AGQ vs ZSL: which held to its multiple?

Over three months against its own daily promise, AGQ finished 1.7 points short and ZSL 4.1 points over. ProShares Ultra Silver and ProShares UltraShort Silver.

−2.1%
AGQ returned, 3 months
−9.6%
ZSL returned, 3 months
−5.6 pts
AGQ from its stated multiple
−6.2 pts
ZSL from its stated multiple
AGQ · 3 months to Sep 30, 20265.6 pts short of its stated multiple
5.6 pts short of its stated multipleAGQ returned −2.1% while 2 times SLV's move would have been +3.5%SLV +1.7% ×2 implies+3.5%AGQ returned−2.1%5.6 pts short of its stated multipleAGQ returned −2.1% while 2 times SLV's move would have been +3.5%SLV +1.7% ×2 implies+3.5%AGQ returned−2.1%

AGQ returned −2.1% while 2 times SLV's move would have been +3.5%

ZSL · 3 months to Sep 30, 20266.2 pts short of its stated multiple
6.2 pts short of its stated multipleZSL returned −9.6% while −2 times SLV's move would have been −3.5%SLV +1.7% ×−2 implies−3.5%ZSL returned−9.6%6.2 pts short of its stated multipleZSL returned −9.6% while −2 times SLV's move would have been −3.5%SLV +1.7% ×−2 implies−3.5%ZSL returned−9.6%

ZSL returned −9.6% while −2 times SLV's move would have been −3.5%

ETFIQ Decay Resistance Score · ZSL scores higherDid it keep up with its own daily multiple, compounded day by day?

AGQ among the 470 leveraged ETFs, long, over three months

AGQ 81.1
0.1, the lowest in this set99.9, the highest

ZSL among the 125 inverse ETFs over three months

ZSL 94.8
0.4, the lowest in this set99.6, the highest

A percentile among the 470 leveraged ETFs, long, over three months. ZSL is a percentile among the 125 inverse ETFs over three months, a different set, so the two marks are not on one scale. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All leveraged ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

Performance, window by window

Total returnMultiple would giveDifference
WindowAGQZSLAGQZSLAGQZSL
1 month−19.3%+19.4%−18.7%+18.7%−0.6 pts+0.7 pts
3 months−2.1%−9.6%+3.5%−3.5%−5.6 pts−6.2 pts
6 months−43.7%+22.5%−40.0%+40.0%−3.7 pts−17.5 pts
1 year−12.3%−82.0%+57.3%−57.3%−69.5 pts−24.7 pts
3 years+171.8%−96.8%not meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningful
Since launch
AGQ Jan 2010 · ZSL Jan 2010
−44.9%−100.0%not meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningful

AGQ and ZSL over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

AGQ
ProShares Ultra Silver · Aims to return twice the daily move of silver (SLV)
ZSL
ProShares UltraShort Silver · Aims to return twice the opposite of the daily move of silver (SLV)
Issuer ProShares ProShares
Sets out to return +2x -2x
Underlying asset SLV SLV
Segment metal metal
Fund returned, 3 months or since launch −2.1% −9.6%
Underlying returned, over that window +1.7% +1.7%
What the stated multiple implies, over that window +3.5% −3.5%
Difference from stated, over that window −5.6 pts −6.2 pts
Fund returned, 1 year or since launch −12.3% −82.0%
Difference from stated, over that window −69.5 pts −24.7 pts
Underlying volatility 39% 39%
Difference over the days both have traded −5.6 pts no shared window
Expense ratio 0.95% 0.95%
Launched Jan 4, 2010 Jan 4, 2010
Net assets $1.3bn $91m

AGQ and ZSL on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AGQ in plain words

Three months to Sep 30, 2026: AGQ returned −2.1% where its own daily promise gave −0.4%, 1.7 points short. Read the multiple against the whole window instead and 2 times SLV's 1.7% implies +3.5%, which makes AGQ look 5.6 points short. 3.9 of that is daily compounding, which happens to any 2 times fund over the same path, and the rest is the fund. AGQ aims to return +2 times SLV's move each day, then resets. Over one day it does that. Over longer, the daily results compound, so the total is not +2 times the period's move: in a market that falls and comes back it is reliably less, and in a steady run it can be more. SLV moved at 39% annualized over that window. That is what decides how far the two figures separate: the same fund on a calm underlying and a violent one is a different product.

ZSL in plain words

Three months to Sep 30, 2026: ZSL returned −9.6% where its own daily promise gave −13.8%, 4.1 points over. Read the multiple against the whole window instead and −2 times SLV's 1.7% implies −3.5%, which makes ZSL look 6.2 points short. 10.3 of that is daily compounding, which happens to any −2 times fund over the same path, and the rest is the fund. ZSL aims to return -2 times SLV's move each day, then resets. Over longer, the daily results compound, so the total is not -2 times the period's move: in a market that falls and comes back it is reliably less, and in a steady run it can be more.

Questions people ask

Which came closer to its stated multiple, AGQ or ZSL?
Over the window to Sep 30, 2026, AGQ finished 5.6 points from what its multiple implies and ZSL finished 6.2 points from its own, so AGQ came closer. Neither figure predicts the next window: it depends on how much the underlying moves about.
Are AGQ and ZSL levered on the same thing?
Yes. Both are levered on silver, AGQ at +2 times and ZSL at -2 times the daily move.
Which one decays faster, AGQ or ZSL?
Decay follows how much the underlying moves about. Over this window AGQ’s moved at 39% annualized and ZSL’s at 39%, so AGQ has the rougher ride and, at the same multiple, loses more to compounding.
Can I hold AGQ or ZSL for a year?
Both reset every day, so the multiple in the name applies to a single day and the daily results compound. Over a year the total is not the multiple times the year’s move, and in a market that falls and comes back it is reliably less. ETFIQ makes no recommendation either way.
Which is cheaper, AGQ or ZSL?
AGQ charges 0.95% a year and ZSL charges 0.95%, so AGQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, AGQ against ZSL, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/leverage/agq-vs-zsl

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.