- ISIN
- US33733B1008
- CUSIP
- 33733B100
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- May 8, 2007
- Region
- North America (United States)
- Category
- Water Equities
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- ISE Clean Edge Water Index
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Multi-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Blend
- Assets Under Management
- $2B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FIW Performance Chart
First Trust Water ETF (FIW) is down 3.0% since the beginning of the year. FIW is currently trading at $105 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FIW shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,315.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Water ETF (FIW) has returned -3.00% so far this year and -1.15% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FIW has returned 12.64% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.71% annually.
First Trust Water ETF
- 1D
- -0.33%
- 1M
- 2.90%
- YTD
- -3.00%
- 6M
- -4.67%
- 1Y
- -1.15%
- 3Y*
- 7.63%
- 5Y*
- 5.63%
- 10Y*
- 12.64%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -1.44%
- 1M
- -1.45%
- YTD
- 7.60%
- 6M
- 6.59%
- 1Y
- 22.24%
- 3Y*
- 19.20%
- 5Y*
- 11.54%
- 10Y*
- 13.71%
FIW Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since May 11, 2007, FIW's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +0.93%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.2 years.
Historically, 63% of months were positive and 37% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +15.0%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -22.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 9 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, FIW closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +10.0%, while the worst single day was Oct 15, 2008 at -11.6%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.77% | 1.06% | -9.31% | 3.94% | -3.22% | 1.40% | -3.00% | ||||||
| 2025 | 3.55% | -1.63% | -3.00% | 0.50% | 4.42% | 2.40% | 0.51% | 4.80% | -1.07% | -0.90% | 0.66% | -2.86% | 7.20% |
| 2024 | -3.19% | 6.72% | 4.33% | -2.94% | 3.81% | -2.62% | 7.08% | 0.51% | 1.74% | -3.98% | 5.10% | -7.27% | 8.38% |
| 2023 | 6.97% | -1.92% | 0.55% | -1.91% | -0.56% | 8.85% | 3.13% | -2.12% | -7.28% | -5.15% | 12.18% | 7.90% | 20.35% |
| 2022 | -12.37% | -2.70% | 4.39% | -8.97% | 0.04% | -5.97% | 12.86% | -3.54% | -8.25% | 11.02% | 4.69% | -4.71% | -15.70% |
| 2021 | -0.59% | 5.58% | 3.38% | 4.91% | 1.18% | 0.78% | 4.73% | 3.69% | -6.07% | 6.25% | -0.78% | 5.76% | 32.00% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Water ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.67%, beta of 1.00, and R2 of 0.76 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since May 11, 2007.
- This ETF captured 107.37% of S&P 500 Index gains and 102.28% of its losses - amplifying both gains and losses, but participating more in upside than downside.
- With beta of 1.00 and R2 of 0.76, this ETF moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index - much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.
- Alpha
- 1.67%
- Beta
- 1.00
- R²
- 0.76
- Upside Capture
- 107.37%
- Downside Capture
- 102.28%
Expense Ratio
FIW has an expense ratio of 0.50%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FIW ranks 8 for risk / return — in the bottom 8% of ETFs on our site. This means you're taking on significantly more risk than the returns justify. Consider whether the potential upside is worth the volatility, or explore alternatives with better risk / return profiles.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Water ETF (FIW) 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.
| FIW | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -1.85 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -2.43 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.00 | 1.32 | -0.32 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | -0.08 | 2.46 | -2.54 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | -0.20 | 10.92 | -11.12 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Water ETF provided a 0.78% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.82 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.82 | $0.75 | $0.71 | $0.65 | $0.53 | $0.35 | $0.40 | $0.33 | $0.32 | $0.55 | $0.20 | $0.23 |
Dividend yield | 0.78% | 0.69% | 0.69% | 0.68% | 0.67% | 0.37% | 0.56% | 0.55% | 0.73% | 1.13% | 0.51% | 0.76% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Water 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 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.23 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.17 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.23 | $0.75 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.08 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.27 | $0.71 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.08 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.14 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.65 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.09 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.18 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.11 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 | $0.53 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.06 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.10 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.08 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.11 | $0.35 |
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 Water 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 Water ETF was 52.75%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 522 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Water ETF drawdown is 9.03%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -52.75%Mar 2009 | 9mo 6d | 2y 23d | 2y 9moJun 2008 - Apr 2011 |
COVID crash2020 | -36.60%Mar 2020 | 1mo 2d | 6mo 19d | 7mo 21dFeb 2020 - Oct 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -28.53%Jun 2022 | 6mo 26d | 1y 6mo | 2y 22dNov 2021 - Dec 2023 |
2011 bear market2011 | -25.13%Oct 2011 | 2mo 27d | 4mo 23d | 7mo 20dJul 2011 - Feb 2012 |
2015 bear market2015 | -22.21%Sep 2015 | 1y 3mo | 6mo 25d | 1y 10moJun 2014 - Apr 2016 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FIW | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -52.75% | -56.78% | +4.03% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -13.81% | -9.10% | -4.71% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -18.32% | -18.90% | +0.58% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -28.53% | -25.43% | -3.10% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -36.60% | -33.92% | -2.68% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -9.03% | -3.21% | -5.82% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -8.30% | -10.71% | +2.41% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 5.70% | 2.04% | +3.66% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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