SPDN vs SPXS: which held to its multiple?

Over three months against its own daily promise, SPDN finished 1.7 points over and SPXS 3.4 points over. Direxion Daily S&P 500 (R) Bear 1X ETF and Direxion Daily S&P 500(R) Bear 3X ETF.

−1.1%
SPDN returned, 3 months
−5.5%
SPXS returned, 3 months
+1.4 pts
SPDN from its stated multiple
+2.1 pts
SPXS from its stated multiple
SPDN · 3 months to Sep 30, 20261.4 pts ahead of its stated multiple
1.4 pts ahead of its stated multipleSPDN returned −1.1% while −1 times SPY's move would have been −2.5%SPY +2.5% ×−1 implies−2.5%SPDN returned−1.1%1.4 pts ahead of its stated multipleSPDN returned −1.1% while −1 times SPY's move would have been −2.5%SPY +2.5% ×−1 implies−2.5%SPDN returned−1.1%

SPDN returned −1.1% while −1 times SPY's move would have been −2.5%

SPXS · 3 months to Sep 30, 20262.1 pts ahead of its stated multiple
2.1 pts ahead of its stated multipleSPXS returned −5.5% while −3 times SPY's move would have been −7.6%SPY +2.5% ×−3 implies−7.6%SPXS returned−5.5%2.1 pts ahead of its stated multipleSPXS returned −5.5% while −3 times SPY's move would have been −7.6%SPY +2.5% ×−3 implies−7.6%SPXS returned−5.5%

SPXS returned −5.5% while −3 times SPY's move would have been −7.6%

ETFIQ Decay Resistance Score · SPXS scores higherDid it keep up with its own daily multiple, compounded day by day?
0.4, the lowest in this set99.6, the highest

A percentile among the 125 inverse ETFs over three months. 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
WindowSPDNSPXSSPDNSPXSSPDNSPXS
1 month+0.8%+1.6%+0.3%+1.0%+0.5 pts+0.7 pts
3 months−1.1%−5.5%−2.5%−7.6%+1.4 pts+2.1 pts
6 months−12.1%−35.9%−17.0%−50.9%+4.9 pts+15.0 pts
1 year−8.6%−32.3%−15.7%−47.1%+7.1 pts+14.8 pts
3 years−34.9%−82.2%−85.0%−254.9%+50.1 pts+172.8 pts
Since launch
SPDN Jun 2016 · SPXS Jan 2010
−73.7%−100.0%not meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningfulnot meaningful

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

On the same fields

SPDN
Direxion Daily S&P 500 (R) Bear 1X ETF · Aims to return 1 times the opposite of the daily move of the S&P 500
SPXS
Direxion Daily S&P 500(R) Bear 3X ETF · Aims to return three times the opposite of the daily move of the S&P 500
Issuer Direxion Direxion
Sets out to return -1x -3x
Underlying asset SPY SPY
Segment us large cap us large cap
Fund returned, 3 months or since launch −1.1% −5.5%
Underlying returned, over that window +2.5% +2.5%
What the stated multiple implies, over that window −2.5% −7.6%
Difference from stated, over that window +1.4 pts +2.1 pts
Fund returned, 1 year or since launch −8.6% −32.3%
Difference from stated, over that window +7.1 pts +14.8 pts
Underlying volatility 11% 11%
Difference over the days both have traded +1.4 pts +2.1 pts
Expense ratio 0.48% 1.04%
Launched Jun 8, 2016 Jan 4, 2010
Net assets $269m $334m

SPDN and SPXS on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

SPDN in plain words

Three months to Sep 30, 2026: SPDN returned −1.1% where its own daily promise gave −2.8%, 1.7 points over. Read the multiple against the whole window instead and −1 times SPY's 2.5% implies −2.5%, which makes SPDN look 1.4 points over. 0.2 of that is daily compounding, which happens to any −1 times fund over the same path, and the rest is the fund. SPDN aims to return -1 times SPY's move each day, then resets. Over one day it does that. Over longer, the daily results compound, so the total is not -1 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. SPY moved at 11% 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.

SPXS in plain words

Three months to Sep 30, 2026: SPXS returned −5.5% where its own daily promise gave −8.9%, 3.4 points over. Read the multiple against the whole window instead and −3 times SPY's 2.5% implies −7.6%, which makes SPXS look 2.1 points over. 1.3 of that is daily compounding, which happens to any −3 times fund over the same path, and the rest is the fund. SPXS aims to return -3 times SPY's move each day, then resets. Over longer, the daily results compound, so the total is not -3 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, SPDN or SPXS?
Over the window to Sep 30, 2026, SPDN finished 1.4 points from what its multiple implies and SPXS finished 2.1 points from its own, so SPDN came closer. Neither figure predicts the next window: it depends on how much the underlying moves about.
Are SPDN and SPXS levered on the same thing?
Yes. Both are levered on the S&P 500, SPDN at -1 times and SPXS at -3 times the daily move.
Which one decays faster, SPDN or SPXS?
Decay follows how much the underlying moves about. Over this window SPDN’s moved at 11% annualized and SPXS’s at 11%, so SPDN has the rougher ride and, at the same multiple, loses more to compounding.
Can I hold SPDN or SPXS 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, SPDN or SPXS?
SPDN charges 0.48% a year and SPXS charges 1.04%, so SPDN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, SPDN against SPXS, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/leverage/spdn-vs-spxs

Open data

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