financials	3.43%	4.33%	5.72%	4.43%	0.39%	0.00%	0.12%	1.25%	0.41%