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Etf · Trading days

iShares Tech Software Sector (IGV)

Concentrated bet on U.S. enterprise and consumer software.

Gale Finance Team
Written by Gale Finance Team
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder
Quick Answer

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's risk, return, and volatility like?

iShares Tech Software Sector returned -1.7% over the 1Y window. On the Since inception lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.15, annualized volatility is 28.2%, and max drawdown is -36.6%.

Total Return
1Y -1.7%
Since inception +4.7%
Sharpe Ratio
1Y -0.10
Since inception 0.15
Annualized Volatility
1Y 25.7%
Since inception 28.2%
Max Drawdown
1Y -36.6%
Since inception -36.6%

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Price history

iShares Tech Software Sector price since inception

Track iShares Tech Software Sector's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.

iShares Tech Software Sector price since inception

IGV
Latest close $85.08 Data through 2026-04-17
Since inception low $74.67 Window low
Since inception high $117.79 Window high

Key takeaways

  • Total Return: IGV returned -1.7% over the 1Y window and +4.7% over the Since inception window ; annualized return over Since inception was +4.6%.
  • Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.15 and Sortino was 0.22 over Since inception. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
  • Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 25.7% over 1Y and 28.2% over Since inception ; max drawdown was -36.6% over 1Y and -36.6% over Since inception .
  • Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over Since inception, daily VaR (5%) was -3.0% and Expected Shortfall was -3.9%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
  • Skew & kurtosis: Over Since inception, skew was 0.63 and excess kurtosis was 5.86. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
  • Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.22 , Calmar Ratio: 0.13 , Sterling Ratio: 0.01 , Treynor Ratio: 0.04 , Ulcer Index: 14.92% .

iShares Tech Software Sector Drawdown

IGV 1Y Max Drawdown
-36.6%
2025-09-22 to 2026-04-10
IGV Since inception Max Drawdown
-36.6%
2025-09-22 to 2026-04-10

Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline iShares Tech Software Sector suffered in each research window. 1Y: -36.6%; Since inception: -36.6%.

iShares Tech Software Sector is currently -27.8% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $117.79. Since inception low is $74.67.

IGV underwater plot (Since inception). Zero means at a prior peak; dips show how far below peak the close was on each day. Deepest trough: -36.6% on Apr 10, 2026.
-36.6% 2025-04-07 2026-04-17 0% -37%

Since inception drawdown episodes

#1
-36.6% Sep 22, 2025 to Apr 10, 2026
Not yet recovered 207 total days
#2
-6.2% Apr 9, 2025 to Apr 21, 2025
Recovered Apr 24, 2025 15 total days
#3
-6.2% Jul 29, 2025 to Aug 21, 2025
Recovered Sep 17, 2025 50 total days

iShares Tech Software Sector Volatility

IGV 1Y Volatility
25.7%
Annualized daily closes
IGV Since inception Volatility
28.2%
Annualized daily closes

Volatility iShares Tech Software Sector's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and Since inception. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 25.7%; Since inception: 28.2%.

Benchmark context

Where IGV fits relative to other lenses

Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.

Default benchmark

Nasdaq 100

QQQ

Growth and tech benchmark

1Y return
+50.3%
IGV minus QQQ
-48.9%
Correlation
0.74
1Y
IGV vs QQQ average correlation
Tightly linked
0.74
SPY

S&P 500

Corr 0.70

Broad equity benchmark

1Y return +39.4%
IGV minus SPY -38.0%
MSFT

Microsoft

Corr 0.54

Direct equity benchmark

1Y return +18.4%
IGV minus MSFT -17.0%
GOOG

Google

Corr 0.31

Direct equity benchmark

1Y return +127.1%
IGV minus GOOG -125.7%

Risk-adjusted ratios

These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.

iShares Tech Software Sector Sharpe Ratio

IGV 1Y Sharpe ratio
-0.10
Recent window
IGV Since inception Sharpe ratio
0.15
Deeper research window

IGV Sharpe Ratio (Since inception)

Return per total volatility

The dot sits at (iShares Tech Software Sector's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.

Higher is better
Excess return Annualized volatility 0 50% vol 28.2% · excess +4.2%
excess annualized return / total volatility
Formula Sharpe=E[R]RfσR\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio iShares Tech Software Sector's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: -0.10; Since inception: 0.15.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

iShares Tech Software Sector Sortino Ratio

IGV 1Y Sortino ratio
-0.14
Recent window
IGV Since inception Sortino ratio
0.22
Deeper research window

IGV Sortino Ratio (Since inception)

Return per downside volatility

iShares Tech Software Sector's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.

Higher is better
Frequency (days) Daily return (%) target -5.6% +12.3% 39 0
excess annualized return / downside volatility
Formula Sortino=E[R]Rfσdown\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio iShares Tech Software Sector's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: -0.14; Since inception: 0.22.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

iShares Tech Software Sector Calmar Ratio

IGV 1Y Calmar ratio
-0.05
Recent window
IGV Since inception Calmar ratio
0.13
Deeper research window

IGV Calmar Ratio (Since inception)

CAGR per worst drawdown

iShares Tech Software Sector's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.

Higher is better
0% IGV Since inception +4.6% -36.6%
CAGR / max drawdown
Formula Calmar=CAGRMaxDD\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio iShares Tech Software Sector's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: -0.05; Since inception: 0.13.

Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.

iShares Tech Software Sector Sterling Ratio

IGV 1Y Sterling ratio
-0.16
Recent window
IGV Since inception Sterling ratio
0.01
Deeper research window

IGV Sterling Ratio (Since inception)

Return per average drawdown

The underwater curve shows iShares Tech Software Sector's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.

Higher is better
0% -10% -19% -29% -38% 10% drawdown threshold
excess CAGR / average deep drawdown
Formula Sterling=CAGRRfD>10%\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio iShares Tech Software Sector's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: -0.16; Since inception: 0.01.

Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.

iShares Tech Software Sector Ulcer Index

IGV 1Y Ulcer Index
15.15
Recent window
IGV Since inception Ulcer Index
14.92
Deeper research window

IGV Ulcer Index (Since inception)

Drawdown pain

The underwater curve shows how deep and how long iShares Tech Software Sector's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.

Lower is better
0% -10% -19% -29% -38%
root-mean-square drawdown
Formula UI=E[Dt2]\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index iShares Tech Software Sector's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 15.15; Since inception: 14.92.

Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.

iShares Tech Software Sector Treynor Ratio

IGV 1Y Treynor
-0.02
Beta 1.28 vs SPY
IGV Since inception Treynor
0.04
Beta 1.17 vs SPY

IGV Treynor Ratio (Since inception)

Excess return per beta vs SPY

The line's slope is iShares Tech Software Sector's beta to SPY — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.

Higher is better
Asset return Market return 0 0 β 1.17
excess return / market beta
Formula Treynor=E[R]Rfβ\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus SPY. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.

Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.

iShares Tech Software Sector Tail Risk

Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.

The histogram shows the shape of iShares Tech Software Sector's daily log returns over the Since inception window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.

IGV daily return distribution (Since inception)

IGV daily return distribution (Since inception)

Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.

Days
IGV Since inception VaR 5% ES 5% -12.6% 0% +12.6% Daily log return
worst-5% daily return and the average loss inside it
Formula VaR5%=Q0.05(R),ES5%=E[RRVaR5%]\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%} = Q_{0.05}(R),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%} = \mathbb{E}[R \mid R \le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]
Metric 1YSince inception
VaR (5%) -2.8% Historical daily threshold -3.0% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%) -3.9% Beyond the VaR threshold -3.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew -0.33 0.63
Excess kurtosis 1.11 5.86

Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.

Full stats table

Every window-consistent research metric

Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.

Metric
1Y Recent window
Since inception Deeper research window
Total return
-1.7%
+4.7%
Annualized return
-1.7%
+4.6%
Volatility
25.7% Annualized daily closes
28.2% Annualized daily closes
Sharpe ratio
-0.10
0.15
Sortino ratio
-0.14
0.22
Calmar ratio
-0.05
0.13
Sterling ratio
-0.16
0.01
Ulcer Index
15.15
14.92
Max drawdown
-36.6% 2025-09-22 to 2026-04-10
-36.6% 2025-09-22 to 2026-04-10
VaR (5%)
-2.8% Historical daily threshold
-3.0% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%)
-3.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
-3.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew
-0.33
0.63
Excess kurtosis
1.11
5.86

What viewers usually ask next

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's Since inception CAGR?

iShares Tech Software Sector's since inception cagr is +4.6% on Gale using the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's 1-year volatility?

Annualized volatility is 25.7% over the past year.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Sharpe ratio?

iShares Tech Software Sector's Sharpe ratio is 0.15 using the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Sortino ratio?

iShares Tech Software Sector's Sortino ratio is 0.22 using the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Calmar ratio?

iShares Tech Software Sector's Calmar ratio is 0.13 using the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Sterling ratio?

iShares Tech Software Sector's Sterling ratio is 0.01 using the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Ulcer Index?

iShares Tech Software Sector's Ulcer Index is 14.92 using the since-inception window. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception max drawdown?

Max drawdown is -36.6% over the since-inception window from 2025-09-22 to 2026-04-10.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception daily Value at Risk?

Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -2.95% over the since-inception window.

What is iShares Tech Software Sector's since-inception Expected Shortfall?

Expected Shortfall is -3.90% over the since-inception window, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.

Is iShares Tech Software Sector still below its all-time high?

Current drawdown is -27.8% versus the all-time high of $117.79 reached on 2025-09-22.

Which benchmark should viewers open first for iShares Tech Software Sector?

Nasdaq 100 is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for iShares Tech Software Sector's recent behavior.