Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

vsOpen in the appCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Alternative ETFs

ASMF vs CTA: Correlation to the S&P 500

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, CTA moved less with the S&P 500 than ASMF: correlation −0.14 against +0.40.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about ASMF and CTA

Net assets: $30m on Jul 31, 2026 for Virtus AlphaSimplex Managed Futures ETF, and $1.3bn on Nov 3, 2026 for Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF.

At a glance
+0.40
ASMF correlation with the S&P 500
−0.14
CTA correlation with the S&P 500
45.9%
ASMF down-week capture
5.3%
CTA down-week capture
ASMF Fell 46% as much as the S&P 500
Fell 46% as much as the S&P 500ASMF in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, ASMF −0.49%.SPY−1.07%ASMF−0.49%Average week when SPY fell: 26 of 52, year to Nov 4, 2026Fell 46% as much as the S&P 500ASMF in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, ASMF −0.49%.SPY−1.07%ASMF−0.49%Average week when SPY fell

ASMF in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, ASMF −0.49%.

CTA Fell 5% as much as the S&P 500
Fell 5% as much as the S&P 500CTA in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, CTA −0.06%.SPY−1.07%CTA−0.06%Average week when SPY fell: 26 of 52, year to Nov 4, 2026Fell 5% as much as the S&P 500CTA in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, CTA −0.06%.SPY−1.07%CTA−0.06%Average week when SPY fell

CTA in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, CTA −0.06%.

Pair scorecard

ASMF costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.6 points.

ASMF vs CTA: Correlation to the S&P 500
MeasureASMFCTA
Return
Total return, 1 year+13.2%+4.6%
Against its benchmark
Treasury bills, 52 weeks+3.7%
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.80%0.86%
Net assets, ASMF as of Jul 31, 2026 and CTA as of Nov 3, 2026$30m$1.3bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
Risk
Beta to the S&P 500+0.32: about 0.32% for each 1%−0.30: about 0.30% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fellfell 0.49%fell 0.06%
ETFIQ Stock Diversification Score · CTA scores higher How much does it diversify a stock portfolio?
IQ Alternatives Score53ASMF94.2CTA

How much it diversifies a stock portfolio, ranked against 17 systematic trend alternatives ETFs with a full year. 100 is best. How it is computed

2.9, the lowest in this set 94.2, the highest

One year of weekly moves against the S&P 500, within one strategy; it ignores what the fund returned. All alternatives ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Window by window

Window by window: ASMF vs CTA: Correlation to the S&P 500
Total return
WindowASMFCTA
3 months+2.5%+6.2%
6 months+1.1%−10.8%
1 year+13.2%+4.6%
3 years–+22.3%
Since launchNot the same days: ASMF May 2024 · CTA Mar 2022+6.6%+37.8%

– means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →

Side by side

ASMF Virtus AlphaSimplex Managed Futures ETF · Managed futures fund: follows price trends in futures on stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities, and can bet on falls as well as rises CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF · Managed futures fund: follows price trends in futures on stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities, and can bet on falls as well as rises
Strategy Managed futures Managed futures
Correlation with the S&P 500 +0.40 −0.14
Beta to the S&P 500 +0.32 −0.30
Down-week capture 45.9% 5.3%
Average week when the S&P 500 fell −0.49% −0.06%
The S&P 500 in those weeks −1.07% −1.07%
Total return, same 52 weeks +12.9% +3.6%
Against T-bills, percentage points +9.2 pts 0.0 pts
Expense ratio 0.80% 0.86%
First traded May 16, 2024 Mar 8, 2022
Net assets, ASMF as of Jul 31, 2026 and CTA as of Nov 3, 2026 $30m $1.3bn

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

One strategy, two funds

ASMF and CTA both run a managed futures strategy. Over the same 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, ASMF’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.40 with the S&P 500 and CTA’s −0.14. In the 26 weeks the index fell, by 1.07% a week on average, ASMF averaged −0.49% and CTA −0.06%. Over the same weeks, ASMF finished 9.2 percentage points ahead of cash and CTA finished level with cash.

Alert

The week's ETF fund flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

About each fund
ASMF

ASMF is a managed futures fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.40 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.32, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.32% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. In the same weeks ASMF fell 0.49% on average, a down-week capture of 45.9%. Over the same 52 weeks ASMF returned +12.9% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 9.2 percentage points ahead of cash.

CTA

CTA is a managed futures fund. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of −0.14 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of −0.30, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.30% the other way. In the same weeks CTA fell 0.06% on average, a down-week capture of 5.3%. Over the same 52 weeks CTA returned +3.6% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished level with cash.

Questions people ask

Which moved less with the S&P 500, ASMF or CTA?
Over the 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, ASMF’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.40 with the S&P 500 and CTA’s −0.14, so CTA moved less with the index.
Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, ASMF or CTA?
In the 26 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.07% a week on average, ASMF averaged −0.49% and CTA −0.06%, so CTA returned more in those weeks.
Which earned more than cash, ASMF or CTA?
Over the same weeks, ASMF finished 9.2 percentage points ahead of cash and CTA finished level with cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
Which is cheaper, ASMF or CTA?
ASMF charges 0.80% a year and CTA charges 0.86%, so ASMF is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, ASMF against CTA, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/asmf-vs-cta

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.