FAD vs. SPYG

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FAD) and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG).

FAD and SPYG are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FAD is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Multi Cap Growth Index. It was launched on May 8, 2007. SPYG is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Growth Index. It was launched on Sep 25, 2000. Both FAD and SPYG 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

FAD vs. SPYG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FAD) and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FAD vs. SPYG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FAD First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund	-1.80%	17.23%	23.85%	19.07%	-24.06%	21.17%	34.92%	26.66%	-6.45%	25.75%
SPYG State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF	-8.12%	22.09%	35.99%	30.02%	-29.41%	32.01%	33.46%	30.84%	-0.12%	27.24%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FAD achieves a -1.80% return, which is significantly higher than SPYG's -8.12% return. Over the past 10 years, FAD has underperformed SPYG with an annualized return of 12.73%, while SPYG has yielded a comparatively higher 15.75% annualized return.

FAD

• 1D: 3.83%
• 1M: -5.64%
• YTD: -1.80%
• 6M: -0.99%
• 1Y: 22.98%
• 3Y*: 17.93%
• 5Y*: 8.03%
• 10Y*: 12.73%

SPYG

• 1D: 4.08%
• 1M: -5.34%
• YTD: -8.12%
• 6M: -6.05%
• 1Y: 22.51%
• 3Y*: 21.85%
• 5Y*: 12.24%
• 10Y*: 15.75%

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

FAD vs. SPYG - Expense Ratio Comparison

FAD has a 0.63% expense ratio, which is higher than SPYG's 0.04% expense ratio.

FAD

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund

SPYG

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF

Return for Risk

FAD vs. SPYG — Risk / Return Rank

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

FAD

FAD Risk / Return Rank: 64
FAD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 60
FAD Sortino Ratio Rank: 61
FAD Omega Ratio Rank: 57
FAD Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
FAD Martin Ratio Rank: 70

SPYG

SPYG Risk / Return Rank: 66
SPYG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 61
SPYG Sortino Ratio Rank: 66
SPYG Omega Ratio Rank: 65
SPYG Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
SPYG Martin Ratio Rank: 69

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.

FAD vs. SPYG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FAD) and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG). 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.

	FAD	SPYG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.05	1.01	+0.04
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.55	1.58	-0.03
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.21	1.22	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.78	1.66	+0.11
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.13	6.54	+0.59
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FAD vs. SPYG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FAD Sharpe Ratio is 1.05, which is comparable to the SPYG Sharpe Ratio of 1.01. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FAD and SPYG, 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

	FAD	SPYG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.05	1.01	+0.04
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.39	0.58	-0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.61	0.77	-0.16
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.46	0.31	+0.14

Correlation

The correlation between FAD and SPYG is 0.80, 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

FAD vs. SPYG - Dividend Comparison

FAD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.11%, less than SPYG's 0.58% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FAD First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund	0.11%	0.09%	0.59%	0.51%	0.60%	0.09%	0.32%	0.48%	0.20%	0.22%	0.64%	0.41%
SPYG State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF	0.58%	0.52%	0.60%	1.15%	1.03%	0.62%	0.90%	1.37%	1.51%	1.41%	1.55%	1.57%

Drawdowns

FAD vs. SPYG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FAD drawdown since its inception was -54.33%, smaller than the maximum SPYG drawdown of -67.63%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FAD and SPYG.

Drawdown Indicators

	FAD	SPYG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-54.33%	-67.63%	+13.30%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.08%	-13.76%	+0.68%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-31.99%	-32.67%	+0.68%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-37.25%	-32.67%	-4.58%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.24%	-10.24%	+3.00%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.72%	-24.48%	+14.76%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.26%	3.50%	-0.24%

Volatility

FAD vs. SPYG - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FAD) has a higher volatility of 7.87% compared to State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) at 7.20%. This indicates that FAD's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPYG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FAD	SPYG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.87%	7.20%	+0.67%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.67%	12.83%	+1.84%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	21.90%	22.39%	-0.49%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.50%	21.13%	-0.63%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.07%	20.57%	+0.50%