State Street SPDR MSCI USA Climate Paris Aligned ETF (NZUS) is a ETF from State Street Investment Management and Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) is a ETF from Vanguard (US). Over the past year NZUS returned +23.21% while VYM returned +26.12%. Year to date, NZUS is up 5.91% versus a gain of 15.80% for VYM.

Over three years, NZUS compounded at +20.81% per year against +18.25% for VYM. Across the full 4-year window we track, NZUS has the edge at +14.42% annualized vs +7.07%. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

NZUS has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 16.8% compared with 14.6% for VYM. Lower volatility generally means a smoother ride, though it often comes with lower long-run returns.

The deepest peak-to-trough decline in our data was -21.0% for NZUS and -58.8% for VYM. Drawdown depth is worth weighing if you expect to sell during market stress rather than ride it out.

The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.76. They usually move together, but the gap leaves some room for diversification.

NZUS charges 0.10% per year while VYM charges 0.04%. On a $10,000 position that is $10 vs $4 annually, a gap of $6 per year that compounds over a long holding period. On income, NZUS currently yields 0.88% against 2.86% for VYM.