PTLC vs THIR

PTLCAPacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF

THIRCTHOR Index Rotation 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.

THIR Most trend-following ETFs flip one index between stocks and cash. THIR runs a weekly momentum read across three (S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq 100), holds only the ones trending up, and parks the rest in cash. 0.69%, no waiver.

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.

THIR The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the THOR SDQ Rotation Index. Its rules-based strategy uses U.S. index ETFs to pursue large-cap equity exposure while seeking lower volatility by avoiding indexes and ETFs in downtrends.

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.

• THIR Picks which index, not just whether to be invested: a weekly signal rates the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq 100, and equal-weights whichever ones read risk-on.sec.gov
• Defense is in the rules. If two of three signals turn risk-off, the index pairs the survivor with a 50% cash sleeve; in severe stretches it can sit fully in cash.sec.govbusinesswire.com
• What you own is legible: three plain index ETFs and cash, rebalanced weekly, rather than a black-box basket of single names.sec.gov

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.

• THIR Costs 0.69% (gross and net, no waiver). Cheaper trend options exist in the group: WAMA at 0.32%, ONOF at 0.39%, PTLC at 0.60%.
• All three indexes are US large-cap and overlap heavily, so an all-risk-on week looks a lot like plain large-cap beta.sec.gov
• Launched in 2024, so the live record is short, and weekly rebalancing can mean higher turnover than a buy-and-hold tracker.businesswire.com

Full PTLC profile⁠

Full THIR profile⁠