- ISIN
- US33739Q5071
- CUSIP
- 33739Q507
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Nov 4, 2015
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $123M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FCVT Performance Chart
First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF (FCVT) is up 27.7% since the beginning of the year. FCVT is currently trading at $55 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FCVT shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,428.
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Returns By Period
First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF (FCVT) has returned 27.67% so far this year and 47.62% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FCVT has returned 12.32% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF
- 1D
- 0.44%
- 1M
- 5.40%
- YTD
- 27.67%
- 6M
- 25.00%
- 1Y
- 47.62%
- 3Y*
- 21.58%
- 5Y*
- 7.39%
- 10Y*
- 12.32%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
FCVT Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 4, 2015, FCVT's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +1.01%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 5.7 years.
Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +13.3%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -12.5%. The longest winning streak lasted 7 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.
On a daily basis, FCVT closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Apr 20, 2016 with a return of +20.4%, while the worst single day was Apr 21, 2016 at -17.0%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.21% | 0.38% | -3.42% | 12.13% | 7.61% | 2.77% | 27.67% | ||||||
| 2025 | 2.89% | -3.01% | -4.26% | 1.35% | 4.69% | 5.58% | 2.50% | 1.89% | 5.97% | 3.88% | -1.95% | -0.88% | 19.60% |
| 2024 | -1.71% | 1.62% | 2.77% | -3.14% | 2.18% | 0.77% | 0.62% | 2.62% | 2.41% | 0.08% | 8.16% | -4.49% | 11.92% |
| 2023 | 3.41% | -1.92% | -0.34% | -1.79% | -0.35% | 4.98% | 2.33% | -3.56% | -3.24% | -5.09% | 7.23% | 6.14% | 7.12% |
| 2022 | -7.84% | 0.16% | 2.56% | -8.13% | -3.46% | -6.98% | 5.29% | 0.62% | -6.41% | 3.04% | 2.33% | -3.10% | -20.88% |
| 2021 | 2.71% | 4.64% | -4.36% | 2.79% | -2.34% | 2.62% | -1.32% | 2.11% | -1.99% | 2.86% | -3.25% | 0.16% | 4.23% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF has an annualized alpha of 4.63%, beta of 0.60, and R2 of 0.39 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 04, 2015.
- This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (74.54%) than losses (71.07%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- Beta of 0.60 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.39 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
- R2 of 0.39 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior - treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 4.63%
- Beta
- 0.60
- R²
- 0.39
- Upside Capture
- 74.54%
- Downside Capture
- 71.07%
Expense Ratio
FCVT has a high expense ratio of 0.95%, indicating above-average management fees.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FCVT ranks 87 for risk / return — in the top 87% of ETFs on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF (FCVT) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| FCVT | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.78 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +0.75 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.47 | 1.37 | +0.10 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 5.65 | 2.78 | +2.86 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 19.99 | 12.44 | +7.55 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF provided a 1.17% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.64 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.64 | $0.85 | $0.48 | $0.59 | $1.18 | $9.56 | $0.84 | $0.53 | $0.51 | $0.63 | $0.49 | $0.15 |
Dividend yield | 1.17% | 1.98% | 1.30% | 1.76% | 3.71% | 23.07% | 1.72% | 1.60% | 1.85% | 2.18% | 1.88% | 0.59% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.23 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.85 |
| 2024 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.48 |
| 2023 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.15 | $0.59 |
| 2022 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $1.18 |
| 2021 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.10 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $8.84 | $9.56 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF was 31.79%, occurring on Oct 27, 2023. Recovery took 468 trading sessions.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 bear market2023 | -31.79%Oct 2023 | 2y 8mo | 1y 10mo | 4y 6moFeb 2021 - Sep 2025 |
COVID crash2020 | -29.90%Mar 2020 | 1mo 2d | 2mo 17d | 3mo 19dFeb 2020 - Jun 2020 |
2016 bear market2016 | -20.09%May 2016 | 13d | 1y 5mo | 1y 5moApr 2016 - Oct 2017 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -14.24%Dec 2018 | 3mo 20d | 2mo 27d | 6mo 17dSep 2018 - Mar 2019 |
2016 correction2016 | -12.96%Feb 2016 | 2mo 24d | 2mo 8d | 5mo 2dNov 2015 - Apr 2016 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FCVT | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -31.79% | -56.78% | +24.99% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -8.47% | -9.10% | +0.63% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -15.06% | -18.90% | +3.84% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -30.43% | -25.43% | -5.00% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -31.79% | -33.92% | +2.13% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | 0.00% | -1.80% | +1.80% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -10.33% | -10.71% | +0.38% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.39% | 2.03% | +0.36% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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