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41 Best Inverse ETFs (Short ETFs / Bear ETFs)

Blain Reinkensmeyer

Written by Blain Reinkensmeyer
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis

March 13, 2024

When you invest in the stock market, you can bet on both sides of the market using an online broker account. Inverse ETFs (exchange traded funds) are an easy way to place bearish bets without physically shorting shares of stock.

Bottom line, the following ETFs go up in value as the underlying benchmark index they track goes down. See also: List of Long ETFs (Bullish ETFs).

Inverse / Short S&P 500 ETFs (1x, 2x, 3x)

ETF NAME TICKER LEVERAGE BENCHMARK INDEX
Short S&P 500 SH 1x S&P 500
Short Mid Cap 400 MYY 1x S&P Mid Cap 400
Short Small Cap 600 SBB 1x S&P Small Cap 600
UltraShort S&P 500 SDS 2x S&P 500
UltraShort Mid Cap 400 MZZ 2x S&P Mid Cap 400
UltraShort Small Cap 600 SDD 2x S&P Small Cap 600
UltraPro Short S&P 500 SPXU 3x S&P 500
Direxion S&P 500 Bear 3x SPXS 3x S&P 500 Index
Direxion Mid Cap Bear 3x MIDZ 3x S&P Mid Cap 400 Index
UltraPro Short Mid Cap 400 SMDD 3x S&P Mid Cap 400

Inverse / Short NASDAQ ETFs (1x, 2x, 3x)

ETF NAME TICKER LEVERAGE BENCHMARK INDEX
Short QQQ PSQ 1x Nasdaq 100
UltraShort QQQ QID 2x Nasdaq 100
UltraPro Short QQQ SQQQ 3x Nasdaq 100

Inverse / Short Russell 2000 ETFs (1x, 2x, 3x)

ETF NAME TICKER LEVERAGE BENCHMARK INDEX
Short Russell 2000 RWM 1x Russell 2000
UltraShort Russell 2000 TWM 2x Russell 2000
UltraPro Short Russell 2000 SRTY 3x Russell 2000
Direxion Small Cap Bear 3x TZA 3x Russell 2000
UltraShort Russell 1000 Value SJF 2x Russell 1000 Value
Direxion Financial Bear 3x FAZ 3x Russell 1000 Financial Services
UltraShort Russell 1000 Growth SFK 2x Russell 1000 Growth
UltraShort Russell Mid Cap Value SJL 2x Russell Mid Cap Value
UltraShort Russell Mid Cap Growth SDK 2x Russell Mid Cap Growth
UltraShort Russell 2000 Value SJH 2x Russell 2000 Value
UltraShort Russell 2000 Growth SKK 2x Russell 2000 Growth

Inverse / Short Dow Jones ETFs (1x, 2x, 3x)

ETF NAME TICKER LEVERAGE BENCHMARK INDEX
Short Dow 30 DOG 1x Dow Jones Industrial Average
UltraShort Dow 30 DXD 2x Dow Jones Industrial Average
UltraPro Short Dow 30 SDOW 3x Dow Jones Industrial Average
UltraShort Basic Materials SMN 2x Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials
UltraShort Consumer Goods SZK 2x Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Goods
UltraShort Consumer Services SCC 2x Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Services
UltraShort Financials SKF 2x Dow Jones U.S. Financials
UltraShort Health Care RXD 2x Dow Jones U.S. Health Care
UltraShort Industrials SIJ 2x Dow Jones U.S. Industrials
UltraShort Real Estate SRS 2x Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate
UltraShort Semiconductors SSG 2x Dow Jones U.S. Semiconductors
UltraShort Oil & Gas DUG 2x Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas
UltraShort Technology REW 2x Dow Jones U.S. Technology
UltraShort Utilities SDP 2x Dow Jones U.S. Utilities

Inverse / Short Emerging Markets ETFs (1x, 2x, 3x)

ETF NAME TICKER LEVERAGE BENCHMARK INDEX
Short MSCI Emerging Markets EUM 1x MSCI Emerging Markets Index
UltraShort MSCI Emerging Markets EEV 2x MSCI Emerging Markets Index
Direxion Emerging Markets Bear 3x EDZ 3x MSCI Emerging Markets Index

Trading and researching ETFs

To compare online brokers for trading ETFs, read our online broker guide and use the StockBrokers.com comparison tool. I recommend Fidelity which has the best ETF research tools (ETF screeners, charting, third-party reports, etc) and overall experience for ETFs.

» Want to know more? Read our quick takes on ETFs and mutual funds.

Know what's in your ETF and how the ETF is calculated

One of the Fast Money guys mentioned the UltraShort Oil & Gas ProShares ETF (DUG) on a recent show. He questioned how that ETF, which is the double inverse of oil & gas could be up for the day while oil was also up. A quick look at what DUG actually is gives the answer:

UltraShort Oil & Gas ProShares seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to twice (200%) the inverse (opposite) of the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas IndexSM

That "daily" part adds one complication to the picture. From the article "Understanding ProShares' Long-Term Performance" on ProShares' site:

ProShares are designed to provide either 200%, -200% or -100% of index performance on a daily basis (before fees and expenses).
A common misconception is that ProShares should also provide 200%, -200% or -100% of index performance over longer periods, such as a week, month or year. However, ProShares' returns may be greater than or less than what you'd expect over longer periods.

The article goes on to explain how & why this happens. But the question about how DUG could be up while the price of oil was also up is answered by looking at what comprises DUG -- the Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Index. That index "measures the performance of the energy sector of the U.S. equity market. Component companies include oil drilling equipment and services, coal, oil companies-major, oil companies-secondary, pipelines, liquid, solid or gaseous fossil fuel producers and service companies."

Note that the actual price of oil is not mentioned. When you look at how that index is constructed you'll see that ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) makes up 28%, Chevron Corp. is 11% and ConocoPhillips is 7%. So at least 46% of the index is big oil companies (major integrated oil & gas). Then the question is how does the price of oil relate to movements in those oil companies? Or more broadly, how do ETFs compare against the underlying over longer periods of time?

Below we've plotted oil ($WTIC) vs. the ETF tracking oil (USO) over 2008 - 2018.

Chart of Oil ($WTIC) vs. the ETF Tracking Oil (USO) from 2008 - 2018

This shows that the price of oil has seriously outperformed the ETF, USO. Bottom line, be careful with which ETFs you are holding long. For more on this topic, ETFDB has a good post, 7 Risks of Trading Leveraged ETFs and How to Avoid Them.

What is an inverse ETF?

An inverse exchange-traded fund, or inverse ETF, moves in the opposite direction of a specified investment or index. Investors who cannot short securities because of account restrictions, liquidity, or inability to find stock to short can still take a bearish position by buying an inverse ETF.

How does an inverse ETF work?

Inverse ETFs are managed to generate the exact opposite return of a specific investment or index for a specified period, typically a day. For example, the expected one-day return of a portfolio invested 50% into an S&P 500 index fund and 50% into an inverse S&P 500 index fund should be zero.

What is an inverse ETF for Dow Jones?

ProShares offers three ETFs that are managed to provide returns that perform in the opposite direction of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The ProShares Short Dow 30 (DOG) targets unlevered inverse daily returns, while the ProShares UltraShort Dow 30 (DXD) is managed to generate two times the inverse daily returns, and the ProShares UltraPro Short (SDOW) seeks to return three times the inverse daily returns of the Dow Jones Index.

Are short ETFs safe?

Short ETFs, otherwise known as inverse ETFs, use complicated financial derivatives to achieve their investment objectives. They are best suited for sophisticated traders or long-term investors seeking to temporarily hedge long-term positions. Derivative users (both managers and investors) have occasionally made errors that led to catastrophic losses.

Can you short a 3X leveraged ETF?

You may be able to short a 3X leveraged ETF if you can borrow the shares, but the real question is why you would want to. It is likely easier to buy another ETF that accomplishes the same purpose. Though you may be able to make occasional short-term arbitrage profits, they will be slim and difficult to capture consistently unless you have institutional-quality IT infrastructure.

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About the Editorial Team

Blain Reinkensmeyer
Blain Reinkensmeyer

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

Carolyn Kimball
Carolyn Kimball

Carolyn Kimball is Managing Editor for Reink Media Group and the lead editor for content on investor.com. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.

Steven Hatzakis
Steven Hatzakis

Steven Hatzakis has led research at Reink Media Group since 2016 and brings over 20 years of experience with the online brokerage industry. Steven has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally regulated brokerages and holds a Series III license in the US as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).

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