First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Emerging Markets ETF (RFEM) Alternatives

First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Emerging Markets ETF (RFEM) belongs to the Emerging Markets Equities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with RFEM. 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 RFEM

RFEM charges 0.95% annually. Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among RFEM alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
VEXC	Vanguard Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF	0.07%	Sep 30, 2025	RFEM vs VEXC
VWO	Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF	0.08%	Mar 4, 2005	RFEM vs VWO
SPEM	SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF	0.11%	Mar 19, 2007	RFEM vs SPEM
SCHE	Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF	0.11%	Jan 14, 2010	RFEM vs SCHE
EMCR	Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Cl...	0.15%	Dec 6, 2018	RFEM vs EMCR

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to RFEM

Among ETFs in the Emerging Markets Equities 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
EMIF	iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF	95	Jun 16, 2009	RFEM vs EMIF
EMXC	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF	94	Jul 19, 2017	RFEM vs EMXC
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	93	May 2, 2019	RFEM vs ECOW
ROAM	Hartford Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF	93	Feb 26, 2015	RFEM vs ROAM
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	93	Mar 17, 2015	RFEM vs SDEM

Top Performing RFEM Alternatives (YTD)

RFEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
TUR	iShares MSCI Turkey ETF	12.29%	Mar 26, 2008	RFEM vs TUR
DVYE	iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	10.67%	Feb 23, 2012	RFEM vs DVYE
PIE	Invesco DWA Emerging Markets Momentum ETF	10.23%	Dec 28, 2007	RFEM vs PIE
FEM	First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	9.64%	Apr 18, 2011	RFEM vs FEM
ECOW	Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF	9.29%	May 2, 2019	RFEM vs ECOW

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to RFEM

RFEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	11.95%	Jan 25, 2016	RFEM vs EMDV
QAT	iShares MSCI Qatar ETF	13.22%	Apr 29, 2014	RFEM vs QAT
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	13.77%	Feb 23, 2011	RFEM vs EDIV
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	14.07%	Jan 7, 2015	RFEM vs JPEM
DEM	WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund	15.04%	Jul 13, 2007	RFEM vs DEM

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to RFEM

RFEM alternatives from the Emerging Markets Equities category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
EMDV	ProShares MSCI Emerging Markets Dividend Growers E...	-7.48%	Jan 25, 2016	RFEM vs EMDV
SDEM	Global X MSCI SuperDividend Emerging Markets ETF	-9.78%	Mar 17, 2015	RFEM vs SDEM
JPEM	J.P. Morgan Diversified Return Emerging Markets Eq...	-10.32%	Jan 7, 2015	RFEM vs JPEM
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	-10.36%	Feb 23, 2011	RFEM vs EDIV
QEMM	SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets StrategicFactors ETF	-10.40%	Jun 4, 2014	RFEM vs QEMM

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

Often Compared With RFEM

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

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
ALTY	Global X Alternative Income ETF	Small Cap Blend Equities	64	2.00%	Jul 14, 2015	RFEM vs ALTY
INDY	iShares India 50 ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	2	-14.30%	Nov 18, 2009	RFEM vs INDY
AVEM	Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF	Foreign Large Cap Equities	90	4.70%	Sep 17, 2019	RFEM vs AVEM
EEM	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF	Emerging Markets Diversified	86	3.80%	Apr 11, 2003	RFEM vs EEM
XCEM	Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF	Emerging Markets Equities	92	6.39%	Sep 2, 2015	RFEM vs XCEM

Compare RFEM with Any Fund or Stock

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

Symbol name

First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Emerging Markets ETF

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