AFSM vs. NOIEX

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) and Northern Income Equity Fund (NOIEX).

AFSM is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Dec 3, 2019. NOIEX is managed by Northern Funds. It was launched on Mar 31, 1994.

Performance

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) and Northern Income Equity Fund (NOIEX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
AFSM First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF	0.06%	9.99%	10.55%	22.23%	-17.50%	26.03%	8.44%	2.63%
NOIEX Northern Income Equity Fund	-4.59%	18.81%	24.28%	19.56%	-13.34%	27.96%	11.03%	3.88%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AFSM achieves a 0.06% return, which is significantly higher than NOIEX's -4.59% return.

AFSM

• 1D: 3.20%
• 1M: -4.89%
• YTD: 0.06%
• 6M: 0.77%
• 1Y: 18.24%
• 3Y*: 13.07%
• 5Y*: 6.13%
• 10Y*: —

NOIEX

• 1D: -0.29%
• 1M: -7.32%
• YTD: -4.59%
• 6M: -1.82%
• 1Y: 16.41%
• 3Y*: 17.35%
• 5Y*: 11.80%
• 10Y*: 12.25%

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

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Expense Ratio Comparison

AFSM has a 0.77% expense ratio, which is higher than NOIEX's 0.49% expense ratio.

AFSM

First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF

NOIEX

Northern Income Equity Fund

Return for Risk

AFSM vs. NOIEX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AFSM

AFSM Risk / Return Rank: 53
AFSM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 48
AFSM Sortino Ratio Rank: 50
AFSM Omega Ratio Rank: 44
AFSM Calmar Ratio Rank: 62
AFSM Martin Ratio Rank: 59

NOIEX

NOIEX Risk / Return Rank: 50
NOIEX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 48
NOIEX Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
NOIEX Omega Ratio Rank: 59
NOIEX Calmar Ratio Rank: 41
NOIEX Martin Ratio Rank: 50

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.

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) and Northern Income Equity Fund (NOIEX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AFSM	NOIEX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.86	0.92	-0.06
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.34	1.45	-0.11
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.22	-0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.57	1.05	+0.53
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.76	4.85	+0.92
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AFSM Sharpe Ratio is 0.86, which is comparable to the NOIEX Sharpe Ratio of 0.92. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AFSM and NOIEX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AFSM	NOIEX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.86	0.92	-0.06
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.30	0.73	-0.43
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.69	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.35	0.65	-0.30

Correlation

The correlation between AFSM and NOIEX is 0.79, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Dividend Comparison

AFSM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.55%, less than NOIEX's 8.37% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AFSM First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF	0.55%	0.58%	0.58%	0.92%	1.28%	0.35%	0.53%	0.32%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
NOIEX Northern Income Equity Fund	8.37%	7.92%	6.11%	7.03%	5.44%	14.26%	7.67%	8.58%	15.73%	7.56%	3.02%	5.57%

Drawdowns

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AFSM drawdown since its inception was -43.54%, roughly equal to the maximum NOIEX drawdown of -45.66%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AFSM and NOIEX.

Drawdown Indicators

	AFSM	NOIEX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-43.54%	-45.66%	+2.12%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.41%	-12.41%	0.00%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-28.27%	-21.89%	-6.38%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-35.31%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.67%	-8.39%	+1.72%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.71%	-5.01%	-4.70%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.39%	2.89%	+0.50%

Volatility

AFSM vs. NOIEX - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) has a higher volatility of 7.78% compared to Northern Income Equity Fund (NOIEX) at 4.02%. This indicates that AFSM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than NOIEX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AFSM	NOIEX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.78%	4.02%	+3.76%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.43%	9.01%	+4.42%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	21.43%	19.09%	+2.34%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.86%	16.32%	+4.54%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	25.57%	17.92%	+7.65%