Description

VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF

Statistics (YTD)

What do these metrics mean? [Read More] [Hide]

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.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (67.9%) in the period of the last 5 years, the total return, or performance of 41.7% of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is lower, thus worse.
  • Compared with SPY (44.5%) in the period of the last 3 years, the total return, or performance of 26.5% is lower, thus worse.

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a useful measure of growth over multiple time periods. It can be thought of as the growth rate that gets you from the initial investment value to the ending investment value if you assume that the investment has been compounding over the time period.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (10.9%) in the period of the last 5 years, the annual performance (CAGR) of 7.2% of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is lower, thus worse.
  • Looking at annual return (CAGR) in of 8.1% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (13.1%).

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.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (21.4%) in the period of the last 5 years, the 30 days standard deviation of 18.6% of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is lower, thus better.
  • Looking at 30 days standard deviation in of 15.2% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to SPY (18.7%).

DownVol:

'The downside volatility is similar to the volatility, or standard deviation, but only takes losing/negative periods into account.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the downside risk of 13.1% in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (15.4%)
  • Looking at downside volatility in of 10.5% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively smaller, thus better in comparison to SPY (13.3%).

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio was developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, and is used to help investors understand the return of an investment compared to its risk. The ratio is the average return earned in excess of the risk-free rate per unit of volatility or total risk. Subtracting the risk-free rate from the mean return allows an investor to better isolate the profits associated with risk-taking activities. One intuition of this calculation is that a portfolio engaging in 'zero risk' investments, such as the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills (for which the expected return is the risk-free rate), has a Sharpe ratio of exactly zero. Generally, the greater the value of the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the risk-adjusted return.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the Sharpe Ratio of 0.25 in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (0.39)
  • Compared with SPY (0.56) in the period of the last 3 years, the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of 0.37 is lower, thus worse.

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.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the ratio of annual return and downside deviation of 0.36 in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (0.55)
  • During the last 3 years, the excess return divided by the downside deviation is 0.54, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 0.79 from the benchmark.

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.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the Downside risk index of 7.65 in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (9.47 )
  • During the last 3 years, the Ulcer Index is 6.49 , which is lower, thus better than the value of 10 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.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the maximum reduction from previous high of -29.7 days in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively higher, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-33.7 days)
  • Compared with SPY (-24.5 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum reduction from previous high of -20.3 days is greater, thus better.

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) in days.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Looking at the maximum days below previous high of 299 days in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (354 days)
  • Compared with SPY (354 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum days below previous high of 287 days is lower, thus better.

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.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (79 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the average days below previous high of 99 days of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is higher, thus worse.
  • During the last 3 years, the average days under water is 74 days, which is lower, thus better than the value of 102 days from the benchmark.

Performance (YTD)

Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data.

Allocations ()

Allocations

Returns (%)

  • Note that yearly returns do not equal the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
  • Performance results of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF are hypothetical, do not account for slippage, fees or taxes, and are based on backtesting, which has many inherent limitations, some of which are described in our Terms of Use.