- ISIN
- US33739Q4082
- CUSIP
- 33739Q408
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Aug 5, 2014
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Ultrashort Bond
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $7B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FTSM Performance Chart
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (FTSM) is up 1.6% since the beginning of the year. FTSM is currently trading at $60 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FTSM shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,187.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (FTSM) has returned 1.59% so far this year and 4.09% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FTSM has returned 2.57% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF
- 1D
- -0.01%
- 1M
- 0.22%
- YTD
- 1.59%
- 6M
- 1.73%
- 1Y
- 4.09%
- 3Y*
- 4.83%
- 5Y*
- 3.49%
- 10Y*
- 2.57%
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%
FTSM Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Aug 6, 2014, FTSM'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, 87% of months were positive and 13% were negative. The best month was Aug 2015 with a return of +1.8%, while the worst month was Sep 2015 at -1.8%. The longest winning streak lasted 48 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, FTSM closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Aug 31, 2015 with a return of +1.9%, while the worst single day was Sep 1, 2015 at -1.7%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.34% | 0.34% | 0.08% | 0.37% | 0.31% | 0.14% | 1.59% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.39% | 0.44% | 0.37% | 0.41% | 0.26% | 0.48% | 0.26% | 0.54% | 0.36% | 0.35% | 0.33% | 0.37% | 4.66% |
| 2024 | 0.51% | 0.25% | 0.42% | 0.30% | 0.50% | 0.41% | 0.62% | 0.58% | 0.50% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.35% | 5.22% |
| 2023 | 0.41% | 0.29% | 0.45% | 0.38% | 0.32% | 0.27% | 0.49% | 0.45% | 0.31% | 0.43% | 0.63% | 0.59% | 5.12% |
| 2022 | -0.04% | -0.09% | -0.23% | 0.03% | 0.07% | -0.14% | 0.19% | 0.17% | 0.03% | 0.18% | 0.42% | 0.42% | 1.02% |
| 2021 | 0.01% | -0.01% | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.05% | -0.02% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.03% | -0.10% | -0.04% | -0.03% | -0.01% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF has an annualized alpha of 2.07%, beta of 0.01, and R2 of 0.04 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since August 06, 2014.
- This ETF captured 5.45% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -3.73%) - a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
- Beta of 0.01 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.04 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 0.04 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
- 2.07%
- Beta
- 0.01
- R²
- 0.04
- Upside Capture
- 5.45%
- Downside Capture
- -3.73%
Expense Ratio
FTSM has an expense ratio of 0.44%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FTSM ranks 99 for risk / return — in the top 99% 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 Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (FTSM) 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.
| FTSM | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +6.44 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +16.73 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 4.15 | 1.37 | +2.78 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 35.13 | 2.78 | +32.35 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 172.78 | 12.44 | +160.35 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF provided a 4.15% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.49 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.49 | $2.57 | $2.93 | $2.76 | $0.96 | $0.24 | $0.72 | $1.43 | $1.28 | $0.90 | $0.62 | $0.29 |
Dividend yield | 4.15% | 4.28% | 4.91% | 4.62% | 1.62% | 0.39% | 1.20% | 2.38% | 2.14% | 1.49% | 1.03% | 0.48% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity 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 | $0.19 | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $1.01 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.23 | $0.20 | $0.22 | $0.21 | $0.23 | $0.22 | $0.22 | $0.22 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $2.57 |
| 2024 | $0.26 | $0.24 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.24 | $0.23 | $0.23 | $2.93 |
| 2023 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.21 | $0.23 | $0.23 | $0.24 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.24 | $0.24 | $0.25 | $2.76 |
| 2022 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.06 | $0.08 | $0.10 | $0.11 | $0.14 | $0.16 | $0.19 | $0.96 |
| 2021 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.03 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.02 | $0.24 |
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 Enhanced Short Maturity 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 Enhanced Short Maturity ETF was 4.12%, occurring on Mar 20, 2020. Recovery took 54 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF drawdown is 0.02%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -4.12%Mar 2020 | 16d | 2mo 20d | 3mo 6dMar 2020 - Jun 2020 |
2015 pullback2015 | -1.80%Sep 2015 | 29d | 1y 7mo | 1y 8moSep 2015 - May 2017 |
Bear market2022 | -0.65%Mar 2022 | 5mo 16d | 7mo 16d | 1y 27dOct 2021 - Nov 2022 |
2015 pullback2015 | -0.35%Aug 2015 | 3mo 7d | 4d | 3mo 11dMay 2015 - Aug 2015 |
2014 pullback2014 | -0.30%Dec 2014 | 1mo 27d | 1mo | 2mo 27dNov 2014 - Jan 2015 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FTSM | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -4.12% | -56.78% | +52.66% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -0.12% | -9.10% | +8.98% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -0.15% | -18.90% | +18.75% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -0.65% | -25.43% | +24.78% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -4.12% | -33.92% | +29.80% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.02% | -1.80% | +1.78% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.22% | -10.71% | +10.49% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.02% | 2.03% | -2.01% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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