- ISIN
- US33738R4074
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Jan 6, 2014
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Nasdaq-100, Derivative Income
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- NASDAQ-100 Index
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Growth
- Assets Under Management
- $896M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FTQI Performance Chart
First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) is up 11.4% since the beginning of the year. FTQI is currently trading at $22 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FTQI shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,736.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) has returned 11.38% so far this year and 28.68% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FTQI has returned 8.03% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.54% annually.
First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF
- 1D
- 0.55%
- 1M
- 2.65%
- YTD
- 11.38%
- 6M
- 11.27%
- 1Y
- 28.68%
- 3Y*
- 16.96%
- 5Y*
- 11.66%
- 10Y*
- 8.03%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- 0.00%
- 1M
- -0.17%
- YTD
- 8.39%
- 6M
- 8.57%
- 1Y
- 24.06%
- 3Y*
- 18.94%
- 5Y*
- 12.24%
- 10Y*
- 13.54%
FTQI Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 7, 2014, FTQI's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.61%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 9.5 years.
Historically, 65% of months were positive and 35% were negative. The best month was Apr 2026 with a return of +7.6%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -9.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.
On a daily basis, FTQI closed higher 49% of trading days. The best single day was Apr 9, 2025 with a return of +9.9%, while the worst single day was Apr 4, 2025 at -5.9%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.16% | -1.11% | -1.40% | 7.59% | 4.21% | 0.73% | 11.38% | ||||||
| 2025 | 2.10% | -2.37% | -6.37% | 0.05% | 3.42% | 3.35% | 2.65% | 1.74% | 3.83% | 2.80% | 0.40% | 0.88% | 12.68% |
| 2024 | 1.45% | 3.33% | 1.81% | -2.60% | 3.14% | 2.00% | -0.14% | 1.21% | 2.24% | -0.24% | 5.73% | -0.75% | 18.30% |
| 2023 | 7.33% | -0.22% | 3.13% | 1.09% | 0.77% | 3.44% | 1.85% | -0.78% | -2.77% | -0.54% | 6.29% | 2.29% | 23.63% |
| 2022 | 0.00% | 1.48% | 3.87% | -5.09% | 0.41% | -5.89% | 7.51% | -3.77% | -9.29% | 4.19% | 2.01% | -3.24% | -8.77% |
| 2021 | 1.44% | 0.30% | 2.30% | 1.29% | 3.18% | -0.48% | -1.94% | 1.60% | 1.27% | 0.99% | -1.51% | 1.68% | 10.46% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.46%, beta of 0.49, and R2 of 0.40 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 07, 2014.
- This ETF participated in 60.87% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 52.83% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.49 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.40 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 0.40 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
- 1.46%
- Beta
- 0.49
- R²
- 0.40
- Upside Capture
- 52.83%
- Downside Capture
- 60.87%
Expense Ratio
FTQI has an expense ratio of 0.75%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FTQI ranks 88 for risk / return — in the top 88% of ETFs on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) 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.
| FTQI | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.77 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.06 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.52 | 1.35 | +0.16 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 4.62 | 2.66 | +1.96 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 22.04 | 11.86 | +10.17 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF provided a 10.90% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.41 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.41 | $2.39 | $2.43 | $2.28 | $1.78 | $0.66 | $0.66 | $0.66 | $0.66 | $0.63 | $0.64 | $0.70 |
Dividend yield | 10.90% | 11.46% | 11.66% | 11.49% | 9.85% | 3.05% | 3.27% | 2.95% | 3.27% | 2.74% | 3.02% | 3.54% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Nasdaq 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 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $1.02 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $2.39 |
| 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $2.43 |
| 2023 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $0.19 | $2.28 |
| 2022 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $1.78 |
| 2021 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.66 |
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 Nasdaq 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 Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF was 19.42%, occurring on Apr 8, 2025. Recovery took 83 trading sessions.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 selloff2025 | -19.42%Apr 2025 | 1mo 17d | 4mo 1d | 5mo 18dFeb 2025 - Aug 2025 |
Bear market2022 | -18.60%Oct 2022 | 5mo 26d | 9mo 1d | 1y 2moApr 2022 - Jul 2023 |
COVID crash2020 | -15.51%Mar 2020 | 2mo 2d | 1y 1mo | 1y 3moJan 2020 - May 2021 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -15.20%Dec 2018 | 11mo 4d | 12mo 1d | 1y 11moJan 2018 - Dec 2019 |
2016 correction2016 | -13.45%Jan 2016 | 1mo 12d | 5mo 27d | 7mo 9dDec 2015 - Jul 2016 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FTQI | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -19.42% | -56.78% | +37.36% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -6.24% | -9.10% | +2.86% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -19.42% | -18.90% | -0.52% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -19.42% | -25.43% | +6.01% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -19.42% | -33.92% | +14.50% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | 0.00% | -2.49% | +2.49% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -3.74% | -10.72% | +6.98% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.30% | 2.03% | -0.73% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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