ITB vs. FLM

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF (FLM).

ITB and FLM are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. ITB is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Construction Index. It was launched on May 1, 2006. FLM is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the ISE Global Engineering & Construction Index. It was launched on Oct 13, 2008. Both ITB and FLM 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

ITB vs. FLM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF (FLM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

ITB vs. FLM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
ITB iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF	-5.79%	-5.26%	2.06%	68.91%	-26.26%	49.25%	26.42%	48.70%	-30.92%	59.65%
FLM First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF	8.87%	13.99%	17.94%	19.36%	-9.87%	12.98%	0.51%	12.81%	-21.72%	22.95%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, ITB achieves a -5.79% return, which is significantly lower than FLM's 8.87% return. Over the past 10 years, ITB has outperformed FLM with an annualized return of 13.58%, while FLM has yielded a comparatively lower 7.81% annualized return.

ITB

• 1D: 2.80%
• 1M: -15.62%
• YTD: -5.79%
• 6M: -15.27%
• 1Y: -3.74%
• 3Y*: 9.80%
• 5Y*: 6.35%
• 10Y*: 13.58%

FLM

• 1D: 2.08%
• 1M: -4.71%
• YTD: 8.87%
• 6M: 8.11%
• 1Y: 24.93%
• 3Y*: 19.13%
• 5Y*: 9.29%
• 10Y*: 7.81%

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

ITB vs. FLM - Expense Ratio Comparison

ITB has a 0.42% expense ratio, which is lower than FLM's 0.70% expense ratio.

FLM

First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF

ITB

iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF

Return for Risk

ITB vs. FLM — Risk / Return Rank

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

ITB

ITB Risk / Return Rank: 10
ITB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 10
ITB Sortino Ratio Rank: 11
ITB Omega Ratio Rank: 10
ITB Calmar Ratio Rank: 10
ITB Martin Ratio Rank: 10

FLM

FLM Risk / Return Rank: 78
FLM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
FLM Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
FLM Omega Ratio Rank: 75
FLM Calmar Ratio Rank: 78
FLM Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

ITB vs. FLM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF (FLM). 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.

	ITB	FLM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.12	1.41	-1.54
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.04	1.96	-1.92
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.00	1.28	-0.28
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.12	2.10	-2.22
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.28	9.70	-9.98
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

ITB vs. FLM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ITB Sharpe Ratio is -0.12, which is lower than the FLM Sharpe Ratio of 1.41. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ITB and FLM, 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

	ITB	FLM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.12	1.41	-1.54
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.22	0.56	-0.34
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.46	0.42	+0.04
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.11	0.36	-0.25

Correlation

The correlation between ITB and FLM 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

ITB vs. FLM - Dividend Comparison

ITB's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.25%, more than FLM's 1.12% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
ITB iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF	1.25%	1.67%	0.46%	0.48%	0.86%	0.37%	0.46%	0.50%	0.63%	0.28%	0.43%	0.34%
FLM First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF	1.12%	1.19%	1.31%	1.16%	2.10%	1.45%	2.88%	1.84%	1.74%	1.49%	2.01%	1.17%

Drawdowns

ITB vs. FLM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ITB drawdown since its inception was -86.53%, which is greater than FLM's maximum drawdown of -50.07%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ITB and FLM.

Drawdown Indicators

	ITB	FLM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-86.53%	-50.07%	-36.46%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-24.45%	-12.24%	-12.21%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-40.55%	-25.35%	-15.20%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-52.10%	-50.07%	-2.03%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-28.58%	-5.26%	-23.32%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-37.20%	-10.94%	-26.26%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	10.43%	2.65%	+7.78%

Volatility

ITB vs. FLM - Volatility Comparison

iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) has a higher volatility of 7.95% compared to First Trust Global Engineering and Construction ETF (FLM) at 5.59%. This indicates that ITB's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FLM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	ITB	FLM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.95%	5.59%	+2.36%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	19.21%	10.29%	+8.92%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	30.44%	17.71%	+12.73%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	29.08%	16.79%	+12.29%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	29.81%	18.74%	+11.07%