Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, TAIL or XTR?

In the 26 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.07% a week on average, TAIL averaged +0.17% and XTR −1.07%, so TAIL returned more in those weeks.

Which earned more than cash, TAIL or XTR?

Over the same weeks, TAIL finished 16.0 percentage points behind cash and XTR finished 6.3 percentage points ahead of cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.

Which is cheaper, TAIL or XTR?

TAIL charges 0.60% a year and XTR charges 0.25%, so XTR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Alternative ETFs

TAIL vs XTR: 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 XTR: correlation −0.74 against +1.00.

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Net assets: $147m on Jul 31, 2026 for Cambria Tail Risk ETF, and $5.0m on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Tail Risk ETF.

TAIL on its own →XTR on its own →

At a glance

−0.74

TAIL correlation with the S&P 500

+1.00

XTR correlation with the S&P 500

−15.9%

TAIL down-week capture

100.0%

XTR down-week capture

TAIL Rose when the S&P 500 fell

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

XTR Fell with the S&P 500

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

Pair scorecard

XTR costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.3 points.

TAIL vs XTR: Correlation to the S&P 500
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Return
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Total return, 1 year	−13.1%	+10.2%
Against its benchmark
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Treasury bills, 52 weeks	+3.7%
Cost and size
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Expense ratio	0.60%	0.25%
Net assets, TAIL as of Jul 31, 2026 and XTR as of Oct 12, 2026	$147m	$5.0m
Holdings
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Holdings in common	not published
Risk
Measure	TAIL	XTR
Beta to the S&P 500	−0.36: about 0.36% for each 1%	+0.94: about 0.94% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fell	rose 0.17%	fell 1.07%

ETFIQ Stock Diversification Score · TAIL scores higher How much does it diversify a stock portfolio?

IQ Alternatives Score95.5TAIL4.5XTR

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

TAIL 95.5

XTR 4.5

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

Window by window

Window by window: TAIL vs XTR: Correlation to the S&P 500
	Total return		vs its benchmark
Window	TAIL	XTR	TAIL	XTR
3 months	−2.7%	−1.0%	−2.6 pts vs VOO	−0.9 pts vs VOO
6 months	−7.1%	+3.4%	−12.1 pts vs VOO	−1.6 pts vs VOO
1 year	−13.1%	+10.2%	−27.9 pts vs VOO	−4.6 pts vs VOO
3 years	−14.2%	+65.7%	−97.5 pts vs VOO	−17.6 pts vs VOO
Since launchNot the same days: TAIL Jun 2017 · XTR Aug 2021	−51.5%	+58.1%	−316.9 pts vs VOO	−26.8 pts vs VOO

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Side by side

TAIL Cambria Tail Risk ETF · Hedged equity fund: owns stocks and pays for protection against a fall, most often with put options XTR Global X S&P 500 Tail Risk ETF · Hedged equity fund: owns stocks and pays for protection against a fall, most often with put options

Issuer Cambria Global X

Strategy Hedged equity Hedged equity

Correlation with the S&P 500 −0.74 +1.00

Beta to the S&P 500 −0.36 +0.94

Down-week capture −15.9% 100.0%

Average week when the S&P 500 fell +0.17% −1.07%

The S&P 500 in those weeks −1.07% −1.07%

Total return, same 52 weeks −12.4% +9.9%

Against T-bills, percentage points −16.0 pts +6.3 pts

Expense ratio 0.60% 0.25%

First traded Jun 13, 2017 Aug 26, 2021

Net assets, TAIL as of Jul 31, 2026 and XTR as of Oct 12, 2026 $147m $5.0m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

One strategy, two funds

TAIL and XTR both run a hedged equity strategy. Over the same 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, TAIL’s weekly returns had a correlation of −0.74 with the S&P 500 and XTR’s +1.00. In the 26 weeks the index fell, by 1.07% a week on average, TAIL averaged +0.17% and XTR −1.07%. Over the same weeks, TAIL finished 16.0 percentage points behind cash and XTR finished 6.3 points ahead of cash.

Alert

About each fund

TAIL

TAIL 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 −0.74 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. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. 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.

XTR

XTR is a hedged equity fund. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +1.00 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.94, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.94% the same way. In the same weeks XTR fell 1.07% on average, a down-week capture of 100.0%. Over the same 52 weeks XTR returned +9.9% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 6.3 percentage points ahead of cash.

Questions people ask

Which moved less with the S&P 500, TAIL or XTR?: Over the 52 weeks to Nov 4, 2026, TAIL’s weekly returns had a correlation of −0.74 with the S&P 500 and XTR’s +1.00, so TAIL moved less with the index.
Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, TAIL or XTR?: In the 26 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.07% a week on average, TAIL averaged +0.17% and XTR −1.07%, so TAIL returned more in those weeks.
Which earned more than cash, TAIL or XTR?: Over the same weeks, TAIL finished 16.0 percentage points behind cash and XTR finished 6.3 percentage points ahead of cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
Which is cheaper, TAIL or XTR?: TAIL charges 0.60% a year and XTR charges 0.25%, so XTR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

TAIL vs CCOR TAIL vs TOAK TAIL vs HEDG TAIL vs CAOS XTR vs HEQT XTR vs HEDG XTR vs HEQQ XTR vs CAOS

Where to next

BIL, the T-bill fund these are measured against →SPY, the S&P 500 fund these are measured against →TAIL on its own →XTR on its own →TAIL dividend history →XTR dividend history →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

TAIL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

TAIL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Cambria website ↗

XTR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XTR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Global X page for XTR ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, TAIL against XTR, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/tail-vs-xtr

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