- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Nov 1, 2018
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Municipal Bonds
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $625M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FSMB Performance Chart
First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) is up 1.3% since the beginning of the year. FSMB is currently trading at $20 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FSMB shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,078.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) has returned 1.26% so far this year and 3.84% over the past 12 months.
First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF
- 1D
- 0.00%
- 1M
- 0.65%
- YTD
- 1.26%
- 6M
- 1.33%
- 1Y
- 3.84%
- 3Y*
- 3.39%
- 5Y*
- 1.52%
- 10Y*
- —
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%
FSMB Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 27, 2018, FSMB's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.18%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 32.1 years.
Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +2.2%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -2.7%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, FSMB closed higher 49% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 13, 2020 with a return of +2.3%, while the worst single day was Mar 12, 2020 at -3.4%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.61% | 0.79% | -1.02% | 0.42% | 0.32% | 0.15% | 1.26% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.61% | 0.53% | -0.22% | -0.30% | 0.54% | 0.72% | 0.43% | 0.67% | 0.56% | 0.11% | 0.23% | 0.26% | 4.22% |
| 2024 | 0.07% | 0.10% | -0.07% | -0.24% | -0.02% | 0.66% | 0.88% | 0.67% | 0.40% | -0.40% | 0.70% | -0.40% | 2.35% |
| 2023 | 1.32% | -1.27% | 1.24% | -0.11% | -0.51% | 0.51% | 0.16% | -0.29% | -1.04% | -0.02% | 2.23% | 1.33% | 3.54% |
| 2022 | -1.50% | -0.35% | -1.41% | -1.13% | 0.72% | -0.44% | 1.22% | -1.05% | -1.59% | -0.24% | 1.98% | 0.03% | -3.75% |
| 2021 | 0.46% | -0.45% | 0.37% | 0.38% | 0.16% | 0.20% | 0.30% | -0.01% | -0.20% | -0.10% | 0.13% | -0.06% | 1.20% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.71%, beta of 0.03, and R2 of 0.05 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 27, 2018.
- This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (8.33%) than losses (7.89%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- Beta of 0.03 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.05 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 0.05 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 1.71%
- Beta
- 0.03
- R²
- 0.05
- Upside Capture
- 8.33%
- Downside Capture
- 7.89%
Expense Ratio
FSMB has an expense ratio of 0.45%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FSMB ranks 78 for risk / return — better than 78% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF (FSMB) 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.
| FSMB | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.72 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.35 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.57 | 1.37 | +0.20 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 3.00 | 2.78 | +0.21 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 10.17 | 12.44 | -2.27 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF provided a 3.14% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.63 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.63 | $0.62 | $0.57 | $0.48 | $0.29 | $0.25 | $0.37 | $0.46 | $0.04 |
Dividend yield | 3.14% | 3.09% | 2.88% | 2.40% | 1.47% | 1.20% | 1.79% | 2.27% | 0.19% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal 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 | $0.27 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.62 |
| 2024 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.57 |
| 2023 | $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 |
| 2022 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.04 | $0.29 |
| 2021 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.25 |
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 Short Duration Managed Municipal 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 Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF was 6.32%, occurring on Mar 20, 2020. Recovery took 81 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Short Duration Managed Municipal ETF drawdown is 0.15%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -6.32%Mar 2020 | 11d | 3mo 28d | 4mo 9dMar 2020 - Jul 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -5.97%Oct 2022 | 1y 2mo | 1y 8mo | 2y 11moAug 2021 - Jul 2024 |
2025 selloff2025 | -1.76%Apr 2025 | 5d | 1mo 26d | 2mo 1dApr 2025 - Jun 2025 |
2026 pullback2026 | -1.29%Mar 2026 | 22d | — | 3mo 23dMar 2026 - now |
2021 pullback2021 | -0.93%Mar 2021 | 18d | 1mo 15d | 2mo 3dFeb 2021 - Apr 2021 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FSMB | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -6.32% | -56.78% | +50.46% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.29% | -9.10% | +7.81% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -1.76% | -18.90% | +17.14% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -5.97% | -25.43% | +19.46% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | — | -33.92% | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.15% | -1.80% | +1.65% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -1.15% | -10.71% | +9.56% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.38% | 2.03% | -1.65% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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