SPXS vs. SDOW

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares (SPXS) and ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30 (SDOW).

SPXS and SDOW are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SPXS is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index (-300%). It was launched on Nov 5, 2008. SDOW is a passively managed fund by ProShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-300%). It was launched on Feb 11, 2010. Both SPXS and SDOW 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

SPXS vs. SDOW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares (SPXS) and ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30 (SDOW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SPXS vs. SDOW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SPXS Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares	15.24%	-41.53%	-42.84%	-45.97%	36.14%	-58.11%	-70.47%	-56.40%	3.44%	-44.52%
SDOW ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30	10.94%	-33.94%	-25.95%	-28.78%	4.00%	-49.00%	-66.48%	-49.54%	-0.30%	-52.26%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SPXS achieves a 15.24% return, which is significantly higher than SDOW's 10.94% return. Over the past 10 years, SPXS has underperformed SDOW with an annualized return of -39.79%, while SDOW has yielded a comparatively higher -36.41% annualized return.

SPXS

• 1D: -8.58%
• 1M: 16.13%
• YTD: 15.24%
• 6M: 8.20%
• 1Y: -41.31%
• 3Y*: -36.25%
• 5Y*: -31.30%
• 10Y*: -39.79%

SDOW

• 1D: -7.24%
• 1M: 17.21%
• YTD: 10.94%
• 6M: 0.57%
• 1Y: -29.73%
• 3Y*: -26.80%
• 5Y*: -22.86%
• 10Y*: -36.41%

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

SPXS vs. SDOW - Expense Ratio Comparison

SPXS has a 1.08% expense ratio, which is higher than SDOW's 0.95% expense ratio.

SPXS

Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares

SDOW

ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30

Return for Risk

SPXS vs. SDOW — Risk / Return Rank

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

SPXS

SPXS Risk / Return Rank: 3
SPXS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2
SPXS Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
SPXS Omega Ratio Rank: 2
SPXS Calmar Ratio Rank: 2
SPXS Martin Ratio Rank: 6

SDOW

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

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.

SPXS vs. SDOW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares (SPXS) and ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30 (SDOW). 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.

	SPXS	SDOW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.76	-0.59	-0.17
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.93	-0.61	-0.33
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.87	0.92	-0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.65	-0.54	-0.11
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.76	-0.70	-0.06
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SPXS vs. SDOW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SPXS Sharpe Ratio is -0.76, which is comparable to the SDOW Sharpe Ratio of -0.59. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SPXS and SDOW, 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

	SPXS	SDOW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.76	-0.59	-0.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.62	-0.52	-0.10
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.75	-0.70	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.81	-0.76	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between SPXS and SDOW is 0.92, 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

SPXS vs. SDOW - Dividend Comparison

SPXS's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.17%, less than SDOW's 4.19% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SPXS Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares	3.17%	4.93%	6.18%	5.66%	0.00%	0.00%	0.51%	1.74%	0.58%	0.00%
SDOW ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30	4.19%	5.80%	8.30%	5.38%	0.36%	0.00%	0.52%	2.17%	1.23%	0.09%

Drawdowns

SPXS vs. SDOW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SPXS drawdown since its inception was -100.00%, roughly equal to the maximum SDOW drawdown of -99.96%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SPXS and SDOW.

Drawdown Indicators

	SPXS	SDOW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-100.00%	-99.96%	-0.04%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-65.10%	-58.80%	-6.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-87.42%	-80.95%	-6.47%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-99.52%	-99.20%	-0.32%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-100.00%	-99.95%	-0.05%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-96.27%	-89.32%	-6.95%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	55.70%	45.44%	+10.26%

Volatility

SPXS vs. SDOW - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3X Shares (SPXS) has a higher volatility of 16.04% compared to ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30 (SDOW) at 14.79%. This indicates that SPXS's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SDOW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SPXS	SDOW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	16.04%	14.79%	+1.25%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	28.28%	27.65%	+0.63%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	54.62%	50.29%	+4.33%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	50.42%	44.15%	+6.27%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	53.50%	52.05%	+1.45%