FEM vs. SCHD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD).

FEM and SCHD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FEM is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX EM Index. It was launched on Apr 18, 2011. SCHD is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. It was launched on Oct 20, 2011. Both FEM and SCHD 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

FEM vs. SCHD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FEM vs. SCHD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FEM First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	9.64%	28.36%	3.01%	10.84%	-14.24%	7.40%	-1.68%	20.55%	-15.51%	41.05%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	12.79%	4.34%	11.66%	4.54%	-3.26%	29.87%	15.03%	27.29%	-5.56%	20.85%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FEM achieves a 9.64% return, which is significantly lower than SCHD's 12.79% return. Over the past 10 years, FEM has underperformed SCHD with an annualized return of 8.47%, while SCHD has yielded a comparatively higher 12.31% annualized return.

FEM

• 1D: 1.40%
• 1M: -4.37%
• YTD: 9.64%
• 6M: 11.51%
• 1Y: 35.39%
• 3Y*: 16.74%
• 5Y*: 6.92%
• 10Y*: 8.47%

SCHD

• 1D: 0.66%
• 1M: -2.61%
• YTD: 12.79%
• 6M: 14.49%
• 1Y: 13.97%
• 3Y*: 12.05%
• 5Y*: 8.44%
• 10Y*: 12.31%

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

FEM vs. SCHD - Expense Ratio Comparison

FEM has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is higher than SCHD's 0.06% expense ratio.

FEM

First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund

SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Return for Risk

FEM vs. SCHD — Risk / Return Rank

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

FEM

FEM Risk / Return Rank: 88
FEM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
FEM Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
FEM Omega Ratio Rank: 88
FEM Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
FEM Martin Ratio Rank: 92

SCHD

SCHD Risk / Return Rank: 52
SCHD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 54
SCHD Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
SCHD Omega Ratio Rank: 54
SCHD Calmar Ratio Rank: 53
SCHD Martin Ratio Rank: 45

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.

FEM vs. SCHD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). 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.

	FEM	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.85	0.89	+0.95
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.34	1.35	+1.00
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.36	1.19	+0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.66	1.19	+1.46
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.54	3.99	+8.55
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FEM vs. SCHD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FEM Sharpe Ratio is 1.85, which is higher than the SCHD Sharpe Ratio of 0.89. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FEM and SCHD, 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

	FEM	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.85	0.89	+0.95
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.38	0.59	-0.21
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.41	0.74	-0.33
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.16	0.84	-0.68

Correlation

The correlation between FEM and SCHD is 0.57, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

FEM vs. SCHD - Dividend Comparison

FEM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.84%, less than SCHD's 3.44% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FEM First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund	2.84%	3.13%	3.66%	4.96%	6.15%	4.15%	2.68%	3.31%	3.52%	2.45%	2.25%	3.61%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	3.44%	3.82%	3.64%	3.49%	3.39%	2.78%	3.16%	2.98%	3.06%	2.63%	2.89%	2.97%

Drawdowns

FEM vs. SCHD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FEM drawdown since its inception was -46.23%, which is greater than SCHD's maximum drawdown of -33.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FEM and SCHD.

Drawdown Indicators

	FEM	SCHD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-46.23%	-33.37%	-12.86%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.19%	-12.74%	-0.45%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-31.72%	-16.85%	-14.87%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-46.23%	-33.37%	-12.86%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.40%	-2.89%	-2.51%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-15.20%	-3.34%	-11.86%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.79%	3.89%	-1.10%

Volatility

FEM vs. SCHD - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund (FEM) has a higher volatility of 8.51% compared to Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) at 2.40%. This indicates that FEM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SCHD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FEM	SCHD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.51%	2.40%	+6.11%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.64%	7.96%	+5.68%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.24%	15.74%	+3.50%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.21%	14.40%	+3.81%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.95%	16.70%	+4.25%