QLC vs. FTCS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) and First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS).

QLC and FTCS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. QLC is a passively managed fund by Northern Trust that tracks the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Large Cap Index. It was launched on Sep 24, 2015. FTCS is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the The NASDAQ Capital Strength Index. It was launched on Jul 6, 2006. Both QLC and FTCS 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

QLC vs. FTCS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) and First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

QLC vs. FTCS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
QLC FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund	-3.32%	23.26%	26.71%	26.02%	-17.21%	28.46%	13.64%	24.51%	-8.12%	21.73%
FTCS First Trust Capital Strength ETF	0.58%	6.46%	11.19%	8.48%	-10.22%	26.75%	13.05%	26.71%	-4.22%	26.57%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, QLC achieves a -3.32% return, which is significantly lower than FTCS's 0.58% return. Over the past 10 years, QLC has outperformed FTCS with an annualized return of 13.29%, while FTCS has yielded a comparatively lower 10.24% annualized return.

QLC

• 1D: 2.88%
• 1M: -4.70%
• YTD: -3.32%
• 6M: 0.78%
• 1Y: 23.78%
• 3Y*: 21.17%
• 5Y*: 13.53%
• 10Y*: 13.29%

FTCS

• 1D: 0.97%
• 1M: -6.34%
• YTD: 0.58%
• 6M: -0.35%
• 1Y: 4.65%
• 3Y*: 9.74%
• 5Y*: 6.80%
• 10Y*: 10.24%

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

QLC vs. FTCS - Expense Ratio Comparison

QLC has a 0.32% expense ratio, which is lower than FTCS's 0.56% expense ratio.

FTCS

First Trust Capital Strength ETF

QLC

FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund

Return for Risk

QLC vs. FTCS — Risk / Return Rank

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

QLC

QLC Risk / Return Rank: 78
QLC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
QLC Sortino Ratio Rank: 76
QLC Omega Ratio Rank: 78
QLC Calmar Ratio Rank: 78
QLC Martin Ratio Rank: 85

FTCS

FTCS Risk / Return Rank: 25
FTCS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 23
FTCS Sortino Ratio Rank: 22
FTCS Omega Ratio Rank: 22
FTCS Calmar Ratio Rank: 28
FTCS Martin Ratio Rank: 30

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.

QLC vs. FTCS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) and First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS). 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.

	QLC	FTCS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.30	0.34	+0.96
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.91	0.60	+1.31
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	1.08	+0.21
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.06	0.63	+1.43
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.71	2.42	+7.29
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

QLC vs. FTCS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current QLC Sharpe Ratio is 1.30, which is higher than the FTCS Sharpe Ratio of 0.34. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of QLC and FTCS, 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

	QLC	FTCS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.30	0.34	+0.96
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.81	0.52	+0.29
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.73	0.66	+0.06
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.72	0.51	+0.22

Correlation

The correlation between QLC and FTCS 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

QLC vs. FTCS - Dividend Comparison

QLC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.01%, less than FTCS's 1.11% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
QLC FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund	1.01%	0.94%	1.03%	1.26%	1.46%	0.96%	1.40%	1.91%	1.82%	1.29%	1.80%	0.64%
FTCS First Trust Capital Strength ETF	1.11%	1.04%	1.33%	1.47%	1.23%	1.06%	0.93%	1.26%	1.26%	1.15%	1.43%	1.50%

Drawdowns

QLC vs. FTCS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum QLC drawdown since its inception was -35.86%, smaller than the maximum FTCS drawdown of -53.64%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for QLC and FTCS.

Drawdown Indicators

	QLC	FTCS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-35.86%	-53.64%	+17.78%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.92%	-9.38%	-2.54%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-23.81%	-20.93%	-2.88%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-35.86%	-31.93%	-3.93%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.22%	-6.42%	+0.20%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.60%	-6.93%	+2.33%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.52%	2.42%	+0.10%

Volatility

QLC vs. FTCS - Volatility Comparison

FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) has a higher volatility of 5.11% compared to First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS) at 3.20%. This indicates that QLC's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FTCS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	QLC	FTCS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.11%	3.20%	+1.91%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.90%	7.06%	+2.84%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.33%	13.60%	+4.73%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.81%	13.14%	+3.67%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.39%	15.54%	+2.85%