Get the weekly note

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

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

CTA vs USO: how they differ

CTA is an equity index fund and USO a commodity fund, and over the year USO returned more, +112.2% against +17.0%.

Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF and United States Oil Fund, LP.

CTA and USO on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CTA
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF
USO
United States Oil Fund, LP
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssuerSimplifyUnited
What it isSimplify Managed Futures StrategyOil
Total return, 1 year+17.0%+112.2%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−0.5 pts+94.7 pts
Expense ratio0.75%not published
Holdings10not filed

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.

USO in plain words

USO is a commodity fund tracking the Oil. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +112.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 57.1% below its high of Apr 8, 2011 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, CTA or USO?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and USO returned +112.2%, so USO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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.

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources