BDVL vs NXTE

BDVLAiShares Disciplined Volatility Equity Active ETF

NXTEFAXS Green Alpha 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.

NXTE A hand-picked, go-anywhere bet on companies the manager believes are building a sustainable economy. Active, global, and priced like a stock-picker rather than an index fund.

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.

NXTE Seeks long-term capital appreciation by actively investing at least 80% of assets in sustainable companies selected for their contribution to sustainability objectives, above-average growth potential, and reasonable valuation.

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.

• NXTE Real active management: at least 80% of assets go to sustainable companies chosen for their sustainability contribution, above-average growth potential, and reasonable valuation.
• The hunting ground is global, not just the S&P 500, so the manager can own the clean-tech and industrial names listed outside the US.
• Pays on a quarterly schedule, unusual for a growth-first equity mandate where many peers distribute once a year.

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.

• NXTE The 1.00% expense ratio sits well above the global active equity median, and the best-graded peers here charge a fraction: GSWO 0.15%, DFAW 0.24%, AVGE 0.25%.
• Thinly traded. Spreads can widen on quiet days, so limit orders do more work here than with a mega-cap index fund.
• Against the global active equity funds we track, this one lands in the bottom quartile overall, mostly on cost and risk.

Full BDVL profile⁠

Full NXTE profile⁠