First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF (FICS)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF (FICS) has returned -2.19% so far this year and 8.73% over the past 12 months.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Dec 16, 2020, FICS's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.63%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 9.2 years.

Historically, 59% of months were positive and 41% were negative. The best month was Nov 2022 with a return of +10.1%, while the worst month was Jan 2022 at -8.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 6 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 3 months.

On a daily basis, FICS closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Apr 9, 2025 with a return of +5.8%, while the worst single day was May 2, 2022 at -7.8%.

First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF has an annualized alpha of 0.59%, beta of 0.60, and R² of 0.36 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since December 17, 2020.

• This ETF participated in 81.37% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 66.22% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
• Beta of 0.60 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.36 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 0.36 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior — treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.

FICS has an expense ratio of 0.70%, placing it in the medium range.

FICS ranks 29 for risk / return — below 29% of ETFs on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF (FICS) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF provided a 2.02% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.79 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust International Developed Capital Strength 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 International Developed Capital Strength ETF was 29.16%, occurring on Sep 27, 2022. Recovery took 425 trading sessions.

The current First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF drawdown is 7.64%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.