IJT vs. FYC

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) and First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC).

IJT and FYC are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IJT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600/Citigroup Growth Index. It was launched on Jul 24, 2000. FYC is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index. It was launched on Apr 19, 2011. Both IJT and FYC 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

IJT vs. FYC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) and First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IJT vs. FYC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IJT iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF	3.64%	5.26%	9.33%	17.11%	-21.32%	22.37%	19.22%	20.98%	-4.40%	14.47%
FYC First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund	2.07%	24.24%	23.99%	14.52%	-25.86%	21.64%	32.34%	16.79%	-5.54%	22.97%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IJT achieves a 3.64% return, which is significantly higher than FYC's 2.07% return. Over the past 10 years, IJT has underperformed FYC with an annualized return of 9.91%, while FYC has yielded a comparatively higher 12.82% annualized return.

IJT

• 1D: 0.95%
• 1M: -4.59%
• YTD: 3.64%
• 6M: 3.69%
• 1Y: 18.27%
• 3Y*: 11.05%
• 5Y*: 3.29%
• 10Y*: 9.91%

FYC

• 1D: 1.16%
• 1M: -3.22%
• YTD: 2.07%
• 6M: 7.94%
• 1Y: 42.12%
• 3Y*: 19.79%
• 5Y*: 7.16%
• 10Y*: 12.82%

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

IJT vs. FYC - Expense Ratio Comparison

IJT has a 0.25% expense ratio, which is lower than FYC's 0.71% expense ratio.

FYC

First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund

IJT

iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF

Return for Risk

IJT vs. FYC — Risk / Return Rank

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

IJT

IJT Risk / Return Rank: 46
IJT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
IJT Sortino Ratio Rank: 46
IJT Omega Ratio Rank: 41
IJT Calmar Ratio Rank: 48
IJT Martin Ratio Rank: 53

FYC

FYC Risk / Return Rank: 86
FYC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
FYC Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
FYC Omega Ratio Rank: 78
FYC Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
FYC Martin Ratio Rank: 90

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.

IJT vs. FYC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) and First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC). 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.

	IJT	FYC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.83	1.73	-0.91
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.31	2.40	-1.09
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.31	-0.14
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.32	3.19	-1.87
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.42	12.31	-6.89
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IJT vs. FYC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IJT Sharpe Ratio is 0.83, which is lower than the FYC Sharpe Ratio of 1.73. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IJT and FYC, 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

	IJT	FYC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.83	1.73	-0.91
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.15	0.30	-0.15
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.43	0.52	-0.09
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.38	0.49	-0.11

Correlation

The correlation between IJT and FYC is 0.91, 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

IJT vs. FYC - Dividend Comparison

IJT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.86%, more than FYC's 0.08% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IJT iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF	0.86%	0.91%	1.06%	1.02%	1.08%	0.63%	0.68%	0.92%	0.92%	0.86%	1.03%	1.14%
FYC First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund	0.08%	0.08%	0.72%	0.58%	0.00%	0.63%	0.12%	0.39%	0.09%	0.10%	0.31%	0.21%

Drawdowns

IJT vs. FYC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IJT drawdown since its inception was -57.61%, which is greater than FYC's maximum drawdown of -47.85%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IJT and FYC.

Drawdown Indicators

	IJT	FYC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-57.61%	-47.85%	-9.76%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.92%	-13.40%	-0.52%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-29.24%	-35.37%	+6.13%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-42.03%	-47.85%	+5.82%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.00%	-5.46%	+0.46%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.37%	-9.75%	-0.62%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.39%	3.47%	-0.08%

Volatility

IJT vs. FYC - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) is 7.29%, while First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC) has a volatility of 8.77%. This indicates that IJT experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than FYC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IJT	FYC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.29%	8.77%	-1.48%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.14%	16.40%	-3.26%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.19%	24.42%	-2.23%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	21.56%	23.70%	-2.14%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	23.00%	24.51%	-1.51%