HTUS vs TACU

HTUSDHull Tactical US ETF

TACUAT. Rowe Price Active Core U.S. Equity ETF

In short

HTUS Most active US equity funds argue about which stocks to own. HTUS argues about whether to own them at all: a quant strategy that shifts between long and short S&P 500 exposure, running live since 2015.

TACU T. Rowe Price's quant-plus-fundamental take on core large-cap U.S. stock, benchmarked to the Russell 1000. Gross fee 0.14%, fully waived to zero through January 30, 2027.

Stated mandate

HTUS The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through an actively managed strategy using long and short positions in ETFs and related instruments tied primarily to the S&P 500 Index.

TACU The fund seeks long-term capital growth through a primarily U.S. equity portfolio. It combines quantitative models with fundamental, bottom-up analysis and seeks excess returns relative to the Russell 1000 Index.

Why people hold it

• HTUS Not a stock picker. It takes long and short positions in S&P 500 linked ETFs and related instruments, so market exposure moves with the model instead of sitting permanently fully invested.
• Trading real money since 2015, so the model has a live record behind it rather than a backtest.
• The tactical trading happens inside a registered 1940 Act fund, so the shorting sits under regular fund rules rather than in a private vehicle.
• Tight mandate, and it stays inside it: US equities, S&P 500 as the reference point, no drift into other markets or asset classes.

• TACU Fee fully waived: 0.14% gross, zero net through January 30, 2027. That sits below every top-scoring peer in the category, including DFAU at 0.12% with no waiver.troweprice.com
• Quant models feed bottom-up stock picking with tilts to profitability, quality and value, chasing excess return over the Russell 1000 while holding tracking error tight.troweprice.com
• Several hundred large-cap names, so no single position runs the show. One of the stronger profiles in a crowded active U.S. equity field.troweprice.com

Worth knowing

• HTUS At 0.96% a year it runs above the typical active US equity fund, and several times the index-plus crowd such as DFAU (0.12%) and FELC (0.18%).
• Small asset base and thin trading, so spreads can widen and sizable orders can move the price.
• You are buying a model, not a basket. Outcomes track the manager's signals and its short side, not simply the index it references.

• TACU Launched in December 2025, so the live record is short and the risk read rests on limited history.
• Still a small fund that trades lightly, which can mean wider spreads than the category's giants.
• Distributions are annual at most, with no declared income target. This is a growth mandate, not a cash-flow one.

Full HTUS profile⁠

Full TACU profile⁠