USCI vs. PIT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI) and VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF (PIT).

USCI and PIT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. USCI is a passively managed fund by Concierge Technologies that tracks the performance of the SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity (TR). It was launched on Aug 10, 2010. PIT is an actively managed fund by VanEck. It was launched on Dec 20, 2022.

Performance

USCI vs. PIT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI) and VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF (PIT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

USCI vs. PIT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
USCI United States Commodity Index Fund	22.82%	17.63%	17.24%	-0.00%	2.44%
PIT VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF	37.04%	21.63%	6.77%	-4.54%	2.74%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, USCI achieves a 22.82% return, which is significantly lower than PIT's 37.04% return.

USCI

• 1D: -0.70%
• 1M: 11.64%
• YTD: 22.82%
• 6M: 22.37%
• 1Y: 32.16%
• 3Y*: 20.66%
• 5Y*: 21.59%
• 10Y*: 9.00%

PIT

• 1D: -0.55%
• 1M: 18.54%
• YTD: 37.04%
• 6M: 43.92%
• 1Y: 54.67%
• 3Y*: 21.59%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

USCI vs. PIT - Expense Ratio Comparison

USCI has a 1.03% expense ratio, which is higher than PIT's 0.55% expense ratio.

USCI

United States Commodity Index Fund

PIT

VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF

Return for Risk

USCI vs. PIT — Risk / Return Rank

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

USCI

USCI Risk / Return Rank: 86
USCI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 87
USCI Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
USCI Omega Ratio Rank: 81
USCI Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
USCI Martin Ratio Rank: 85

PIT

PIT Risk / Return Rank: 96
PIT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
PIT Sortino Ratio Rank: 96
PIT Omega Ratio Rank: 95
PIT Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
PIT Martin Ratio Rank: 96

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.

USCI vs. PIT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI) and VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF (PIT). 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.

	USCI	PIT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.76	2.59	-0.83
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.28	3.18	-0.90
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.30	1.46	-0.16
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.76	4.85	-2.10
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.39	17.48	-8.09
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

USCI vs. PIT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current USCI Sharpe Ratio is 1.76, which is lower than the PIT Sharpe Ratio of 2.59. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of USCI and PIT, 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

	USCI	PIT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.76	2.59	-0.83
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.18	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.57	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.29	1.10	-0.81

Correlation

The correlation between USCI and PIT is 0.88, 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

USCI vs. PIT - Dividend Comparison

USCI has not paid dividends to shareholders, while PIT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.51%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
USCI United States Commodity Index Fund	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
PIT VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF	6.51%	8.92%	3.59%	6.44%

Drawdowns

USCI vs. PIT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum USCI drawdown since its inception was -66.41%, which is greater than PIT's maximum drawdown of -12.27%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for USCI and PIT.

Drawdown Indicators

	USCI	PIT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-66.41%	-12.27%	-54.14%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.01%	-11.66%	-0.35%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.84%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-45.82%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.70%	-0.55%	-0.15%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-29.82%	-4.06%	-25.76%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.53%	3.24%	+0.29%

Volatility

USCI vs. PIT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI) is 6.98%, while VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF (PIT) has a volatility of 10.09%. This indicates that USCI experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PIT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	USCI	PIT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.98%	10.09%	-3.11%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.85%	17.34%	-3.49%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.38%	21.28%	-2.90%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.42%	17.04%	+1.38%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.78%	17.04%	-1.26%