FDTS vs. FDL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) and First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL).

FDTS and FDL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FDTS is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX DM Ex-US Small Cap Index. It was launched on Feb 15, 2012. FDL is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index. It was launched on Mar 9, 2006. Both FDTS and FDL 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

FDTS vs. FDL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) and First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FDTS vs. FDL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FDTS First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund	11.04%	51.17%	2.44%	10.96%	-15.34%	11.79%	12.90%	18.71%	-23.71%	36.01%
FDL First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund	15.49%	14.79%	17.98%	2.94%	6.66%	26.10%	-4.30%	24.41%	-5.99%	12.02%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FDTS achieves a 11.04% return, which is significantly lower than FDL's 15.49% return. Over the past 10 years, FDTS has underperformed FDL with an annualized return of 10.43%, while FDL has yielded a comparatively higher 11.60% annualized return.

FDTS

• 1D: 3.04%
• 1M: -9.63%
• YTD: 11.04%
• 6M: 16.94%
• 1Y: 59.05%
• 3Y*: 21.33%
• 5Y*: 10.78%
• 10Y*: 10.43%

FDL

• 1D: 0.43%
• 1M: 0.01%
• YTD: 15.49%
• 6M: 19.42%
• 1Y: 21.84%
• 3Y*: 18.00%
• 5Y*: 14.12%
• 10Y*: 11.60%

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

FDTS vs. FDL - Expense Ratio Comparison

FDTS has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is higher than FDL's 0.45% expense ratio.

FDTS

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

FDL

First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund

Return for Risk

FDTS vs. FDL — Risk / Return Rank

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

FDTS

FDTS Risk / Return Rank: 97
FDTS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
FDTS Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
FDTS Omega Ratio Rank: 97
FDTS Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
FDTS Martin Ratio Rank: 97

FDL

FDL Risk / Return Rank: 79
FDL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
FDL Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
FDL Omega Ratio Rank: 79
FDL Calmar Ratio Rank: 77
FDL Martin Ratio Rank: 76

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.

FDTS vs. FDL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) and First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL). 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.

	FDTS	FDL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	3.16	1.47	+1.69
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.90	2.06	+1.85
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.60	1.29	+0.31
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.68	1.96	+2.72
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	18.83	7.63	+11.19
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FDTS vs. FDL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FDTS Sharpe Ratio is 3.16, which is higher than the FDL Sharpe Ratio of 1.47. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FDTS and FDL, 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

	FDTS	FDL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.16	1.47	+1.69
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.37	0.99	-0.62
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.42	0.68	-0.26
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.36	0.46	-0.10

Correlation

The correlation between FDTS and FDL is 0.34, 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

FDTS vs. FDL - Dividend Comparison

FDTS's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.71%, less than FDL's 3.61% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FDTS First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund	2.71%	2.94%	3.94%	2.90%	3.71%	3.01%	2.02%	2.30%	1.96%	2.08%	1.78%	1.73%
FDL First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund	3.61%	4.04%	4.96%	4.58%	3.58%	4.59%	4.48%	3.75%	3.97%	3.18%	2.93%	3.65%

Drawdowns

FDTS vs. FDL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FDTS drawdown since its inception was -51.26%, smaller than the maximum FDL drawdown of -65.93%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FDTS and FDL.

Drawdown Indicators

	FDTS	FDL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-51.26%	-65.93%	+14.67%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.61%	-11.58%	-1.03%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-33.11%	-16.46%	-16.65%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-51.26%	-41.40%	-9.86%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-9.95%	-0.10%	-9.85%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.74%	-9.73%	-1.01%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.13%	3.10%	+0.03%

Volatility

FDTS vs. FDL - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) has a higher volatility of 7.97% compared to First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) at 2.56%. This indicates that FDTS's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FDL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FDTS	FDL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.97%	2.56%	+5.41%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.60%	8.16%	+4.44%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.77%	14.96%	+3.81%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	29.14%	14.31%	+14.83%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	24.75%	17.09%	+7.66%