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Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

AGG vs CTA: how they differ

AGG is a bond index fund and CTA an equity index fund, and over the year CTA returned more, +17.0% against −0.7%.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF.

AGG and CTA on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AGG
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
CTA
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesSimplify
What it isUS aggregate bondsSimplify Managed Futures Strategy
Total return, 1 year−0.7%+17.0%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−18.2 pts−0.5 pts
Expense ratio0.03%0.75%
Holdingsnot filed10

AGG in plain words

AGG is a bond fund tracking the US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −0.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.7% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

CTA in plain words

CTA is an index equity fund tracking the Simplify Managed Futures Strategy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.75% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%. It sat 5.3% below its high of May 4, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or CTA?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −0.7% and CTA returned +17.0%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, AGG or CTA?
AGG charges 0.03% a year and CTA charges 0.75%, so AGG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

AGG against CTA, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AGG against CTA, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AGG-CTA Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources