FPXI vs. FDT

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXI) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT).

FPXI and FDT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FPXI is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the IPOX International Index. It was launched on Nov 5, 2014. FDT is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX DM Ex-US Index. It was launched on Apr 18, 2011. Both FPXI and FDT 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

FPXI vs. FDT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXI) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FPXI vs. FDT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FPXI First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF	7.38%	26.37%	12.62%	9.56%	-31.83%	-15.73%	71.50%	33.69%	-13.07%	39.32%
FDT First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund	11.73%	52.21%	6.97%	15.03%	-19.51%	11.43%	4.29%	16.82%	-19.98%	34.42%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FPXI achieves a 7.38% return, which is significantly lower than FDT's 11.73% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with FPXI having a 10.40% annualized return and FDT not far behind at 9.91%.

FPXI

• 1D: 2.77%
• 1M: -5.01%
• YTD: 7.38%
• 6M: 5.29%
• 1Y: 35.12%
• 3Y*: 16.85%
• 5Y*: -0.24%
• 10Y*: 10.40%

FDT

• 1D: 1.73%
• 1M: -7.63%
• YTD: 11.73%
• 6M: 18.75%
• 1Y: 57.05%
• 3Y*: 25.20%
• 5Y*: 11.64%
• 10Y*: 9.91%

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

FPXI vs. FDT - Expense Ratio Comparison

FPXI has a 0.70% expense ratio, which is lower than FDT's 0.80% expense ratio.

FDT

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund

FPXI

First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF

Return for Risk

FPXI vs. FDT — Risk / Return Rank

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

FPXI

FPXI Risk / Return Rank: 77
FPXI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 78
FPXI Sortino Ratio Rank: 78
FPXI Omega Ratio Rank: 73
FPXI Calmar Ratio Rank: 80
FPXI Martin Ratio Rank: 74

FDT

FDT Risk / Return Rank: 96
FDT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
FDT Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
FDT Omega Ratio Rank: 97
FDT Calmar Ratio Rank: 95
FDT Martin Ratio Rank: 96

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.

FPXI vs. FDT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXI) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT). 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.

	FPXI	FDT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.52	2.96	-1.43
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.11	3.59	-1.48
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.28	1.56	-0.28
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.43	4.30	-1.87
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.46	17.64	-9.18
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FPXI vs. FDT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FPXI Sharpe Ratio is 1.52, which is lower than the FDT Sharpe Ratio of 2.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FPXI and FDT, 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

	FPXI	FDT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.52	2.96	-1.43
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.01	0.65	-0.67
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.50	0.54	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.39	0.36	+0.03

Correlation

The correlation between FPXI and FDT is 0.70, 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

FPXI vs. FDT - Dividend Comparison

FPXI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.74%, less than FDT's 3.19% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FPXI First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF	0.74%	0.70%	0.93%	0.71%	1.13%	0.71%	0.18%	0.67%	1.75%	0.75%	2.09%	1.34%
FDT First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund	3.19%	3.27%	3.89%	4.36%	2.29%	3.80%	2.42%	2.78%	2.13%	1.57%	1.76%	1.83%

Drawdowns

FPXI vs. FDT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FPXI drawdown since its inception was -55.78%, which is greater than FDT's maximum drawdown of -46.10%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FPXI and FDT.

Drawdown Indicators

	FPXI	FDT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-55.78%	-46.10%	-9.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.77%	-13.41%	-1.36%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-50.75%	-33.18%	-17.57%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-55.78%	-46.10%	-9.68%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-15.65%	-8.75%	-6.90%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-20.48%	-10.86%	-9.62%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.24%	3.27%	+0.97%

Volatility

FPXI vs. FDT - Volatility Comparison

First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXI) has a higher volatility of 10.53% compared to First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX Fund (FDT) at 8.78%. This indicates that FPXI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FDT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FPXI	FDT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.53%	8.78%	+1.75%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	18.08%	14.05%	+4.03%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	23.17%	19.39%	+3.78%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	21.08%	17.87%	+3.21%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.82%	18.33%	+2.49%