Pacer US Export Leaders ETF (PEXL) Performance
PEXL total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +14.4% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +17.9% total return
- 5 years
- +10.3% a year
- Since first price
- +13.7% a year since 2018
PEXL trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | PEXL total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −5.5% | −5.5% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | −1.5% | −1.6% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +5.5% | +5.4% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +14.4% | +14.2% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +17.9% | +17.5% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +78.3%+21.3%/yr | +76.2% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +63.4%+10.3%/yr | +59.7% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJul 24, 2018 | +187.5%+13.7%/yr | +176.4% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: PEXL vs SPY
From Jul 24, 2018: PEXL grew to $28,747, SPY to $30,556.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
PEXL returns by calendar year
6 of 7 full years positive. Best 2019 (+39.9%), worst 2022 (−20.4%). 2026 is year to date.
PEXL annual returns table
| Year | PEXL | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +14.4% | −11.4% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +27.3% | −24.7% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +5.8% | −11.1% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +24.4% | −14.7% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −20.4% | −30.1% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +30.1% | −6.8% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +25.0% | −36.8% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +39.9% | −12.6% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
PEXL largest drawdowns
Now 8.1% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2020 | −36.8% | Mar 23, 2020 | Aug 3, 2020 | 2 months | 7 months |
| Dec 29, 2021 | −30.4% | Oct 14, 2022 | Feb 8, 2024 | 9 months | 2.1 years |
| Jan 23, 2025 | −24.7% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jun 26, 2025 | 2 months | 5 months |
| Sep 20, 2018 | −23.4% | Dec 24, 2018 | Apr 3, 2019 | 3 months | 6 months |
| Apr 24, 2019 | −12.6% | May 31, 2019 | Jul 23, 2019 | 37 days | 3 months |
| Jan 29, 2026 | −11.4% | Mar 30, 2026 | Apr 14, 2026 | 2 months | 2 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
PEXL risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +21.5% | +12.8% | +14.6% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 17.7% | 21.1% | 21.9% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.95 | 0.51 | 0.62 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.70 | 0.79 | 0.96 |
| Best month | +14.6% | +14.6% | +16.0% |
| Worst month | −7.0% | −11.8% | −13.4% |
| Best 12 months | +53.7% | +53.7% | +79.3% |
| Worst 12 months | −7.5% | −20.8% | −20.8% |
| Positive months | 72% | 63% | 66% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.26 | 1.25 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.88 | 0.93 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
PEXL rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 88 | −20.8% | +17.0% | +79.3% | 80% |
| 3-year (a year) | 64 | +1.6% | +14.5% | +31.5% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 40 | +9.2% | +13.2% | +17.6% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2018. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
PEXL performance overview
Pacer US Export Leaders ETF (PEXL) returned +17.9% over the past year and +10.3% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2018 it has returned +13.7% a year, turning $10,000 into about $28,747. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −36.8%, from Jan 17, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 4 months to get back to the old high. PEXL finished 6 of its 7 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2019 (+39.9%) and the worst 2022 (−20.4%). Volatility has been 21.9% a year.
Related: PEXL chart, PEXL holdings, PEXL dividends, PEXL valuation. See the PEXL overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
PEXL performance FAQ
What is the PEXL return over the past year?
PEXL returned +17.9% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 17.5%.
What is the average annual return of PEXL?
PEXL has returned +10.3% a year over 5 years, +13.7% a year since July 24, 2018 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in PEXL be worth?
$10,000 invested in PEXL at its first recorded close on July 24, 2018 would be worth about $28,747 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for PEXL?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −20.4%. The best was 2019 at +39.9%.
What is the biggest drawdown of PEXL?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −36.8% between January 17, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on August 3, 2020, 4 months after the bottom.
How volatile is PEXL?
Over the past 3 years PEXL had an annualized volatility of 17.7% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.95 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).