Data as of .
ARB vs RSBA: which moved less with stocks?
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ARB moved less with the S&P 500 than RSBA: correlation +0.04 against +0.34.
ETFIQ Diversifier Score: ARB scores higher
How much does it diversify a stock portfolio?
A percentile among the 63 alternatives ETFs with a full year. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All alternatives ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
One strategy, two funds
ARB and RSBA both run a event driven strategy. Over the same 52 weeks to Sep 18, 2026, ARB’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.04 with the S&P 500 and RSBA’s +0.34. In the 22 weeks the index fell, by 1.24% a week on average, ARB averaged +0.05% and RSBA −0.17%. Over the same weeks, ARB finished 0.6 percentage points behind cash and RSBA finished 6.2 points behind cash.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARB | RSBA | ARB | RSBA | |
| 3 months | +0.7% | −3.8% | −1.6 pts | −6.1 pts |
| 6 months | +1.7% | −2.3% | −16.3 pts | −20.3 pts |
| 1 year | +3.1% | −2.6% | −13.5 pts | −19.2 pts |
| 3 years | +15.5% | not published | −62.9 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +29.1% | +3.9% | −160.5 pts | −29.1 pts |
| ARB AltShares Merger Arbitrage ETF Event driven fund: trades on company events, most often buying a company that has agreed to be taken over and holding it until the deal closes | RSBA Return Stacked Bonds & Merger Arbitrage ETF Event driven fund: trades on company events, most often buying a company that has agreed to be taken over and holding it until the deal closes | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | AltShares | Return Stacked |
| Strategy | Event driven | Event driven |
| Correlation with the S&P 500 | +0.04 | +0.34 |
| Beta to the S&P 500 | +0.01 | +0.11 |
| Down-week capture | −4.0% | 13.6% |
| Average week when the S&P 500 fell | +0.05% | −0.17% |
| The S&P 500 in those weeks | −1.24% | −1.24% |
| Total return, same 52 weeks | +3.0% | −2.5% |
| Against T-bills, percentage points | −0.6 pts | −6.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.76% | 1.01% |
| Listed | May 7, 2020 | Dec 18, 2024 |
| Net assets | $103m | $53m |
ARB in plain words
ARB is an event driven fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.04 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.01, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.01% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 22 of those 52 weeks, by 1.24% on average. In the same weeks ARB rose 0.05% on average, a down-week capture of −4.0%. Over the same 52 weeks ARB returned +3.0% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 0.6 percentage points behind cash.
RSBA in plain words
RSBA is an event driven fund. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.34 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.11, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.11% the same way. In the same weeks RSBA fell 0.17% on average, a down-week capture of 13.6%. Over the same 52 weeks RSBA returned −2.5% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 6.2 percentage points behind cash.
Questions people ask
- Which moved less with the S&P 500, ARB or RSBA?
- Over the 52 weeks to Sep 18, 2026, ARB’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.04 with the S&P 500 and RSBA’s +0.34, so ARB moved less with the index.
- Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, ARB or RSBA?
- In the 22 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.24% a week on average, ARB averaged +0.05% and RSBA −0.17%, so ARB returned more in those weeks.
- Which earned more than cash, ARB or RSBA?
- Over the same weeks, ARB finished 0.6 percentage points behind cash and RSBA finished 6.2 percentage points behind cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
- Which is cheaper, ARB or RSBA?
- ARB charges 0.76% a year and RSBA charges 1.01%, so ARB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ARB against RSBA, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/arb-vs-rsba Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.