First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) Alternatives

First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) belongs to the High Yield Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with FTSL. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or funds that fit a different role in your portfolio.

Cheapest Alternatives to FTSL

FTSL charges 0.86% annually. Among ETFs in the High Yield Bonds category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among FTSL alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
SCYB	Schwab High Yield Bond ETF	0.03%	Jul 10, 2023	FTSL vs SCYB
SPHY	SPDR Portfolio High Yield Bond ETF	0.10%	Jun 18, 2012	FTSL vs SPHY
HYLB	Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	0.15%	Dec 7, 2016	FTSL vs HYLB
BBHY	JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bon...	0.15%	Sep 15, 2016	FTSL vs BBHY
USHY	iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	0.15%	Oct 25, 2017	FTSL vs USHY

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to FTSL

Among ETFs in the High Yield Bonds category, these options rank highest on PortfoliosLab's risk-adjusted score, which accounts for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency over a 1-year period.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	Inception
IBHE	iShares iBonds 2025 Term High Yield & Income ETF	98	May 7, 2019	FTSL vs IBHE
BSJQ	Invesco BulletShares 2026 High Yield Corp Bond ETF	91	Aug 9, 2018	FTSL vs BSJQ
THY	Agility Shares Dynamic Tactical Income ETF	88	Jun 25, 2020	FTSL vs THY
LDRH	iShares iBonds 1-5 Year High Yield and Income Ladd...	88	Nov 7, 2024	FTSL vs LDRH
BSJR	Invesco BulletShares 2027 High Yield Corporate Bon...	87	Sep 12, 2019	FTSL vs BSJR

Top Performing FTSL Alternatives (YTD)

FTSL alternatives from the High Yield Bonds category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
XHYE	BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF	2.27%	Feb 15, 2022	FTSL vs XHYE
YLD	Principal Active High Yield ETF	0.96%	Jul 9, 2015	FTSL vs YLD
BSJQ	Invesco BulletShares 2026 High Yield Corp Bond ETF	0.66%	Aug 9, 2018	FTSL vs BSJQ
LDRH	iShares iBonds 1-5 Year High Yield and Income Ladd...	0.51%	Nov 7, 2024	FTSL vs LDRH
PSH	PGIM Short Duration High Yield ETF	0.41%	Dec 14, 2023	FTSL vs PSH

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to FTSL

FTSL alternatives from the High Yield Bonds category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
IBHD	iShares iBonds 2024 Term High Yield & Income ETF	0.00%	May 7, 2019	FTSL vs IBHD
BSJO	Invesco BulletShares 2024 High Yield Corporate Bon...	0.00%	Sep 14, 2016	FTSL vs BSJO
ESHY	Xtrackers J.P. Morgan ESG USD High Yield Corporate...	0.00%	Mar 3, 2015	FTSL vs ESHY
IBHE	iShares iBonds 2025 Term High Yield & Income ETF	1.33%	May 7, 2019	FTSL vs IBHE
FLRT	Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF	3.04%	Feb 19, 2015	FTSL vs FLRT

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to FTSL

FTSL alternatives from the High Yield Bonds category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
IBHE	iShares iBonds 2025 Term High Yield & Income ETF	-0.73%	May 7, 2019	FTSL vs IBHE
THY	Agility Shares Dynamic Tactical Income ETF	-1.60%	Jun 25, 2020	FTSL vs THY
FLRT	Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF	-2.47%	Feb 19, 2015	FTSL vs FLRT
BSJQ	Invesco BulletShares 2026 High Yield Corp Bond ETF	-2.52%	Aug 9, 2018	FTSL vs BSJQ
HYDW	Xtrackers Low Beta High Yield Bond ETF	-2.72%	Jan 11, 2018	FTSL vs HYDW

Other ETFs from First Trust

Most popular First Trust ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
CIBR	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	Technology Equities, Cybersecurity	12	-12.12%	Jul 7, 2015	FTSL vs CIBR
NFTY	First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	5	-11.19%	Feb 14, 2012	FTSL vs NFTY
GRID	First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastru...	Alternative Energy Equities	94	6.96%	Nov 17, 2009	FTSL vs GRID
FDL	First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fun...	Large Cap Value Equities, Dividend	79	15.49%	Mar 9, 2006	FTSL vs FDL
AIRR	First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ET...	Building & Construction	95	12.74%	Mar 10, 2014	FTSL vs AIRR
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	Precious Metals, Gold	84	5.99%	Mar 2, 2021	FTSL vs IGLD
TDIV	First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund	Technology Equities, Dividend	77	-2.96%	Aug 14, 2012	FTSL vs TDIV
KNG	FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target I...	Dividend, S&P 500	25	1.24%	Mar 26, 2018	FTSL vs KNG
ROBT	First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence & Robot...	Technology Equities, Robotics	28	-11.00%	Feb 21, 2018	FTSL vs ROBT
QCLN	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index F...	Alternative Energy Equities	87	4.23%	Feb 8, 2007	FTSL vs QCLN

Often Compared With FTSL

What investors most often compare with FTSL, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
BKLN	Invesco Senior Loan ETF	High Yield Bonds	79	-1.27%	Mar 3, 2011	FTSL vs BKLN
SJNK	SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Short Term High Yield Bond...	High Yield Bonds	78	-0.23%	Mar 15, 2012	FTSL vs SJNK
AAA	AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF	CLO	88	0.88%	Sep 9, 2020	FTSL vs AAA
PFFD	Global X U.S. Preferred ETF	Preferred Stock/Convertible Bonds	22	-1.68%	Sep 11, 2017	FTSL vs PFFD
LONZ	PIMCO Senior Loan Active Exchange-Traded Fund	Bank Loan	73	-0.27%	Jun 8, 2022	FTSL vs LONZ
SLYV	SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF	Small Cap Value Equities	61	4.44%	Sep 29, 2000	FTSL vs SLYV
HYG	iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF	High Yield Bonds	78	-0.35%	Apr 11, 2007	FTSL vs HYG
AVUV	Avantis US Small Cap Value ETF	Small Cap Value Equities	74	8.60%	Sep 24, 2019	FTSL vs AVUV
SCHP	Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF	Inflation-Protected Bonds	42	0.45%	Aug 5, 2010	FTSL vs SCHP
PTIAX	Performance Trust Strategic Bond Fund	Intermediate Core-Plus Bond	54	-0.17%	Aug 31, 2010	FTSL vs PTIAX
FFIE	Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc.		12	-73.06%	—	FTSL vs FFIE
VMBSX	Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities Index Fund Adm...	Total Bond Market	75	0.20%	Dec 3, 2009	FTSL vs VMBSX
GJO	Strats Trust Wal Mart Stores Inc. STRT CTF 05-4		70	1.31%	—	FTSL vs GJO
JNK	SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF	High Yield Bonds	78	-0.43%	Nov 28, 2007	FTSL vs JNK
SEIX	Virtus Seix Senior Loan ETF	Bank Loan	89	0.20%	Apr 23, 2019	FTSL vs SEIX
SRLN	SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF	High Yield Bonds	71	-1.58%	Apr 3, 2013	FTSL vs SRLN
HYS	PIMCO 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond Index ETF	High Yield Bonds	79	-0.39%	Jun 16, 2011	FTSL vs HYS
FLBL	Franklin Liberty Senior Loan ETF	High Yield Bonds, Actively Managed	34	-0.76%	May 30, 2018	FTSL vs FLBL
MDIV	First Trust Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index F...	Diversified Portfolio	30	4.59%	Aug 14, 2012	FTSL vs MDIV
MLPA	Global X MLP ETF	MLPs	30	13.45%	Apr 18, 2012	FTSL vs MLPA

Compare FTSL with Any Fund or Stock

Compare FTSL with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

Symbol name

First Trust Senior Loan Fund

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