- ISIN
- US33738R3084
- CUSIP
- 33738R308
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Jan 6, 2014
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Derivative Income
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Alternatives
- Assets Under Management
- $2B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FTHI Performance Chart
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF (FTHI) is up 5.6% since the beginning of the year. FTHI is currently trading at $24 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FTHI shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,653.
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Returns By Period
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF (FTHI) has returned 5.63% so far this year and 17.10% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FTHI has returned 8.74% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF
- 1D
- 0.25%
- 1M
- 0.67%
- YTD
- 5.63%
- 6M
- 5.23%
- 1Y
- 17.10%
- 3Y*
- 14.55%
- 5Y*
- 10.58%
- 10Y*
- 8.74%
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%
FTHI Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 7, 2014, FTHI's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.68%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 8.5 years.
Historically, 69% of months were positive and 31% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +9.9%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -15.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 3 months.
On a daily basis, FTHI closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Apr 9, 2025 with a return of +8.3%, while the worst single day was Sep 18, 2015 at -9.3%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.31% | 0.41% | -2.30% | 3.98% | 1.23% | 0.97% | 5.63% | ||||||
| 2025 | 1.91% | -1.01% | -4.75% | -0.63% | 3.68% | 3.76% | 1.58% | 1.49% | 2.89% | 1.09% | 0.48% | 0.32% | 11.03% |
| 2024 | 1.97% | 2.92% | 2.45% | -2.28% | 3.57% | 1.06% | 1.59% | 1.50% | 1.57% | 0.22% | 4.82% | -1.64% | 19.02% |
| 2023 | 5.67% | -0.81% | 1.70% | 1.75% | 0.99% | 3.74% | 2.09% | -0.23% | -2.48% | -1.61% | 5.93% | 2.63% | 20.72% |
| 2022 | 0.09% | 0.82% | 5.01% | -5.92% | 2.98% | -7.53% | 6.53% | -3.54% | -8.36% | 6.62% | 3.78% | -3.34% | -4.37% |
| 2021 | 0.54% | 1.33% | 3.85% | 1.55% | 3.32% | 0.17% | -2.26% | 2.08% | -0.90% | 3.18% | -1.55% | 2.04% | 13.95% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF has an annualized alpha of 0.25%, beta of 0.64, and R2 of 0.59 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 07, 2014.
- This ETF participated in 75.00% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 64.29% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.64 indicates this ETF moves significantly less than S&P 500 Index - a genuinely defensive profile with reduced participation in both market rallies and downturns.
- Alpha
- 0.25%
- Beta
- 0.64
- R²
- 0.59
- Upside Capture
- 64.29%
- Downside Capture
- 75.00%
Expense Ratio
FTHI has an expense ratio of 0.85%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FTHI ranks 63 for risk / return — better than 63% 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 BuyWrite Income ETF (FTHI) 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.
| FTHI | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.13 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.04 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.36 | 1.37 | -0.01 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 3.14 | 2.78 | +0.36 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 13.44 | 12.44 | +1.00 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF provided a 8.66% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.08 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 8 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.08 | $2.06 | $2.00 | $1.82 | $1.75 | $0.96 | $0.96 | $0.96 | $0.96 | $0.93 | $0.94 | $1.00 |
Dividend yield | 8.66% | 8.70% | 8.61% | 8.50% | 9.06% | 4.37% | 4.76% | 4.21% | 4.76% | 4.00% | 4.41% | 4.98% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust BuyWrite Income 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 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.00 | $0.88 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $2.06 |
| 2024 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $2.00 |
| 2023 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $1.82 |
| 2022 | $0.08 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $1.75 |
| 2021 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.96 |
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 BuyWrite Income 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 BuyWrite Income ETF was 32.65%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 280 trading sessions.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -32.65%Mar 2020 | 1mo 2d | 1y 1mo | 1y 2moFeb 2020 - May 2021 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -17.17%Dec 2018 | 3mo 26d | 6mo 13d | 10mo 9dAug 2018 - Jul 2019 |
Bear market2022 | -16.70%Sep 2022 | 5mo 12d | 8mo 16d | 1y 1moApr 2022 - Jun 2023 |
2025 selloff2025 | -15.92%Apr 2025 | 1mo 17d | 2mo 26d | 4mo 13dFeb 2025 - Jul 2025 |
2016 correction2016 | -15.10%Jan 2016 | 4mo 4d | 6mo 2d | 10mo 6dSep 2015 - Jul 2016 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FTHI | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -32.65% | -56.78% | +24.13% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -5.47% | -9.10% | +3.63% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -15.92% | -18.90% | +2.98% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -16.70% | -25.43% | +8.73% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -32.65% | -33.92% | +1.27% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | 0.00% | -1.80% | +1.80% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -3.67% | -10.71% | +7.04% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.28% | 2.03% | -0.75% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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