First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) Alternatives

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) belongs to the Emerging Markets Equities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with FEMS. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or funds that fit a different role in your portfolio.

Cheapest Alternatives to FEMS

FEMS charges 0.80% annually. Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among FEMS alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
VEXC	Vanguard Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF	0.07%	Sep 30, 2025	FEMS vs VEXC
VWO	Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF	0.08%	Mar 4, 2005	FEMS vs VWO
SCHE	Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF	0.11%	Jan 14, 2010	FEMS vs SCHE
SPEM	SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF	0.11%	Mar 19, 2007	FEMS vs SPEM
EMCR	Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Cl...	0.15%	Dec 6, 2018	FEMS vs EMCR

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to FEMS

Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities category, these options rank highest on PortfoliosLab's risk-adjusted score, which accounts for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency over a 1-year period.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	Inception
EMIF	iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF	95	Jun 16, 2009	FEMS vs EMIF
EMXC	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF	94	Jul 19, 2017	FEMS vs EMXC
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	93	May 2, 2019	FEMS vs ECOW
ROAM	Hartford Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF	93	Feb 26, 2015	FEMS vs ROAM
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	93	Mar 17, 2015	FEMS vs SDEM

Top Performing FEMS Alternatives (YTD)

FEMS alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
TUR	iShares MSCI Turkey ETF	12.29%	Mar 26, 2008	FEMS vs TUR
DVYE	iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	10.67%	Feb 23, 2012	FEMS vs DVYE
PIE	Invesco DWA Emerging Markets Momentum ETF	10.23%	Dec 28, 2007	FEMS vs PIE
FEM	First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	9.64%	Apr 18, 2011	FEMS vs FEM
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	9.29%	May 2, 2019	FEMS vs ECOW

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to FEMS

FEMS alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	11.95%	Jan 25, 2016	FEMS vs EMDV
QAT	iShares MSCI Qatar ETF	13.22%	Apr 29, 2014	FEMS vs QAT
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	13.77%	Feb 23, 2011	FEMS vs EDIV
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	14.07%	Jan 7, 2015	FEMS vs JPEM
DEM	WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund	15.04%	Jul 13, 2007	FEMS vs DEM

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to FEMS

FEMS alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	-7.48%	Jan 25, 2016	FEMS vs EMDV
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	-9.78%	Mar 17, 2015	FEMS vs SDEM
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	-10.32%	Jan 7, 2015	FEMS vs JPEM
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	-10.36%	Feb 23, 2011	FEMS vs EDIV
QEMM	SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets StrategicFactors ETF	-10.40%	Jun 4, 2014	FEMS vs QEMM

Other ETFs from First Trust

Most popular First Trust ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
CIBR	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	Technology Equities, Cybersecurity	12	-12.12%	Jul 7, 2015	FEMS vs CIBR
NFTY	First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	5	-11.19%	Feb 14, 2012	FEMS vs NFTY
GRID	First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastru...	Alternative Energy Equities	94	6.96%	Nov 17, 2009	FEMS vs GRID
FDL	First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fun...	Large Cap Value Equities, Dividend	79	15.49%	Mar 9, 2006	FEMS vs FDL
AIRR	First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ET...	Building & Construction	95	12.74%	Mar 10, 2014	FEMS vs AIRR
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	Precious Metals, Gold	84	5.99%	Mar 2, 2021	FEMS vs IGLD
TDIV	First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund	Technology Equities, Dividend	77	-2.96%	Aug 14, 2012	FEMS vs TDIV
KNG	FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target I...	Dividend, S&P 500	25	1.24%	Mar 26, 2018	FEMS vs KNG
ROBT	First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence & Robot...	Technology Equities, Robotics	28	-11.00%	Feb 21, 2018	FEMS vs ROBT
QCLN	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index F...	Alternative Energy Equities	87	4.23%	Feb 8, 2007	FEMS vs QCLN

Often Compared With FEMS

What investors most often compare with FEMS, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
EYLD	Cambria Emerging Shareholder Yield ETF	Emerging Markets Equities, Actively Managed	91	8.65%	Jul 14, 2016	FEMS vs EYLD
EWX	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Small Cap ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	68	0.71%	May 12, 2008	FEMS vs EWX
AVEE	Avantis Emerging Markets Small Cap Equity ETF	Emerging Markets Diversified	74	1.69%	Nov 7, 2023	FEMS vs AVEE
FNDF	Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Ind...	Foreign Large Cap Equities	95	8.23%	Aug 15, 2013	FEMS vs FNDF
EEMS	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF	Emerging Markets Diversified	83	2.52%	Aug 16, 2011	FEMS vs EEMS
SSO	ProShares Ultra S&P500	Leveraged Equities, S&P 500	51	-10.23%	Jun 19, 2006	FEMS vs SSO
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	65	-4.42%	Sep 7, 2010	FEMS vs VOO
AVEM	Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF	Foreign Large Cap Equities	90	4.70%	Sep 17, 2019	FEMS vs AVEM
PPA	Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF	Industrials Equities, Aerospace & Defense	92	5.82%	Oct 26, 2005	FEMS vs PPA
VWRA.L	Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF USD Accumulating	Global Equities	74	-4.20%	Jul 23, 2019	FEMS vs VWRA.L
DGS	WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Fund	Emerging Markets Diversified, Dividend	87	5.34%	Oct 30, 2007	FEMS vs DGS
BWX	SPDR Bloomberg Barclays International Treasury Bon...	International Government Bonds	21	-2.24%	Oct 2, 2007	FEMS vs BWX
AVDV	Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF	Foreign Small & Mid Cap Equities	96	6.39%	Sep 24, 2019	FEMS vs AVDV
FNDE	Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company ...	Emerging Markets Equities	85	6.10%	Aug 15, 2013	FEMS vs FNDE
SMMV	iShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Min Vol Factor ETF	Small Cap Growth Equities	33	1.14%	Sep 7, 2016	FEMS vs SMMV
VOT	Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF	Mid Cap Growth Equities	21	-7.62%	Aug 17, 2006	FEMS vs VOT
SCHG	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF	Large Cap Growth Equities	46	-10.59%	Dec 11, 2009	FEMS vs SCHG
XCEM	Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	92	6.39%	Sep 2, 2015	FEMS vs XCEM

Compare FEMS with Any Fund or Stock

Compare FEMS with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

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