AIRR vs. FIW

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) and First Trust Water ETF (FIW).

AIRR and FIW are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AIRR is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the Richard Bernstein Advisors American Industrial Renaissance (TR). It was launched on Mar 10, 2014. FIW is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the ISE Clean Edge Water Index. It was launched on May 8, 2007. Both AIRR and FIW are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

AIRR vs. FIW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) and First Trust Water ETF (FIW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AIRR vs. FIW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF	15.16%	27.92%	33.45%	31.43%	-2.08%	33.01%	17.17%	33.97%	-20.57%	16.28%
FIW First Trust Water ETF	-3.98%	7.20%	8.38%	20.35%	-15.70%	32.00%	21.15%	37.37%	-9.23%	24.69%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AIRR achieves a 15.16% return, which is significantly higher than FIW's -3.98% return. Over the past 10 years, AIRR has outperformed FIW with an annualized return of 20.74%, while FIW has yielded a comparatively lower 12.89% annualized return.

AIRR

• 1D: 2.15%
• 1M: -5.23%
• YTD: 15.16%
• 6M: 16.89%
• 1Y: 64.64%
• 3Y*: 33.38%
• 5Y*: 22.72%
• 10Y*: 20.74%

FIW

• 1D: 0.96%
• 1M: -7.88%
• YTD: -3.98%
• 6M: -7.06%
• 1Y: 3.99%
• 3Y*: 8.37%
• 5Y*: 6.40%
• 10Y*: 12.89%

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

AIRR vs. FIW - Expense Ratio Comparison

AIRR has a 0.70% expense ratio, which is higher than FIW's 0.54% expense ratio.

AIRR

First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF

FIW

First Trust Water ETF

Return for Risk

AIRR vs. FIW — Risk / Return Rank

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

AIRR

AIRR Risk / Return Rank: 94
AIRR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
AIRR Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
AIRR Omega Ratio Rank: 90
AIRR Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
AIRR Martin Ratio Rank: 96

FIW

FIW Risk / Return Rank: 18
FIW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 17
FIW Sortino Ratio Rank: 17
FIW Omega Ratio Rank: 16
FIW Calmar Ratio Rank: 19
FIW Martin Ratio Rank: 19

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.

AIRR vs. FIW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) and First Trust Water ETF (FIW). 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.

	AIRR	FIW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.29	0.21	+2.08
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.99	0.46	+2.53
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.39	1.05	+0.34
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	5.06	0.33	+4.73
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	17.74	1.04	+16.70
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AIRR vs. FIW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AIRR Sharpe Ratio is 2.29, which is higher than the FIW Sharpe Ratio of 0.21. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AIRR and FIW, 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

	AIRR	FIW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.29	0.21	+2.08
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.91	0.35	+0.56
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.80	0.65	+0.15
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.63	0.43	+0.19

Correlation

The correlation between AIRR and FIW is 0.82, 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

AIRR vs. FIW - Dividend Comparison

AIRR's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.15%, less than FIW's 0.79% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF	0.15%	0.19%	0.18%	0.23%	0.12%	0.05%	0.10%	0.20%	0.43%	0.30%	0.08%	0.47%
FIW First Trust Water ETF	0.79%	0.69%	0.69%	0.68%	0.67%	0.37%	0.56%	0.55%	0.73%	1.13%	0.51%	0.76%

Drawdowns

AIRR vs. FIW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AIRR drawdown since its inception was -42.37%, smaller than the maximum FIW drawdown of -52.75%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AIRR and FIW.

Drawdown Indicators

	AIRR	FIW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-42.37%	-52.75%	+10.38%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.09%	-12.74%	-0.35%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-27.95%	-28.53%	+0.58%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-42.37%	-36.60%	-5.77%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.14%	-9.95%	+2.81%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.50%	-8.29%	+0.79%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.73%	4.01%	-0.28%

Volatility

AIRR vs. FIW - Volatility Comparison

First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) has a higher volatility of 11.05% compared to First Trust Water ETF (FIW) at 5.83%. This indicates that AIRR's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FIW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AIRR	FIW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	11.05%	5.83%	+5.22%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	19.75%	11.03%	+8.72%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	28.33%	18.65%	+9.68%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	25.08%	18.30%	+6.78%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	26.15%	19.88%	+6.27%