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XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

XEN.TO (iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF) and XESG.TO (iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF) are both Canada Equities funds from iShares tracking the Morningstar Canada GR CAD. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, XEN.TO returned 15.45%/yr vs 12.68%/yr for XESG.TO. Their correlation of 0.84 suggests significant overlap in exposure. XEN.TO charges 0.55%/yr vs 0.16%/yr for XESG.TO.

Performance

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF (XEN.TO) and iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF (XESG.TO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XEN.TO achieves a 10.45% return, which is significantly lower than XESG.TO's 11.62% return.

XEN.TO

1D
0.70%
1M
3.20%
YTD
10.45%
6M
11.55%
1Y
35.65%
3Y*
23.12%
5Y*
15.45%
10Y*
12.35%

XESG.TO

1D
1.16%
1M
3.38%
YTD
11.62%
6M
9.88%
1Y
31.38%
3Y*
21.50%
5Y*
12.68%
10Y*
—
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)2025202420232022202120202019
XEN.TO
iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF		10.45%34.17%16.91%12.18%-3.37%28.00%-0.30%4.29%
XESG.TO
iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF		11.62%26.25%20.05%10.13%-7.77%22.91%4.80%15.28%

Correlation

The correlation between XEN.TO and XESG.TO is 0.91, indicating a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Combining them offers limited diversification - they tend to fall together during downturns.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.91

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.88

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.87

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Mar 25, 2019

0.84

The correlation between XEN.TO and XESG.TO has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.84 to 0.91 - a consistent structural relationship.

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
XEN.TO
XESG.TO

Financial Services

34.8%
38.5%

Energy

18.6%
19.3%

Basic Materials

18.3%
17.9%

Industrials

10.0%
8.9%

Technology

8.1%
8.3%

Consumer Cyclical

3.3%
2.2%

Consumer Defensive

3.1%
1.9%

Utilities

2.6%
2.7%

Communication Services

0.8%
0.1%

Real Estate

0.4%
0.2%

Healthcare

-

0.1%

Financial Services

XEN.TO
34.8%
XESG.TO
38.5%

Energy

XEN.TO
18.6%
XESG.TO
19.3%

Basic Materials

XEN.TO
18.3%
XESG.TO
17.9%

Industrials

XEN.TO
10.0%
XESG.TO
8.9%

Technology

XEN.TO
8.1%
XESG.TO
8.3%

Consumer Cyclical

XEN.TO
3.3%
XESG.TO
2.2%

Consumer Defensive

XEN.TO
3.1%
XESG.TO
1.9%

Utilities

XEN.TO
2.6%
XESG.TO
2.7%

Communication Services

XEN.TO
0.8%
XESG.TO
0.1%

Real Estate

XEN.TO
0.4%
XESG.TO
0.2%

Healthcare

XEN.TO

-

XESG.TO
0.1%

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iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF

iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF

Often compared with XEN.TO:
XEN.TO vs. GEQT.TOXEN.TO vs. XCSR.TOXEN.TO vs. XDSR.TOXEN.TO vs. VFV.TOXEN.TO vs. DMEC.TOXEN.TO vs. XIU.TOXEN.TO vs. ^GSPC
Often compared with XESG.TO:
XESG.TO vs. XCSR.TOXESG.TO vs. XEQT.TOXESG.TO vs. SCHGXESG.TO vs. VFV.TOXESG.TO vs. SPYXESG.TO vs. XIU.TOXESG.TO vs. GEQT.TO

Return for Risk

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
XEN.TO
XEN.TO Risk / Return Rank: 8686
Overall Rank
XEN.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8888
Sharpe Ratio Rank
XEN.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 8787
Sortino Ratio Rank
XEN.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 8888
Omega Ratio Rank
XEN.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 8181
Calmar Ratio Rank
XEN.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 8888
Martin Ratio Rank
XESG.TO
XESG.TO Risk / Return Rank: 7373
Overall Rank
XESG.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7474
Sharpe Ratio Rank
XESG.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 6767
Sortino Ratio Rank
XESG.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 7575
Omega Ratio Rank
XESG.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 6868
Calmar Ratio Rank
XESG.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 7979
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF (XEN.TO) and iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF (XESG.TO). 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.

XEN.TOXESG.TODifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
2.91
2.38

+0.54

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
3.87
3.02

+0.85

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.54

1.44

+0.10

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

4.19

3.38

+0.82

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

18.92

15.02

+3.89

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XEN.TO Sharpe Ratio is 2.91, which is comparable to the XESG.TO Sharpe Ratio of 2.38. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XEN.TO and XESG.TO, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

XEN.TOXESG.TODifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

2.91

2.38

+0.54

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

1.12

0.94

+0.18

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

0.82

—

—

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.44

0.83

-0.39

Drawdowns

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XEN.TO drawdown since its inception was -49.69%, which is greater than XESG.TO's maximum drawdown of -37.36%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XEN.TO and XESG.TO.

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Drawdown Indicators

XEN.TOXESG.TODifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-49.69%

-37.36%

-12.33%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-8.55%

-9.28%

+0.73%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-13.31%

-14.18%

+0.87%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-17.79%

-17.91%

+0.12%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-36.24%

—

—

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

0.00%

0.00%

0.00%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-7.65%

-4.55%

-3.10%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

1.89%

2.08%

-0.19%

Volatility

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF (XEN.TO) is 2.53%, while iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF (XESG.TO) has a volatility of 3.49%. This indicates that XEN.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than XESG.TO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

XEN.TOXESG.TODifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

2.53%

3.49%

-0.96%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

9.88%

10.99%

-1.11%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

12.31%

13.18%

-0.87%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

13.91%

13.62%

+0.29%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

15.07%

16.83%

-1.76%

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Expense Ratio Comparison

XEN.TO has a 0.55% expense ratio, which is higher than XESG.TO's 0.16% expense ratio.

Dividends

XEN.TO vs. XESG.TO - Dividend Comparison

XEN.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.67%, less than XESG.TO's 1.94% yield.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
XEN.TO
iShares Jantzi Social Index ETF		1.67%1.83%2.29%2.46%2.60%1.73%3.72%2.13%2.31%1.75%2.07%2.57%
XESG.TO
iShares ESG Aware MSCI Canada Index ETF		1.94%2.13%2.45%2.74%2.63%1.88%2.15%1.05%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%

Frequently Asked Questions

With a correlation of 0.91, XEN.TO and XESG.TO move almost identically. Holding both adds very little diversification - you're essentially doubling your position in the same market segment. Choosing one is usually more capital-efficient.

On fees, XESG.TO is cheaper at 0.16% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

XESG.TO is cheaper with a 0.16% expense ratio, compared with 0.55% for XEN.TO.

Both ETFs track Morningstar Canada GR CAD. Their fees differ too: 0.55% for XEN.TO and 0.16% for XESG.TO.

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