AGQI vs. VEGA

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF (AGQI) and AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF (VEGA).

AGQI and VEGA are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AGQI is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Nov 21, 2023. VEGA is an actively managed fund by AdvisorShares. It was launched on Sep 17, 2012.

Performance

AGQI vs. VEGA - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF (AGQI) and AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF (VEGA). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AGQI vs. VEGA - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
AGQI First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF	4.22%	26.67%	2.98%	5.25%
VEGA AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF	-1.25%	15.83%	11.20%	5.47%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AGQI achieves a 4.22% return, which is significantly higher than VEGA's -1.25% return.

AGQI

• 1D: 0.45%
• 1M: -4.85%
• YTD: 4.22%
• 6M: 7.23%
• 1Y: 25.46%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VEGA

• 1D: 0.46%
• 1M: -3.82%
• YTD: -1.25%
• 6M: 0.61%
• 1Y: 13.80%
• 3Y*: 11.85%
• 5Y*: 6.13%
• 10Y*: 7.25%

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

AGQI vs. VEGA - Expense Ratio Comparison

AGQI has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is lower than VEGA's 2.02% expense ratio.

VEGA

AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF

AGQI

First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF

Return for Risk

AGQI vs. VEGA — Risk / Return Rank

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

AGQI

AGQI Risk / Return Rank: 83
AGQI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
AGQI Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
AGQI Omega Ratio Rank: 86
AGQI Calmar Ratio Rank: 79
AGQI Martin Ratio Rank: 82

VEGA

VEGA Risk / Return Rank: 64
VEGA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 62
VEGA Sortino Ratio Rank: 63
VEGA Omega Ratio Rank: 64
VEGA Calmar Ratio Rank: 61
VEGA Martin Ratio Rank: 70

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.

AGQI vs. VEGA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF (AGQI) and AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF (VEGA). 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.

	AGQI	VEGA	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.77	1.16	+0.61
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.37	1.69	+0.68
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.36	1.25	+0.12
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.45	1.71	+0.74
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	10.19	7.92	+2.27
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AGQI vs. VEGA - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AGQI Sharpe Ratio is 1.77, which is higher than the VEGA Sharpe Ratio of 1.16. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AGQI and VEGA, 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

	AGQI	VEGA	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.77	1.16	+0.61
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.50	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.57	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.32	0.48	+0.84

Correlation

The correlation between AGQI and VEGA is 0.76, 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

AGQI vs. VEGA - Dividend Comparison

AGQI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.17%, more than VEGA's 1.36% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
AGQI First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF	2.17%	2.54%	2.14%	0.14%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VEGA AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF	1.36%	1.34%	1.05%	1.12%	1.89%	0.55%	0.28%	0.44%	0.45%	0.00%	0.81%

Drawdowns

AGQI vs. VEGA - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AGQI drawdown since its inception was -14.07%, smaller than the maximum VEGA drawdown of -28.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AGQI and VEGA.

Drawdown Indicators

	AGQI	VEGA	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-14.07%	-28.37%	+14.30%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.38%	-8.32%	-2.06%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-22.78%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-28.37%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.31%	-4.52%	-1.79%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.11%	-3.83%	+1.72%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.50%	1.80%	+0.70%

Volatility

AGQI vs. VEGA - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Active Global Quality Income ETF (AGQI) has a higher volatility of 5.40% compared to AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF (VEGA) at 4.21%. This indicates that AGQI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VEGA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AGQI	VEGA	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.40%	4.21%	+1.19%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	8.76%	7.23%	+1.53%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	14.46%	11.98%	+2.48%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	12.53%	12.31%	+0.22%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	12.53%	12.67%	-0.14%