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XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO

Last updated Jun 4, 2026

XSI.TO (iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF) and XAW.TO (iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF) are both exchange-traded funds - XSI.TO is a High Yield Bonds fund tracking the Morningstar Gbl HY Bd GR CAD, while XAW.TO is a Global Equities fund tracking the Morningstar Gbl GR CAD. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, XSI.TO returned 2.25%/yr vs 13.22%/yr for XAW.TO. At a 0.24 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. XSI.TO charges 0.55%/yr vs 0.22%/yr for XAW.TO.

Performance

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a CA$10,000 investment in iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSI.TO) and iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF (XAW.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, XSI.TO achieves a 0.57% return, which is significantly lower than XAW.TO's 13.70% return. Over the past 10 years, XSI.TO has underperformed XAW.TO with an annualized return of 2.25%, while XAW.TO has yielded a comparatively higher 13.22% annualized return.

XSI.TO

1D
-0.18%
1M
0.70%
YTD
0.57%
6M
0.38%
1Y
3.10%
3Y*
4.94%
5Y*
1.63%
10Y*
2.25%

XAW.TO

1D
-0.37%
1M
7.13%
YTD
13.70%
6M
12.70%
1Y
30.51%
3Y*
21.73%
5Y*
13.96%
10Y*
13.22%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020201920182017
XSI.TO
iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF		0.57%3.82%5.36%7.51%-8.90%0.59%3.70%7.09%-1.07%2.94%
XAW.TO
iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF		13.70%15.87%26.31%18.45%-11.84%18.38%12.37%19.82%-2.28%16.10%

Correlation

The correlation between XSI.TO and XAW.TO is 0.45, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

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

0.45

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

0.30

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

0.30

Correlation (10Y)
Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

0.25

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Feb 18, 2015

0.24

Over the past year, XSI.TO and XAW.TO have become more correlated (0.45) than their long-term average of 0.24, meaning their price movements have been converging.

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
XSI.TO
XAW.TO

Utilities

93.3%
2.2%

Real Estate

6.7%
1.4%

Basic Materials

-

2.8%

Communication Services

-

8.7%

Consumer Cyclical

-

8.8%

Consumer Defensive

-

4.6%

Energy

-

3.3%

Financial Services

-

13.7%

Healthcare

-

7.8%

Industrials

-

9.1%

Technology

-

32.6%

Utilities

XSI.TO
93.3%
XAW.TO
2.2%

Real Estate

XSI.TO
6.7%
XAW.TO
1.4%

Basic Materials

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
2.8%

Communication Services

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
8.7%

Consumer Cyclical

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
8.8%

Consumer Defensive

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
4.6%

Energy

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
3.3%

Financial Services

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
13.7%

Healthcare

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
7.8%

Industrials

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
9.1%

Technology

XSI.TO

-

XAW.TO
32.6%

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

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iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF

iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF

Often compared with XSI.TO:
XSI.TO vs. ERNS.LXSI.TO vs. CGHY.TOXSI.TO vs. ZHY.TOXSI.TO vs. ZFH.TOXSI.TO vs. BND.TOXSI.TO vs. XHY.TOXSI.TO vs. XEI.TO
Often compared with XAW.TO:
XAW.TO vs. XEQT.TOXAW.TO vs. VXC.TOXAW.TO vs. VEQT.TOXAW.TO vs. XUU.TOXAW.TO vs. XIC.TOXAW.TO vs. XGRO.TOXAW.TO vs. VT

Return for Risk

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
XSI.TO
XSI.TO Risk / Return Rank: 2626
Overall Rank
XSI.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 2626
Sharpe Ratio Rank
XSI.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 2424
Sortino Ratio Rank
XSI.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 2525
Omega Ratio Rank
XSI.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 2727
Calmar Ratio Rank
XSI.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 2929
Martin Ratio Rank
XAW.TO
XAW.TO Risk / Return Rank: 7676
Overall Rank
XAW.TO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7575
Sharpe Ratio Rank
XAW.TO Sortino Ratio Rank: 7676
Sortino Ratio Rank
XAW.TO Omega Ratio Rank: 7878
Omega Ratio Rank
XAW.TO Calmar Ratio Rank: 7474
Calmar Ratio Rank
XAW.TO Martin Ratio Rank: 7777
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.

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSI.TO) and iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF (XAW.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.

XSI.TOXAW.TODifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
0.87
2.50

-1.63

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
1.27
3.49

-2.22

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.16

1.48

-0.31

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

1.29

3.76

-2.47

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

3.94

15.15

-11.22

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

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XSI.TO Sharpe Ratio is 0.87, which is lower than the XAW.TO Sharpe Ratio of 2.50. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XSI.TO and XAW.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

XSI.TOXAW.TODifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.87

2.50

-1.63

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.39

1.04

-0.65

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

0.39

0.88

-0.49

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.34

0.78

-0.44

Drawdowns

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XSI.TO drawdown since its inception was -18.53%, smaller than the maximum XAW.TO drawdown of -27.32%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XSI.TO and XAW.TO.

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Drawdown Indicators

XSI.TOXAW.TODifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-18.53%

-27.32%

+8.79%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-2.42%

-8.16%

+5.74%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-2.84%

-16.66%

+13.82%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-12.03%

-21.02%

+8.99%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-18.53%

-27.32%

+8.79%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-0.69%

-0.37%

-0.32%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-2.26%

-3.91%

+1.65%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

0.79%

2.02%

-1.23%

Volatility

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF (XSI.TO) is 1.39%, while iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF (XAW.TO) has a volatility of 4.21%. This indicates that XSI.TO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than XAW.TO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

XSI.TOXAW.TODifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

1.39%

4.21%

-2.82%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

2.99%

9.85%

-6.86%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

3.59%

12.25%

-8.66%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

4.25%

13.56%

-9.31%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

5.81%

15.12%

-9.31%

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Expense Ratio Comparison

XSI.TO has a 0.55% expense ratio, which is higher than XAW.TO's 0.22% expense ratio.

Dividends

XSI.TO vs. XAW.TO - Dividend Comparison

XSI.TO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.36%, more than XAW.TO's 1.17% yield.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
XAW.TO
iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF		1.17%1.33%1.61%1.71%1.79%1.77%1.49%2.02%2.29%1.92%1.80%1.83%
XSI.TO
iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF		4.36%4.42%4.43%4.28%3.49%2.88%3.04%3.41%3.31%3.22%3.30%3.60%

Frequently Asked Questions

XSI.TO and XAW.TO have a correlation of 0.45, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

On fees, XAW.TO is cheaper at 0.22% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

XAW.TO is cheaper with a 0.22% expense ratio, compared with 0.55% for XSI.TO.

XSI.TO is categorized as High Yield Bonds, while XAW.TO is Global Equities. XSI.TO tracks Morningstar Gbl HY Bd GR CAD, while XAW.TO tracks Morningstar Gbl GR CAD. Their fees differ too: 0.55% for XSI.TO and 0.22% for XAW.TO.

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