XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSE.TO) and iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF (XLB.TO).

XSE.TO and XLB.TO are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. XSE.TO is an actively managed fund by iShares. It was launched on Sep 1, 2015. XLB.TO is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Morningstar Can 10+Y Core Bd GR CAD. It was launched on Nov 6, 2006.

Performance

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSE.TO) and iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF (XLB.TO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
XSE.TO iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF	-0.29%	2.95%	3.11%	6.75%	-11.99%	-2.79%	7.95%	8.26%	-0.52%	4.13%
XLB.TO iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF	-0.36%	-0.76%	9.49%	19.21%	-14.38%	1.26%	16.52%	12.85%	-0.25%	7.11%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XSE.TO achieves a -0.29% return, which is significantly higher than XLB.TO's -0.36% return. Over the past 10 years, XSE.TO has underperformed XLB.TO with an annualized return of 1.96%, while XLB.TO has yielded a comparatively higher 4.63% annualized return.

XSE.TO

• 1D: 0.23%
• 1M: -1.83%
• YTD: -0.29%
• 6M: -0.43%
• 1Y: 1.02%
• 3Y*: 3.21%
• 5Y*: 0.30%
• 10Y*: 1.96%

XLB.TO

• 1D: 0.33%
• 1M: -3.76%
• YTD: -0.36%
• 6M: -1.61%
• 1Y: -2.85%
• 3Y*: 6.77%
• 5Y*: 4.27%
• 10Y*: 4.63%

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

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Expense Ratio Comparison

XSE.TO has a 0.55% expense ratio, which is higher than XLB.TO's 0.20% expense ratio.

XSE.TO

iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF

XLB.TO

iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF

Return for Risk

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO — Risk / Return Rank

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

XSE.TO

XSE.TO Risk / Return Rank: 18
XSE.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 19
XSE.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 16
XSE.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 16
XSE.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 21
XSE.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 20

XLB.TO

XLB.TO Risk / Return Rank: 6
XLB.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 6
XLB.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 5
XLB.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 5
XLB.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 7
XLB.TO 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.

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSE.TO) and iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF (XLB.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.

	XSE.TO	XLB.TO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.25	-0.32	+0.57
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.37	-0.37	+0.74
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.05	0.95	+0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.43	-0.32	+0.75
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.15	-0.62	+1.77
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XSE.TO Sharpe Ratio is 0.25, which is higher than the XLB.TO Sharpe Ratio of -0.32. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XSE.TO and XLB.TO, 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

	XSE.TO	XLB.TO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.25	-0.32	+0.57
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.05	0.34	-0.29
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.22	0.39	-0.17
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.23	0.54	-0.31

Correlation

The correlation between XSE.TO and XLB.TO is 0.71, 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

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Dividend Comparison

XSE.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.30%, more than XLB.TO's 4.10% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
XSE.TO iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF	4.30%	4.24%	3.65%	3.36%	2.67%	2.63%	2.62%	2.82%	2.89%	3.62%	3.95%	1.39%
XLB.TO iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF	4.10%	4.05%	12.10%	12.22%	13.13%	8.82%	7.43%	3.18%	3.56%	3.45%	3.62%	3.64%

Drawdowns

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XSE.TO drawdown since its inception was -22.43%, smaller than the maximum XLB.TO drawdown of -24.34%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XSE.TO and XLB.TO.

Drawdown Indicators

	XSE.TO	XLB.TO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.43%	-24.34%	+1.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.87%	-7.01%	+4.14%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-15.91%	-24.34%	+8.43%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-22.43%	-24.34%	+1.91%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.55%	-5.15%	+1.60%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.82%	-4.05%	-0.77%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.08%	3.64%	-2.56%

Volatility

XSE.TO vs. XLB.TO - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSE.TO) is 1.54%, while iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF (XLB.TO) has a volatility of 3.11%. This indicates that XSE.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than XLB.TO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	XSE.TO	XLB.TO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.54%	3.11%	-1.57%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.31%	5.29%	-2.98%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.02%	8.96%	-4.94%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	5.56%	12.66%	-7.10%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	9.01%	11.83%	-2.82%