FKU vs. DFE

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) and WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE).

FKU and DFE are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FKU is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX United Kingdom Index. It was launched on Feb 14, 2012. DFE is a passively managed fund by WisdomTree that tracks the performance of the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index. It was launched on Jun 16, 2006. Both FKU and DFE 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

FKU vs. DFE - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) and WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FKU vs. DFE - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FKU First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund	-0.77%	37.97%	8.06%	20.59%	-24.12%	20.55%	-6.01%	32.90%	-16.21%	25.81%
DFE WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund	-0.10%	32.85%	-0.61%	14.94%	-22.15%	18.44%	2.15%	27.15%	-21.23%	32.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FKU achieves a -0.77% return, which is significantly lower than DFE's -0.10% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with FKU having a 6.74% annualized return and DFE not far behind at 6.62%.

FKU

• 1D: 3.56%
• 1M: -9.63%
• YTD: -0.77%
• 6M: 5.20%
• 1Y: 29.72%
• 3Y*: 18.49%
• 5Y*: 7.68%
• 10Y*: 6.74%

DFE

• 1D: 3.45%
• 1M: -7.61%
• YTD: -0.10%
• 6M: 3.19%
• 1Y: 22.70%
• 3Y*: 12.12%
• 5Y*: 4.86%
• 10Y*: 6.62%

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

FKU vs. DFE - Expense Ratio Comparison

FKU has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is higher than DFE's 0.58% expense ratio.

FKU

First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund

DFE

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund

Return for Risk

FKU vs. DFE — Risk / Return Rank

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

FKU

FKU Risk / Return Rank: 79
FKU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
FKU Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
FKU Omega Ratio Rank: 80
FKU Calmar Ratio Rank: 76
FKU Martin Ratio Rank: 76

DFE

DFE Risk / Return Rank: 72
DFE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 75
DFE Sortino Ratio Rank: 74
DFE Omega Ratio Rank: 74
DFE Calmar Ratio Rank: 72
DFE Martin Ratio Rank: 65

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.

FKU vs. DFE - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) and WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE). 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.

	FKU	DFE	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.56	1.34	+0.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.15	1.87	+0.29
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.31	1.27	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.00	1.85	+0.16
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.06	6.48	+1.58
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FKU vs. DFE - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FKU Sharpe Ratio is 1.56, which is comparable to the DFE Sharpe Ratio of 1.34. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FKU and DFE, 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

	FKU	DFE	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.56	1.34	+0.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.34	0.26	+0.08
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.28	0.34	-0.06
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.31	0.28	+0.03

Correlation

The correlation between FKU and DFE is 0.74, 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

FKU vs. DFE - Dividend Comparison

FKU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.90%, less than DFE's 4.10% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FKU First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund	2.90%	2.89%	4.07%	3.82%	5.55%	2.98%	1.48%	3.34%	5.12%	2.93%	2.60%	2.64%
DFE WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund	4.10%	4.38%	4.93%	4.97%	5.84%	2.56%	2.43%	3.39%	4.97%	2.53%	4.05%	2.78%

Drawdowns

FKU vs. DFE - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FKU drawdown since its inception was -54.39%, smaller than the maximum DFE drawdown of -69.38%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FKU and DFE.

Drawdown Indicators

	FKU	DFE	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-54.39%	-69.38%	+14.99%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.25%	-11.41%	-2.84%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-41.84%	-40.34%	-1.50%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-54.39%	-49.66%	-4.73%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-10.95%	-7.99%	-2.96%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.87%	-17.87%	+7.00%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.54%	3.25%	+0.29%

Volatility

FKU vs. DFE - Volatility Comparison

First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund (FKU) has a higher volatility of 8.10% compared to WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE) at 7.34%. This indicates that FKU's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFE based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FKU	DFE	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.10%	7.34%	+0.76%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.69%	10.80%	+1.89%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.17%	17.03%	+2.14%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.70%	18.95%	+3.75%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	24.35%	19.70%	+4.65%