SPXS is a leveraged ETF that seeks to deliver three times the inverse daily performance of the S&P 500 Index.
It is a tactical trading instrument designed to provide aggressive, short-term inverse exposure to the broader U.S. stock market.
Updated: February 19, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on the provided analysis, SPXS is not recommended for purchase as a long-term investment.
SPXS is an inverse, leveraged ETF designed for short-term tactical bets against the S&P 500. Its structure causes it to consistently lose value in a rising or even sideways market due to volatility decay, as evidenced by its massive 65.85% maximum drawdown. While it may be approaching oversold levels, this does not indicate a fundamental buying opportunity but rather reflects its inherent design to decline during bullish periods.
This product is a sophisticated trading instrument, not an investment, and is suitable only for experienced traders seeking to hedge or speculate over a very short timeframe (intraday). For the vast majority of investors seeking long-term capital appreciation, the structural risks and performance erosion make SPXS a strongly contraindicated buy.
*This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on the comprehensive analysis provided, here is a 12-month outlook for SPXS:
The 12-month outlook for SPXS is fundamentally negative, as its primary catalyst—a significant and sustained bear market in the S&P 500—is unlikely to be maintained long enough to counteract its structural decay. The key risk remains its design; in any market that is flat, rising, or even volatile but trendless, the triple-leveraged daily rebalancing will cause severe volatility decay, eroding value relentlessly. While short-term spikes may occur on market downturns, the structural performance erosion makes setting a target price impractical, and the overwhelming probability is for significant losses over a full year, aligning with the analysis that it is strongly contraindicated for any long-term holding.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3x Shares's 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $35.37, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, SPXS has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
SPXS demonstrates significant underperformance, reflecting its inverse leveraged nature during a rising market environment characterized by substantial volatility.
While the fund has declined 2.59% over one month and 4.84% over three months, it has underperformed the broader market by 6.69% due to its negative beta, which typically generates losses during market advances. This performance pattern aligns with expectations for this inverse leveraged ETF during bullish periods.
Currently priced at $35.37, SPXS sits near its 52-week low of $33.29, representing just 33% of its 52-week range and approaching oversold territory. The 65.85% maximum drawdown highlights the substantial risk inherent in this inverse leveraged product.
| Period | SPXS Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | -2.6% | +1.0% |
| 3m | -4.8% | +1.9% |
| 6m | -16.4% | +6.5% |
| 1y | -37.1% | +12.1% |
| ytd | +0.1% | +0.2% |
Based on the information provided, a fundamental analysis of SPXS cannot be conducted. "No data available" for both the recent quarterly report and financial ratios indicates a complete absence of the requisite financial statement information.
Without revenue, profitability, debt, or cash flow figures, an assessment of the company's financial health is impossible. Similarly, the lack of data for metrics like Return on Equity (ROE) or asset turnover prevents any evaluation of operational efficiency or overall financial stability.
A fundamental analysis requires audited financial statements to be meaningful. It is recommended to consult the company's official SEC filings or investor relations website to obtain the necessary data for a proper evaluation.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardValuation Level: As a leveraged inverse ETF designed to move opposite the S&P 500, SPXS does not have intrinsic valuation metrics like a P/E ratio. Its value is derived from its underlying short positions and daily reset mechanism, making traditional equity valuation measures inherently inapplicable. The fund's "valuation" is therefore more a function of its tracking efficiency and the cost of leverage (expense ratio) relative to its stated objective.
Peer Comparison: Inverse and leveraged ETFs form a unique category where standard industry comparisons are not meaningful. The primary comparison for SPXS would be against its own benchmark performance and competing inverse/leveraged products, focusing on metrics like tracking error, expense ratios, and liquidity rather than traditional valuation multiples. Without comparable peers that operate as standard businesses, a conventional peer analysis cannot be conducted.
Volatility risk is exceptionally high, as indicated by the deeply negative beta of -2.79, which means the fund is designed to move approximately 2.8 times in the opposite direction of its underlying index. This inverse-leveraged strategy is further evidenced by the extreme one-year maximum drawdown of -65.85%, highlighting the potential for severe capital erosion during sustained market rallies, making it unsuitable for long-term holding.
Given that this is a leveraged ETF, significant structural risks exist beyond volatility. The absence of short interest is largely irrelevant for an ETF of this nature, as its primary risk stems from daily rebalancing and the compounding effects of volatility decay over time. Liquidity is typically managed by authorized participants, but the fund's complex structure and leveraged objectives inherently carry a high risk of deviating from its stated investment goal, especially in volatile markets.
Bearish. SPXS is an inverse leveraged ETF that suffers significant losses during market rallies, as evidenced by its deep negative returns and 65% drawdown while the S&P 500 has advanced. Its value depends entirely on a sustained market downturn, and it faces structural decay from daily rebalancing. This product is only suitable for highly sophisticated, short-term traders seeking to bet aggressively on an immediate market decline.
Based on the unique nature of this security, SPXS cannot be valued using traditional metrics and the over/undervalued framework is not applicable. As a leveraged inverse ETF, it has no intrinsic business fundamentals like earnings or sales, rendering standard valuation ratios (P/E, P/B, P/S) meaningless. Its "value" is a derivative of its daily price movement relative to the S&P 500 and is primarily assessed on tracking accuracy and costs like its expense ratio, not on growth or profitability expectations.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding the leveraged ETF SPXS:
1. Structural and Compounding Risk: The fund's daily rebalancing and the mathematical effects of volatility decay cause significant erosion of value over time, especially in volatile or trending markets, making it fundamentally unsuitable for holding periods longer than a single day. 2. Directional Market Risk: The fund is designed to deliver -3x the daily return of its underlying index, meaning it will generate substantial losses during any sustained market advance, as evidenced by its -65.85% maximum drawdown. 3. Extreme Volatility Risk: The deeply negative beta of -2.79 indicates the fund is engineered for extreme price swings, approximately 2.8 times the opposite move of the index, leading to high potential for rapid and severe capital loss.
As a leveraged inverse ETF tracking the S&P 500, SPXS is designed to deliver -3x the *daily* return of its index and is structurally unsuitable for long-term holding. A forecast to 2026 is exceptionally challenging due to the extreme effects of volatility decay; over a multi-year period, even a flat or choppy market would lead to significant erosion of value. A base case projection expects the fund's price to be substantially lower than its current level, while a bull case for the *fund* (a severe, sustained bear market) is a low-probability scenario that would still be subject to immense volatility. The primary drivers are the performance of the S&P 500 and the mathematical decay inherent to its daily reset mechanism, making any long-term price target highly speculative and unreliable.