FTXO vs. DFNL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF (FTXO) and Davis Select Financial ETF (DFNL).

FTXO and DFNL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FTXO is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ US Banks Index. It was launched on Sep 20, 2016. DFNL is an actively managed fund by Davis Advisers. It was launched on Jan 11, 2017.

Performance

FTXO vs. DFNL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF (FTXO) and Davis Select Financial ETF (DFNL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FTXO vs. DFNL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FTXO First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF	-4.09%	21.32%	29.05%	0.05%	-17.93%	40.53%	-12.53%	30.11%	-21.79%	13.68%
DFNL Davis Select Financial ETF	-7.22%	28.59%	28.56%	14.45%	-8.45%	31.25%	-4.97%	27.37%	-11.59%	20.46%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FTXO achieves a -4.09% return, which is significantly higher than DFNL's -7.22% return.

FTXO

• 1D: 3.40%
• 1M: -2.44%
• YTD: -4.09%
• 6M: 2.40%
• 1Y: 21.28%
• 3Y*: 22.50%
• 5Y*: 5.52%
• 10Y*: —

DFNL

• 1D: 2.40%
• 1M: -4.60%
• YTD: -7.22%
• 6M: 0.50%
• 1Y: 15.69%
• 3Y*: 22.32%
• 5Y*: 12.10%
• 10Y*: —

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

FTXO vs. DFNL - Expense Ratio Comparison

FTXO has a 0.60% expense ratio, which is lower than DFNL's 0.64% expense ratio.

DFNL

Davis Select Financial ETF

FTXO

First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF

Return for Risk

FTXO vs. DFNL — Risk / Return Rank

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

FTXO

FTXO Risk / Return Rank: 46
FTXO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 46
FTXO Sortino Ratio Rank: 44
FTXO Omega Ratio Rank: 47
FTXO Calmar Ratio Rank: 54
FTXO Martin Ratio Rank: 41

DFNL

DFNL Risk / Return Rank: 45
DFNL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 46
DFNL Sortino Ratio Rank: 44
DFNL Omega Ratio Rank: 46
DFNL Calmar Ratio Rank: 48
DFNL Martin Ratio Rank: 42

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.

FTXO vs. DFNL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF (FTXO) and Davis Select Financial ETF (DFNL). 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.

	FTXO	DFNL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.82	0.83	-0.01
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.19	1.20	-0.01
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.18	1.18	0.00
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.36	1.22	+0.14
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.86	3.93	-0.07
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FTXO vs. DFNL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FTXO Sharpe Ratio is 0.82, which is comparable to the DFNL Sharpe Ratio of 0.83. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FTXO and DFNL, 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

	FTXO	DFNL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.82	0.83	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.20	0.63	-0.42
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.29	0.51	-0.21

Correlation

The correlation between FTXO and DFNL is 0.89, 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

FTXO vs. DFNL - Dividend Comparison

FTXO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.87%, more than DFNL's 1.47% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
FTXO First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF	1.87%	1.92%	2.18%	3.20%	2.94%	1.64%	2.74%	2.53%	3.51%	1.09%	0.16%
DFNL Davis Select Financial ETF	1.47%	1.37%	2.19%	2.33%	3.34%	2.45%	1.45%	2.52%	3.12%	1.10%	0.00%

Drawdowns

FTXO vs. DFNL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FTXO drawdown since its inception was -55.26%, which is greater than DFNL's maximum drawdown of -44.51%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FTXO and DFNL.

Drawdown Indicators

	FTXO	DFNL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-55.26%	-44.51%	-10.75%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.69%	-13.48%	-3.21%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-46.55%	-26.27%	-20.28%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-12.56%	-9.91%	-2.65%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-16.03%	-7.69%	-8.34%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.89%	4.17%	+1.72%

Volatility

FTXO vs. DFNL - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF (FTXO) has a higher volatility of 6.19% compared to Davis Select Financial ETF (DFNL) at 4.91%. This indicates that FTXO's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFNL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FTXO	DFNL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.19%	4.91%	+1.28%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.34%	11.16%	+5.18%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	26.14%	19.02%	+7.12%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	27.07%	19.33%	+7.74%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	30.15%	22.74%	+7.41%