First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) has returned -0.25% so far this year and 3.35% over the past 12 months.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Sep 29, 2016, MFLX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.18%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 32.1 years.

Historically, 61% of months were positive and 39% were negative. The best month was May 2020 with a return of +6.0%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -8.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.

On a daily basis, MFLX closed higher 47% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 25, 2020 with a return of +6.6%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -13.9%.

First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF has an annualized alpha of 0.46%, beta of 0.15, and R² of 0.06 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since September 30, 2016.

• This ETF participated in 42.41% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 23.67% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
• Beta of 0.15 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.06 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 0.06 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.

MFLX has an expense ratio of 0.88%, placing it in the medium range.

MFLX ranks 23 for risk / return — below 23% 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.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF provided a 4.16% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.70 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust Flexible Municipal High 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 Flexible Municipal High Income ETF was 26.76%, occurring on Mar 18, 2020. Recovery took 176 trading sessions.

The current First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF drawdown is 7.12%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.