BDVL vs GPT

BDVLAiShares Disciplined Volatility Equity Active ETF

GPTCIntelligent Alpha Atlas ETF

In short

BDVL A global low-volatility fund with an active engine: a quant model picks roughly 500 stocks on low vol, quality and value, scored against MSCI's ACWI Minimum Volatility Index. Fee: 0.39% net of a waiver through June 30, 2028.

GPT The ticker is the thesis. GPT hands global stock picking to large language models, which assemble an equal-weighted portfolio of big companies instead of a human manager's conviction list.

Stated mandate

BDVL The Fund seeks risk-adjusted total return through active management of equity exposure, with a focus on managing volatility relative to the broad equity market.

GPT The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Why people hold it

• BDVL Costs 0.39% net of a waiver through June 30, 2028, below the median fee among global active equity peers and under sibling fund BFLX at 0.40%.
• Roughly 500 holdings worldwide, so no single stock runs the show. Its holdings build and risk profile rank among the strongest in its peer group.
• Built to hold core equity exposure while leaning toward stocks that have shown smaller price swings than the broad market.ishares.com
• Trading since 2017, a long life for an active equity ETF, and it has gathered billions from investors along the way.

• GPT The engine is genuinely different: AI models do the selecting, and the output is an equal-weighted book of global large caps, so no single mega-cap sets the tone.aaii.com
• At 0.69%, it charges the median fee for actively managed global equity ETFs. No novelty premium for the AI wrapper.
• The mandate is plain English: long-term capital appreciation from global large-cap stocks, with a $1 billion market-cap floor on what the models may pick.aaii.com

Worth knowing

• BDVL A model, not an index, picks the names. Active discretion cuts both ways against the MSCI minimum-volatility benchmark it is measured by.
• The low-vol tilt means lighter exposure to the market's most volatile high-flyers, which shapes how it behaves when those names run.
• Cheaper active options sit in the same category: AVTM at 0.22% and AVGE at 0.23% deliver broad global equity without the volatility focus.

• GPT The fee sits well above the cheapest global peers (GSWO at 0.15%, DFAW at 0.24%), so the AI process carries a real cost hurdle.
• Small and thinly traded, so spreads tend to be wider and big orders harder to fill than in the category's giants.
• Launched in 2024, so the live record is short. The prospectus also permits indirect exposure to leveraged or inverse leveraged equity ETFs.

Full BDVL profile⁠

Full GPT profile⁠