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.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The total return over 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is 51.2%, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (121.8%) in the same period.
  • During the last 3 years, the total return, or performance is 14.8%, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 52.8% from the benchmark.

CAGR:

'Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a business and investing specific term for the geometric progression ratio that provides a constant rate of return over the time period. CAGR is not an accounting term, but it is often used to describe some element of the business, for example revenue, units delivered, registered users, etc. CAGR dampens the effect of volatility of periodic returns that can render arithmetic means irrelevant. It is particularly useful to compare growth rates from various data sets of common domain such as revenue growth of companies in the same industry.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • The annual performance (CAGR) over 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is 8.7%, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (17.3%) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (15.3%) in the period of the last 3 years, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7% is smaller, thus worse.

Volatility:

'In finance, volatility (symbol σ) is the degree of variation of a trading price series over time as measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Looking at the volatility of 14.7% in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (17.9%)
  • Compared with SPY (18.4%) in the period of the last 3 years, the volatility of 14.5% is lower, thus better.

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.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the downside volatility of 10.3% in the last 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (12.4%)
  • Compared with SPY (12.4%) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside volatility of 10.5% is smaller, 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.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.83) in the period of the last 5 years, the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of 0.42 of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is smaller, thus worse.
  • Looking at risk / return profile (Sharpe) in of 0.15 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to SPY (0.7).

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.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • The excess return divided by the downside deviation over 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is 0.6, which is smaller, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (1.19) in the same period.
  • Looking at downside risk / excess return profile in of 0.21 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (1.03).

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.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The Ulcer Index over 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is 6.39 , which is lower, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (8.48 ) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (5.55 ) in the period of the last 3 years, the Ulcer Index of 6.35 is higher, thus worse.

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.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (-24.5 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum DrawDown of -20.3 days of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is larger, thus better.
  • During the last 3 years, the maximum reduction from previous high is -18.1 days, which is higher, thus better than the value of -18.8 days from the benchmark.

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:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (488 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum days under water of 332 days of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is lower, thus better.
  • Looking at maximum days under water in of 175 days in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to SPY (199 days).

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.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The average days below previous high over 5 years of VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF is 76 days, which is lower, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (119 days) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (45 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the average days under water of 53 days is larger, thus worse.

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 and do not account for slippage, fees or taxes.