Which returned more over the last year, CTA or TLT?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and TLT returned −6.4%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, CTA or TLT?

CTA charges 0.75% a year and TLT charges 0.15%, so TLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

CTA vs TLT: how they differ

CTA and TLT hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and CTA returned more over the year.

Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, CTA and TLT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in CTA	Only in TLT
SIMPLIFY EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 81.69%	TREASURY BOND (2OLD) 4.16%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.72%	TREASURY BOND (OLD) 4.05%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.44%	TREASURY BOND (OTR) 1.03%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.76%	TREASURY BOND 0.02%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.75%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.20%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.37%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.07%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

CTA and TLT on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF	TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	Simplify	iShares
What it is	Simplify Managed Futures Strategy	20+ year Treasuries
Total return, 1 year	+17.0%	−6.4%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−0.5 pts	−23.9 pts
Expense ratio	0.75%	0.15%
Holdings	10	41

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.

TLT in plain words

TLT is a bond fund tracking the 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −6.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 42.9% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, CTA or TLT?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and TLT returned −6.4%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, CTA or TLT?: CTA charges 0.75% a year and TLT charges 0.15%, so TLT 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.

CTA against TLT, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 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 TLT, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cta-vs-tlt Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources