PortfoliosLab logoPortfoliosLab logo
ISIN
US33734X1845
CUSIP
33734X184
Inception Date
May 8, 2007
Region
North America (U.S.)
Leveraged
1x (No leverage)
Index Tracked
StrataQuant Utilities Index
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Equity
Asset Class Size
Mid-Cap
Asset Class Style
Value
Assets Under Management
$813M

Share Price Chart


Loading charts...

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.


Performance

FXU Performance Chart

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (FXU) is up 8.2% since the beginning of the year. FXU is currently trading at $48 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FXU shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,821.


Loading charts...

S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (FXU) has returned 8.17% so far this year and 18.44% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FXU has returned 9.30% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.


First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund

1D
0.52%
1M
-0.86%
YTD
8.17%
6M
8.51%
1Y
18.44%
3Y*
18.55%
5Y*
12.73%
10Y*
9.30%

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%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

FXU Monthly Returns History

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since May 10, 2007, FXU's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.71%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 8.2 years.

Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was Mar 2021 with a return of +11.9%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -15.2%. The longest winning streak lasted 7 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.

On a daily basis, FXU closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +11.3%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -10.6%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20263.55%9.42%-2.31%0.34%-3.76%1.19%8.17%
20252.84%4.70%1.21%0.37%3.84%-0.36%4.93%-0.47%3.32%0.88%3.71%-4.61%21.86%
2024-4.80%1.23%6.91%0.54%7.15%-4.82%5.39%4.36%6.51%-0.38%7.14%-7.27%22.50%
20230.93%-5.01%3.58%1.45%-6.04%2.05%2.39%-6.39%-5.46%0.18%5.94%5.37%-2.12%
2022-1.63%-2.61%9.01%-3.00%5.73%-7.05%6.25%0.84%-11.33%4.94%7.30%-2.66%3.68%
2021-1.97%-3.99%11.86%3.62%-1.23%-1.36%2.97%2.82%-6.03%4.05%-2.09%9.22%17.67%

Benchmark Metrics

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund has an annualized alpha of 2.45%, beta of 0.65, and R2 of 0.49 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since May 10, 2007.

  • This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (60.98%) than losses (59.90%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
  • Beta of 0.65 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.49 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 0.49 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
2.45%
Beta
0.65
0.49
Upside Capture
60.98%
Downside Capture
59.90%

Expense Ratio

FXU has an expense ratio of 0.62%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

FXU ranks 39 for risk / return — below 39% of ETFs on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.


FXU Risk / Return Rank: 3939
Overall Rank
FXU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 4040
Sharpe Ratio Rank
FXU Sortino Ratio Rank: 3838
Sortino Ratio Rank
FXU Omega Ratio Rank: 3636
Omega Ratio Rank
FXU Calmar Ratio Rank: 4444
Calmar Ratio Rank
FXU Martin Ratio Rank: 3737
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (FXU) 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.


FXUBenchmarkDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility

-0.64

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk

-0.84

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.24

1.37

-0.13

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

2.15

2.78

-0.64

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

5.58

12.44

-6.85

Dividends

Dividend History

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund provided a 2.16% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.05 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.


2.00%2.50%3.00%3.50%4.00%$0.00$0.20$0.40$0.60$0.80$1.00$1.2020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$1.05$1.03$0.91$0.80$0.67$0.65$1.13$0.68$0.64$0.99$0.70$0.87

Dividend yield

2.16%2.29%2.41%2.52%2.03%2.00%3.97%2.34%2.40%3.81%2.62%3.90%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.23$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.23
2025$0.00$0.00$0.21$0.00$0.00$0.20$0.00$0.00$0.27$0.00$0.00$0.34$1.03
2024$0.00$0.00$0.18$0.00$0.00$0.22$0.00$0.00$0.26$0.00$0.00$0.26$0.91
2023$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.00$0.00$0.26$0.00$0.00$0.25$0.80
2022$0.00$0.00$0.13$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.16$0.00$0.00$0.28$0.67
2021$0.00$0.00$0.07$0.00$0.00$0.16$0.00$0.00$0.18$0.00$0.00$0.24$0.65

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.


Loading charts...

Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund. 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 Utilities AlphaDEX Fund was 49.00%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 548 trading sessions.

The current First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund drawdown is 5.59%.


Related event

Drawdown

Fall

Recovery

Underwater

Financial crisis2007–2009
-49.00%Mar 2009
1y 9mo2y 2mo
3y 11moMay 2007 - May 2011
COVID crash2020
-34.81%Mar 2020
1mo 3d1y 22d
1y 1moFeb 2020 - Apr 2021
2023 bear market2023
-21.87%Oct 2023
1y 19d7mo 10d
1y 7moSep 2022 - May 2024
2011 correction2011
-17.01%Aug 2011
1mo 1d11mo 15d
1y 11dJul 2011 - Jul 2012
2018 correction2018
-14.71%Feb 2018
7mo 24d6mo 2d
1y 1moJun 2017 - Aug 2018

Drawdown Indicators


FXUBenchmarkDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-49.00%

-56.78%

+7.78%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-8.63%

-9.10%

+0.47%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-17.46%

-18.90%

+1.44%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-21.87%

-25.43%

+3.56%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-34.81%

-33.92%

-0.89%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-5.59%

-1.80%

-3.79%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-7.63%

-10.71%

+3.08%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

3.31%

2.03%

+1.28%

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


Loading charts...

Portfolio Analyzer

Build a portfolio with FXU

Add First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund to a portfolio and analyze allocations for your target — whether that's maximizing returns, minimizing drawdowns, or balancing risk across holdings.

Open Portfolio Analyzer with FXU