iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF (HEWC)

TotalReturn:

'Total return, when measuring performance, is the actual rate of return of an investment or a pool of investments over a given evaluation period. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions realized over a given period of time. Total return accounts for two categories of return: income including interest paid by fixed-income investments, distributions or dividends and capital appreciation, representing the change in the market price of an asset.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (81.9%) in the period of the last 5 years, the total return, or increase in value of 52.7% of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is lower, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the total return, or increase in value is 35.2%, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 46.1% from the benchmark.

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate isn't a true return rate, but rather a representational figure. It is essentially a number that describes the rate at which an investment would have grown if it had grown the same rate every year and the profits were reinvested at the end of each year. In reality, this sort of performance is unlikely. However, CAGR can be used to smooth returns so that they may be more easily understood when compared to alternative investments.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (12.7%) in the period of the last 5 years, the annual performance (CAGR) of 9.8% of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is lower, thus worse.
• Compared with SPY (13.5%) in the period of the last 3 years, the annual return (CAGR) of 10.6% is lower, thus worse.

Volatility:

'Volatility is a rate at which the price of a security increases or decreases for a given set of returns. Volatility is measured by calculating the standard deviation of the annualized returns over a given period of time. It shows the range to which the price of a security may increase or decrease. Volatility measures the risk of a security. It is used in option pricing formula to gauge the fluctuations in the returns of the underlying assets. Volatility indicates the pricing behavior of the security and helps estimate the fluctuations that may happen in a short period of time.'

• The historical 30 days volatility over 5 years of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is 17.7%, which is smaller, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (19.8%) in the same period.
• Looking at 30 days standard deviation in of 20.1% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to SPY (23%).

DownVol:

'Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'

• Looking at the downside deviation of 13% in the last 5 years of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (14.5%)
• Compared with SPY (16.8%) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside deviation of 15% is lower, thus better.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio is the measure of risk-adjusted return of a financial portfolio. Sharpe ratio is a measure of excess portfolio return over the risk-free rate relative to its standard deviation. Normally, the 90-day Treasury bill rate is taken as the proxy for risk-free rate. A portfolio with a higher Sharpe ratio is considered superior relative to its peers. The measure was named after William F Sharpe, a Nobel laureate and professor of finance, emeritus at Stanford University.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.52) in the period of the last 5 years, the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of 0.42 of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is lower, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the risk / return profile (Sharpe) is 0.4, which is smaller, thus worse than the value of 0.48 from the benchmark.

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio, a variation of the Sharpe ratio only factors in the downside, or negative volatility, rather than the total volatility used in calculating the Sharpe ratio. The theory behind the Sortino variation is that upside volatility is a plus for the investment, and it, therefore, should not be included in the risk calculation. Therefore, the Sortino ratio takes upside volatility out of the equation and uses only the downside standard deviation in its calculation instead of the total standard deviation that is used in calculating the Sharpe ratio.'

• The ratio of annual return and downside deviation over 5 years of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is 0.56, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (0.7) in the same period.
• Compared with SPY (0.65) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside risk / excess return profile of 0.54 is lower, thus worse.

Ulcer:

'The ulcer index is a stock market risk measure or technical analysis indicator devised by Peter Martin in 1987, and published by him and Byron McCann in their 1989 book The Investors Guide to Fidelity Funds. It's designed as a measure of volatility, but only volatility in the downward direction, i.e. the amount of drawdown or retracement occurring over a period. Other volatility measures like standard deviation treat up and down movement equally, but a trader doesn't mind upward movement, it's the downside that causes stress and stomach ulcers that the index's name suggests.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (6.08 ) in the period of the last 5 years, the Downside risk index of 6.34 of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is larger, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the Ulcer Ratio is 6.93 , which is greater, thus worse than the value of 6.77 from the benchmark.

MaxDD:

'Maximum drawdown measures the loss in any losing period during a fund’s investment record. It is defined as the percent retrenchment from a fund’s peak value to the fund’s valley value. The drawdown is in effect from the time the fund’s retrenchment begins until a new fund high is reached. The maximum drawdown encompasses both the period from the fund’s peak to the fund’s valley (length), and the time from the fund’s valley to a new fund high (recovery). It measures the largest percentage drawdown that has occurred in any fund’s data record.'

• The maximum DrawDown over 5 years of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is -34.9 days, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (-33.7 days) in the same period.
• Compared with SPY (-33.7 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum drop from peak to valley of -34.9 days is smaller, thus worse.

MaxDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Max Drawdown Duration is the worst (the maximum/longest) amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs). Many assume Max DD Duration is the length of time between new highs during which the Max DD (magnitude) occurred. But that isn’t always the case. The Max DD duration is the longest time between peaks, period. So it could be the time when the program also had its biggest peak to valley loss (and usually is, because the program needs a long time to recover from the largest loss), but it doesn’t have to be'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (139 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum time in days below previous high water mark of 194 days of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF is higher, thus worse.
• Compared with SPY (119 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum days below previous high of 194 days is higher, thus worse.

AveDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

• Looking at the average time in days below previous high water mark of 45 days in the last 5 years of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF, we see it is relatively larger, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (35 days)
• Compared with SPY (27 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the average days under water of 39 days is larger, thus worse.