Is GSUS a good ETF?
GSUS is the Candriam Sustainable Global Equity Fund - Active ETF. We classify it under Intl, ESG, and Active. With about $201 million in assets it is a solidly established fund.
On a total-return basis, GSUS has delivered 13.03% a year over 10 years (ranked 20th of 108 ETFs we track), 11.71% a year over 5 years (ranked 33rd of 188 ETFs we track), 16.91% a year over 3 years (ranked 47th of 226 ETFs we track), and 11.97% a year over 1 year (ranked 101st of 308 ETFs we track). Its strongest showing is over 5 years, where it sits in the top 18% of all ETFs we track.
The management fee of 0.55% is on the higher side. If cost is your priority, IWLD (0.15%) cover similar ground for less. It pays a moderate 3.26% yield.
Over the past 10 years its volatility has been moderate (annualised standard deviation around 11.15%), meaning the kind of swings you'd expect from a diversified equity fund. Its 10-year Sharpe ratio of 0.96 is reasonable — that's the return it has earned per unit of risk taken (higher is better).
Strengths
- Top-18% returns over 5 years (33rd of 188 ETFs we track).
Things to watch
- Cheaper alternatives exist: IWLD.
What GSUS's categories mean for you
How each category this ETF belongs to tends to behave across market cycles.
Global and international shares from outside Australia — broadening you into thousands of companies and the sectors (tech, healthcare) the local market lacks.
- Market regime
- Essential diversification away from the bank-and-resources-heavy ASX. Unhedged versions carry currency risk; hedged versions remove it at a small cost.
- In a portfolio
- A core holding for almost every long-term Australian portfolio.
Screens out, or tilts away from, companies on environmental, social and governance criteria — letting you align your money with your values.
- Market regime
- Performance broadly tracks the wider market, but can drift when excluded sectors (e.g. energy, mining, weapons, tobacco) have a strong or weak run. Fees are usually a touch higher.
- In a portfolio
- Suitable as a core or near-core holding for values-driven investors; just understand which sectors are excluded and why returns may diverge from the broad index.
Actively managed: a portfolio manager hand-picks holdings trying to beat the index, rather than simply tracking it. You pay more in fees for the chance of outperformance.
- Market regime
- Can add value in volatile, falling or inefficient markets where stock-picking and downside protection matter. In long, broad bull markets most active funds struggle to keep up with the cheap index after fees.
- In a portfolio
- Only worth holding if you have genuine conviction in the strategy — decades of evidence show the majority of active funds underperform their benchmark over 10+ years once fees are counted.
General information only, generated from the fund's published data — not personal financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Consider your own circumstances or seek licensed advice before investing.