Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Alternative ETFs

HEGD vs TAIL: Correlation to the S&P 500

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, TAIL moved less with the S&P 500 than HEGD: correlation −0.74 against +0.98.

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Net assets: $735m on Aug 31, 2026 for Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, and $147m on Jul 31, 2026 for Cambria Tail Risk ETF.

At a glance
+0.98
HEGD correlation with the S&P 500
−0.74
TAIL correlation with the S&P 500
71.4%
HEGD down-week capture
−15.9%
TAIL down-week capture
HEGD Fell 71% as much as the S&P 500
Fell 71% as much as the S&P 500HEGD in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, HEGD −0.76%.SPY−1.07%HEGD−0.76%Average week when SPY fell: 26 of 52, year to Nov 4, 2026Fell 71% as much as the S&P 500HEGD in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, HEGD −0.76%.SPY−1.07%HEGD−0.76%Average week when SPY fell

HEGD in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, HEGD −0.76%.

TAIL Rose when the S&P 500 fell
Rose when the S&P 500 fellTAIL in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, TAIL +0.17%.SPY−1.07%TAIL+0.17%Average week when SPY fell: 26 of 52, year to Nov 4, 2026Rose when the S&P 500 fellTAIL in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, TAIL +0.17%.SPY−1.07%TAIL+0.17%Average week when SPY fell

TAIL in the 26 weeks SPY fell, year to Nov 4, 2026: SPY averaged −1.07%, TAIL +0.17%.

Pair scorecard

TAIL costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.9 points.

HEGD vs TAIL: Correlation to the S&P 500
MeasureHEGDTAIL
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.8%−13.1%
Against its benchmark
Treasury bills, 52 weeks+3.7%
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.87%0.60%
Net assets, HEGD as of Aug 31, 2026 and TAIL as of Jul 31, 2026$735m$147m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
Risk
Beta to the S&P 500+0.66: about 0.66% for each 1%−0.36: about 0.36% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fellfell 0.76%rose 0.17%
ETFIQ Stock Diversification Score · TAIL scores higher How much does it diversify a stock portfolio?
IQ Alternatives Score26.1HEGD95.5TAIL

How much it diversifies a stock portfolio, ranked against 22 equity hedged alternatives ETFs with a full year. 100 is best. How it is computed

4.5, the lowest in this set 95.5, 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

Risk and return

Dec 31, 2020 to Oct 30, 2026 · 304 weekly returns · each against VOO
HEGD TAIL
Return
Total return edge HEGD +63.5% −43.7%
Annualized edge HEGD +8.8% −9.4%
Price return edge HEGD +59.7% −50.8%
Risk
Volatility edge HEGD 8.6% 12.6%
Max drawdown edge HEGD −13.8% −45.8%
Downside capture 65.7% −76.9%
Beta 0.52 −0.59
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge HEGD 0.63 −0.99
Sortino edge HEGD 0.96 −1.45
Treynor 0.105 0.209
Calmar edge HEGD 0.64 −0.20
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.4% a year −5.7% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.35 −1.62
Information ratio −0.73 −0.90
Tracking error 8.1% 26.3%
Reading

From Dec 2020 to Oct 2026, HEGD returned more: +63.5% to −43.7%. HEGD swung less: 8.6% to 12.6%. HEGD fell less at its worst: −13.8% to −45.8%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: HEGD vs TAIL: Correlation to the S&P 500
MeasureHEGDTAILVOOEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+63.5%−43.7%HEGDPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+8.8%−9.4%HEGDTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+59.7%−50.8%HEGDPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility8.6%12.6%HEGDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation5.6%8.6%HEGDLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−13.8%−45.8%HEGDDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture46.6%−25.4%100.0%HEGDShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture65.7%−76.9%100.0%TAILShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.52−0.591.00TAIL lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.890.541.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.63−0.99HEGDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.96−1.45HEGDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1050.2090.113TAILReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.64−0.20HEGDAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkVOOVOOVOOThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.4% a year−5.7% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.35−1.62Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−2.8% to +1.9%−12.7% to +1.2%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.73−0.90HEGDReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error8.1%26.3%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 304 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: HEGD vs TAIL: Correlation to the S&P 500
Total returnvs its benchmark
WindowHEGDTAILHEGDTAIL
3 months−1.2%−2.7%−1.1 pts vs VOO−2.6 pts vs VOO
6 months+1.6%−7.1%−3.4 pts vs VOO−12.1 pts vs VOO
1 year+6.8%−13.1%−8.0 pts vs VOO−27.9 pts vs VOO
3 years+49.5%−14.2%−33.8 pts vs VOO−97.5 pts vs VOO
Since launchNot the same days: HEGD Dec 2020 · TAIL Jun 2017+66.7%−51.5%−59.3 pts vs VOO−316.9 pts vs VOO

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Side by side

HEGD Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF · Hedged equity fund: owns stocks and pays for protection against a fall, most often with put options TAIL Cambria Tail Risk ETF · Hedged equity fund: owns stocks and pays for protection against a fall, most often with put options
Issuer Swan Cambria
Strategy Hedged equity Hedged equity
Correlation with the S&P 500 +0.98 −0.74
Beta to the S&P 500 +0.66 −0.36
Down-week capture 71.4% −15.9%
Average week when the S&P 500 fell −0.76% +0.17%
The S&P 500 in those weeks −1.07% −1.07%
Total return, same 52 weeks +6.8% −12.4%
Against T-bills, percentage points +3.2 pts −16.0 pts
Expense ratio 0.87% 0.60%
First traded Dec 23, 2020 Jun 13, 2017
Net assets, HEGD as of Aug 31, 2026 and TAIL as of Jul 31, 2026 $735m $147m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

One strategy, two funds

HEGD and TAIL both run a hedged equity strategy. Over the same 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, HEGD’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.98 with the S&P 500 and TAIL’s −0.74. In the 26 weeks the index fell, by 1.07% a week on average, HEGD averaged −0.76% and TAIL +0.17%. Over the same weeks, HEGD finished 3.2 percentage points ahead of cash and TAIL finished 16.0 points behind cash.

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About each fund
HEGD

HEGD is a hedged equity 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 +0.98 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.66, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.66% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. In the same weeks HEGD fell 0.76% on average, a down-week capture of 71.4%. Over the same 52 weeks HEGD returned +6.8% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 3.2 percentage points ahead of cash.

TAIL

TAIL is a hedged equity fund. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of −0.74 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of −0.36, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.36% the other way. In the same weeks TAIL rose 0.17% on average, a down-week capture of −15.9%. Over the same 52 weeks TAIL returned −12.4% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 16.0 percentage points behind cash.

Questions people ask

Which moved less with the S&P 500, HEGD or TAIL?
Over the 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, HEGD’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.98 with the S&P 500 and TAIL’s −0.74, so TAIL moved less with the index.
Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, HEGD or TAIL?
In the 26 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.07% a week on average, HEGD averaged −0.76% and TAIL +0.17%, so TAIL returned more in those weeks.
Which earned more than cash, HEGD or TAIL?
Over the same weeks, HEGD finished 3.2 percentage points ahead of cash and TAIL finished 16.0 percentage points behind cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
Which is cheaper, HEGD or TAIL?
HEGD charges 0.87% a year and TAIL charges 0.60%, so TAIL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, HEGD against TAIL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/hegd-vs-tail

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