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PTLC vs SPDF

Pacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF

PTLCACboe

Defender Risk Adaptive 500 ETF

SPDFCCboe

Overlap

0.1%by weight

Expense ratio

PTLC −0.09pt a year

PTLC0.60%SPDF0.69%

Avg volume · 30D

PTLC 8.1×the volume

PTLC99.6KSPDF12.4K

PTLC vs SPDF Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+1.4%PTLC+1.1%SPDF

Jul 31, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026. PTLC +1.4%. SPDF +1.1%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%2%3%4%Jul 2026Sep 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
PTLC 0.60%, better
SPDF 0.69%
Fund size
PTLC $3.24B
SPDF $37M
1Y total return
PTLC +6.4%
SPDF No data
Yield (12M)
PTLC 1.00%
SPDF No data
Holdings
PTLC 505
SPDF 3
Avg volume (30D)
PTLC 99.6K sh, better
SPDF 12.4K sh
NAV per share
PTLC $59.01
SPDF $27.73
52W range

ETF.net Grade

PTLC: Cost 71, Risk 65, Mission 78, Tradability 100, Holdings 72, Durability 86. SPDF: Cost 45, Risk 93, Mission not scored, Tradability 41, Holdings 38, Durability 10.
Pillar letters and Scores for PTLC, SPDF, with each pillar’s weight
PillarPTLCSPDF
Cost30% weightA71HigherC45
Mission25% weightA78Not scored
Risk15% weightB65A93Higher
Tradability15% weightA100HigherC41
Holdings10% weightA72HigherD38
Durability5% weightA86HigherF10

Rank among Trend-Following / Tactical Index funds

Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. PTLC and SPDF are both graded against the same 20 Trend-Following / Tactical Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

See all 20 ›

PTLC ranks 2nd and SPDF 10th of 20 funds in the Trend-Following / Tactical Index Category.

  1. Rank 1AWAMAWisdomTree US Adaptive Moving Average FundScore 80
  2. Rank 2APTLCPacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETFScore 76
  3. Rank 3AONOFGlobal X Adaptive U.S. Risk Management ETFScore 75
  4. Rank 9BPTINPacer Trendpilot International ETFScore 57
  5. Rank 10CSPDFDefender Risk Adaptive 500 ETFScore 50
  6. Rank 10CTHIRTHOR Index Rotation ETFScore 50

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

PTLCAPacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF

SPDFCDefender Risk Adaptive 500 ETF

In short

PTLC Most index funds ride out every drawdown. PTLC tracks an index with an exit ramp: a rules-based trend signal that shifts its large-cap exposure toward 3-month Treasury bills and back, with no manager judgment in the loop.

SPDF No data

Stated mandate

PTLC The Fund seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Pacer Trendpilot US Large Cap Index. That index uses a rules-based trend-following approach that alternates exposure between equities and 3-Month US Treasury bills.

SPDF No data

Why people hold it

  • PTLC The switch is mechanical. A rules-based trend signal alternates exposure between US large-cap equities and 3-month Treasury bills, so nobody is making a gut call mid-panic.paceretfs.com
  • Underneath the signal sits plain large-cap America: roughly 500 stocks benchmarked to the S&P 500, not a niche factor slice.paceretfs.com
  • Trading since 2015 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, so the rules have run through live markets, not just backtests.
  • Among the index-tracking funds we cover, it lands in the upper half, and it follows its own index closely.

SPDF No data

Worth knowing

  • PTLC 0.60% a year is real money next to vanilla large-cap trackers like SCHK (0.03%) or VOOV (0.07%). The trend rules are what the extra buys.
  • Trend signals read past prices. Moves into T-bills, or back into stocks, arrive after a market shift is already underway rather than ahead of it.
  • Distributions land once or twice a year, so it isn't structured as a steady income drip.

SPDF No data

Full PTLC profile⁠

Full SPDF profile⁠

PTLC vs SPDF Holdings

As of

How PTLC and SPDF differ

Overlap by weight

0.1%

Shared holdings make up 0.5% of SPDF and 0.1% of PTLC.

Level by level

  • Holdings0 in both0.1%
  • Asset classEquity100%
  • Countryby domicile100%
  • Sector11 Sectors99.7%

Sector

Sector weights in PTLC and SPDF, widest gap first
SectorMore in PTLCMore in SPDF
TechnologyPTLC +0.3 points
Consumer StaplesSPDF +0.1 points
Health CareSPDF +0.1 points
Consumer DiscretionaryPTLC +0.1 points
FinancialsSPDF +0.1 points
UtilitiesSame weight
Real EstateSame weight
IndustrialsSame weight
EnergySame weight
CommunicationSame weight
MaterialsSame weight

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in PTLC and SPDF, widest gap first
CountryMore in PTLCMore in SPDF
United StatesSame weight
SwitzerlandSame weight
ChinaSame weight
MexicoSame weight
IrelandSame weight
United KingdomSame weight

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • PTLC38.4%
  • SPDF100.1%

Securities held

  • PTLC503
  • SPDF2

Asset class

PTLC
Equity
SPDF
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in PTLC503
  • In both0
  • Only in SPDF2

Only in PTLC

503 securities, 99.9% of PTLC by weight

  • NVIDIA Corp8.02%
  • Apple Inc7.50%
  • Microsoft Corp5.92%

Only in SPDF

2 securities, 99.6% of SPDF by weight

  • State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF99.27%
  • Vanguard S&P 500 ETF0.33%

Weight gaps

PTLC and SPDF share no securities.

All 505 PTLC holdings⁠All SPDF holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

PTLC vs SPDF Cost

Overpaying SPDF vs PTLC

$1,612

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • PTLC 0.60%

    $11,817

  • SPDF 0.69%

    $13,429

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • PTLC 0.60%
  • SPDF 0.69%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530SPDF $13,429PTLC $11,817

Year by year

YearPTLCSPDFOverpaying
10$1,076$1,232$156
20$4,116$4,697$581
30$11,817$13,429$1,612

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%PTLC, cheaper
  • 0.69%SPDF
  • Middle half of Trend-Following / Tactical Index funds
  • Median 0.67%

PTLC 6th cheapest of 20 funds

SPDF 11th cheapest of 20 funds

PTLC vs SPDF Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
PTLC 1.00%
SPDF No data
Payout (12M)
PTLC $0.59
SPDF None
Last payment
PTLC $0.59
SPDF No data
Ex-dividend
PTLC Dec 30, 2025
SPDF No data
Paid on
PTLC Jan 5, 2026
SPDF No data
Frequency
PTLC Annual
SPDF No data

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

PTLCAnnual · 9 paymentsAll PTLC payments⁠
One bar per payment. 9 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2017 $0.28; Dec 24, 2018 $0.29; Dec 24, 2019 $0.37; Dec 21, 2020 $0.35; Dec 23, 2021 $0.31; Dec 22, 2022 $0.47; Dec 27, 2023 $0.51; Dec 27, 2024 $0.36; Dec 30, 2025 $0.59. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
SPDFAll SPDF payments⁠

No distribution history available.

PTLC vs SPDF Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
PTLC 11.7%SPDF No data
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
PTLC 0.95SPDF No data
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
PTLC −15.2%SPDF No data
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
PTLC 0.87SPDF 0.99

PTLC and SPDF in the news

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