- ISIN
- US33737J2244
- CUSIP
- 33737J224
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Feb 14, 2012
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Europe Equities
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- NASDAQ AlphaDEX United Kingdom Index
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Multi-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Value
- Assets Under Management
- $37M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FKU Performance Chart
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) is up 5.8% since the beginning of the year. FKU is currently trading at $54 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FKU shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,454.
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Returns By Period
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) has returned 5.76% so far this year and 21.25% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FKU has returned 8.70% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund
- 1D
- -0.09%
- 1M
- 0.27%
- YTD
- 5.76%
- 6M
- 6.00%
- 1Y
- 21.25%
- 3Y*
- 21.92%
- 5Y*
- 7.77%
- 10Y*
- 8.70%
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%
FKU Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 27, 2012, FKU's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.75%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 7.7 years.
Historically, 59% of months were positive and 41% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +16.5%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -31.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 8 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, FKU closed higher 51% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +12.6%, while the worst single day was Jun 24, 2016 at -18.5%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.77% | 3.81% | -9.63% | 5.16% | 1.60% | -0.25% | 5.76% | ||||||
| 2025 | 3.49% | 3.17% | -1.15% | 5.92% | 7.88% | 3.69% | -2.20% | 3.35% | 2.95% | -0.84% | 0.65% | 6.22% | 37.97% |
| 2024 | -3.25% | 1.38% | 5.55% | -2.52% | 6.95% | -2.04% | 4.38% | 2.59% | 3.14% | -5.36% | 0.68% | -2.91% | 8.06% |
| 2023 | 10.03% | -0.83% | -1.71% | 4.23% | -5.75% | 1.75% | 6.12% | -3.99% | -3.50% | -4.47% | 12.28% | 6.68% | 20.59% |
| 2022 | -4.64% | -5.56% | -2.26% | -5.07% | -1.09% | -10.88% | 6.18% | -10.53% | -8.41% | 4.74% | 14.70% | -1.43% | -24.12% |
| 2021 | -1.54% | 7.75% | 4.80% | 4.78% | 4.32% | -2.74% | 0.34% | 2.02% | -5.92% | 3.19% | -3.33% | 6.15% | 20.55% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund has an annualized alpha of -1.21%, beta of 0.82, and R2 of 0.37 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 27, 2012.
- This ETF participated in 109.98% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 85.98% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- R2 of 0.37 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
- -1.21%
- Beta
- 0.82
- R²
- 0.37
- Upside Capture
- 85.98%
- Downside Capture
- 109.98%
Expense Ratio
FKU has an expense ratio of 0.80%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FKU ranks 33 for risk / return — below 33% 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.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) 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.
| FKU | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.83 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.99 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.22 | 1.37 | -0.15 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 1.50 | 2.78 | -1.29 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 4.88 | 12.44 | -7.56 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund provided a 2.72% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.46 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.46 | $1.47 | $1.55 | $1.40 | $1.76 | $1.31 | $0.56 | $1.37 | $1.64 | $1.17 | $0.85 | $1.06 |
Dividend yield | 2.72% | 2.89% | 4.07% | 3.82% | 5.55% | 2.98% | 1.48% | 3.34% | 5.12% | 2.93% | 2.60% | 2.64% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund. 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 | $0.16 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.53 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.32 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.46 | $1.47 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.45 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.27 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.64 | $1.55 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.11 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.49 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.54 | $1.40 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.32 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.67 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.70 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.07 | $1.76 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.23 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.48 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.34 | $1.31 |
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 United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund. 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 United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund was 54.39%, occurring on Mar 18, 2020. Recovery took 230 trading sessions.
The current First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund drawdown is 5.09%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -54.39%Mar 2020 | 3mo 2d | 11mo 5d | 1y 2moDec 2019 - Feb 2021 |
Bear market2022 | -41.84%Sep 2022 | 1y 3mo | 1y 10mo | 3y 2moJun 2021 - Aug 2024 |
2016 bear market2016 | -31.81%Jun 2016 | 1y 1mo | 1y 7mo | 2y 8moMay 2015 - Jan 2018 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -25.91%Dec 2018 | 6mo 15d | 11mo 24d | 1y 6moJun 2018 - Dec 2019 |
2014 correction2014 | -19.65%Oct 2014 | 7mo 12d | 7mo | 1y 2moMar 2014 - May 2015 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FKU | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -54.39% | -56.78% | +2.39% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -14.25% | -9.10% | -5.15% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -14.25% | -18.90% | +4.65% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -41.54% | -25.43% | -16.11% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -54.39% | -33.92% | -20.47% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -5.09% | -1.80% | -3.29% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -10.79% | -10.71% | -0.08% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 4.37% | 2.03% | +2.34% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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