XAD.TO vs. DOW

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF (XAD.TO) and Dow Inc. (DOW).

XAD.TO is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index. It was launched on Sep 6, 2023.

Performance

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF (XAD.TO) and Dow Inc. (DOW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
XAD.TO iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF	3.22%	41.77%	25.00%	14.33%
DOW Dow Inc.	82.69%	-40.26%	-16.16%	3.50%

Different Trading Currencies

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

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XAD.TO achieves a 3.22% return, which is significantly lower than DOW's 82.69% return.

XAD.TO

• 1D: 3.75%
• 1M: -8.51%
• YTD: 3.22%
• 6M: 4.33%
• 1Y: 38.25%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

DOW

• 1D: -0.64%
• 1M: 38.21%
• YTD: 82.69%
• 6M: 86.35%
• 1Y: 23.10%
• 3Y*: -2.25%
• 5Y*: -1.25%
• 10Y*: —

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

Return for Risk

XAD.TO vs. DOW — Risk / Return Rank

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

XAD.TO

XAD.TO Risk / Return Rank: 81
XAD.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
XAD.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
XAD.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 80
XAD.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 84
XAD.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 74

DOW

DOW Risk / Return Rank: 59
DOW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 61
DOW Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
DOW Omega Ratio Rank: 58
DOW Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
DOW Martin Ratio Rank: 56

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.

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF (XAD.TO) and Dow Inc. (DOW). 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.

	XAD.TO	DOW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.61	0.44	+1.17
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.22	0.97	+1.25
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.30	1.12	+0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.31	0.62	+1.69
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.38	1.00	+6.38
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XAD.TO Sharpe Ratio is 1.61, which is higher than the DOW Sharpe Ratio of 0.44. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XAD.TO and DOW, 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

	XAD.TO	DOW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.61	0.44	+1.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	-0.04	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.95	0.10	+1.85

Correlation

The correlation between XAD.TO and DOW is 0.11, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Dividend Comparison

XAD.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.34%, less than DOW's 4.20% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
XAD.TO iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF	0.34%	0.35%	0.44%	0.24%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
DOW Dow Inc.	4.20%	8.98%	6.98%	5.11%	5.56%	4.94%	5.05%	3.84%

Drawdowns

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XAD.TO drawdown since its inception was -16.06%, smaller than the maximum DOW drawdown of -61.58%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XAD.TO and DOW.

Drawdown Indicators

	XAD.TO	DOW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-16.06%	-64.37%	+48.31%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.36%	-38.69%	+24.33%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-64.37%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-11.14%	-25.93%	+14.79%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.49%	-22.48%	+19.99%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.58%	23.32%	-18.74%

Volatility

XAD.TO vs. DOW - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF (XAD.TO) is 7.49%, while Dow Inc. (DOW) has a volatility of 14.54%. This indicates that XAD.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than DOW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	XAD.TO	DOW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.49%	14.54%	-7.05%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.90%	33.65%	-17.75%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.15%	52.60%	-28.45%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.91%	31.28%	-10.37%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.91%	36.56%	-15.65%