XAR vs. IDEF

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) and iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF (IDEF).

XAR and IDEF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. XAR is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry. It was launched on Sep 28, 2011. IDEF is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on May 19, 2025.

Performance

XAR vs. IDEF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) and iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF (IDEF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

XAR vs. IDEF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF	7.80%	31.00%
IDEF iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF	9.35%	23.05%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XAR achieves a 7.80% return, which is significantly lower than IDEF's 9.35% return.

XAR

• 1D: 2.35%
• 1M: -10.28%
• YTD: 7.80%
• 6M: 10.02%
• 1Y: 61.14%
• 3Y*: 31.26%
• 5Y*: 16.10%
• 10Y*: 18.34%

IDEF

• 1D: 2.96%
• 1M: -8.45%
• YTD: 9.35%
• 6M: 5.99%
• 1Y: —
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

XAR vs. IDEF - Expense Ratio Comparison

XAR has a 0.35% expense ratio, which is lower than IDEF's 0.55% expense ratio.

IDEF

iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF

XAR

SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

Return for Risk

XAR vs. IDEF — Risk / Return Rank

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

XAR

XAR Risk / Return Rank: 91
XAR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
XAR Sortino Ratio Rank: 93
XAR Omega Ratio Rank: 87
XAR Calmar Ratio Rank: 93
XAR Martin Ratio Rank: 91

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.

XAR vs. IDEF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) and iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF (IDEF). 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.

	XAR	IDEF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.17	—	—
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.84	—	—
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.36	—	—
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.62	—	—
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.65	—	—
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	XAR	IDEF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.17	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.71	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.76	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.84	2.05	-1.21

Correlation

The correlation between XAR and IDEF is 0.89, 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

XAR vs. IDEF - Dividend Comparison

XAR's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.34%, more than IDEF's 0.16% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF	0.34%	0.40%	0.66%	0.54%	0.50%	0.83%	0.63%	0.75%	1.19%	0.76%	1.09%	2.31%
IDEF iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF	0.16%	0.17%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

XAR vs. IDEF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XAR drawdown since its inception was -46.37%, which is greater than IDEF's maximum drawdown of -14.63%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XAR and IDEF.

Drawdown Indicators

	XAR	IDEF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-46.37%	-14.63%	-31.74%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-17.22%	—	—
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-32.40%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-46.37%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-11.16%	-8.45%	-2.71%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.76%	-2.90%	-3.86%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.93%	—	—

Volatility

Volatility by Period

	XAR	IDEF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.57%	—	—
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	21.39%	—	—
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	28.34%	20.19%	+8.15%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.93%	20.19%	+2.74%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	24.35%	20.19%	+4.16%