EMPB vs. MARB

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF (EMPB) and First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB).

EMPB and MARB are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. EMPB is an actively managed fund by Empowered Funds. It was launched on Dec 11, 2024. MARB is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Feb 4, 2020.

Performance

EMPB vs. MARB - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF (EMPB) and First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

EMPB vs. MARB - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
EMPB Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF	1.31%	14.84%	0.89%
MARB First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF	0.29%	7.02%	1.14%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, EMPB achieves a 1.31% return, which is significantly higher than MARB's 0.29% return.

EMPB

• 1D: 2.72%
• 1M: -1.38%
• YTD: 1.31%
• 6M: -0.11%
• 1Y: 16.63%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

MARB

• 1D: -0.14%
• 1M: -0.00%
• YTD: 0.29%
• 6M: 2.63%
• 1Y: 6.85%
• 3Y*: 3.46%
• 5Y*: 2.72%
• 10Y*: —

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

EMPB vs. MARB - Expense Ratio Comparison

EMPB has a 1.82% expense ratio, which is lower than MARB's 2.30% expense ratio.

MARB

First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF

EMPB

Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF

Return for Risk

EMPB vs. MARB — Risk / Return Rank

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

EMPB

EMPB Risk / Return Rank: 76
EMPB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
EMPB Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
EMPB Omega Ratio Rank: 68
EMPB Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
EMPB Martin Ratio Rank: 74

MARB

MARB Risk / Return Rank: 84
MARB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
MARB Sortino Ratio Rank: 78
MARB Omega Ratio Rank: 83
MARB Calmar Ratio Rank: 91
MARB Martin Ratio Rank: 97

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.

EMPB vs. MARB - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF (EMPB) and First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB). 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.

	EMPB	MARB	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.37	1.29	+0.08
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.03	2.00	+0.04
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.26	1.33	-0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.76	3.13	-0.38
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.07	21.28	-13.21
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

EMPB vs. MARB - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current EMPB Sharpe Ratio is 1.37, which is comparable to the MARB Sharpe Ratio of 1.29. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of EMPB and MARB, 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

	EMPB	MARB	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.37	1.29	+0.08
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.65	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.09	0.34	+0.75

Correlation

The correlation between EMPB and MARB is 0.02, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

EMPB vs. MARB - Dividend Comparison

EMPB's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.87%, less than MARB's 3.01% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022
EMPB Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF	0.87%	0.88%	0.28%	0.00%	0.00%
MARB First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF	3.01%	3.01%	2.11%	2.20%	0.99%

Drawdowns

EMPB vs. MARB - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum EMPB drawdown since its inception was -7.55%, smaller than the maximum MARB drawdown of -11.99%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for EMPB and MARB.

Drawdown Indicators

	EMPB	MARB	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-7.55%	-11.99%	+4.44%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-5.98%	-2.43%	-3.55%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-3.67%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.99%	-0.24%	-2.75%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.64%	-1.44%	-0.20%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.04%	0.36%	+1.68%

Volatility

EMPB vs. MARB - Volatility Comparison

Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF (EMPB) has a higher volatility of 5.97% compared to First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB) at 1.15%. This indicates that EMPB's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MARB based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	EMPB	MARB	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.97%	1.15%	+4.82%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.49%	3.17%	+6.32%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.21%	5.36%	+6.85%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	12.26%	4.23%	+8.03%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	12.26%	5.64%	+6.62%