SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

SAEU.L (iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)) and FTEU.L (First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Shares) are both Europe Equities funds - SAEU.L tracks the MSCI Europe NR EUR while FTEU.L tracks the MSCI EMU NR EUR. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, SAEU.L returned 9.78%/yr vs 11.77%/yr for FTEU.L. Their correlation of 0.81 suggests significant overlap in exposure. SAEU.L charges 0.12%/yr vs 0.80%/yr for FTEU.L.

Performance

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) and First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Shares (FTEU.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Different Trading Currencies

SAEU.L is traded in GBP, while FTEU.L is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the FTEU.L values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SAEU.L achieves a 6.49% return, which is significantly lower than FTEU.L's 12.78% return.

SAEU.L

• 1D: 0.70%
• 1M: 4.09%
• YTD: 6.49%
• 6M: 8.72%
• 1Y: 18.84%
• 3Y*: 13.90%
• 5Y*: 9.78%
• 10Y*: —

FTEU.L

• 1D: 0.25%
• 1M: 3.00%
• YTD: 12.78%
• 6M: 15.33%
• 1Y: 34.02%
• 3Y*: 22.63%
• 5Y*: 11.77%
• 10Y*: —

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

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
SAEU.L iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)	6.49%	24.54%	4.11%	15.10%	-5.84%	16.79%	4.11%	19.61%	-2.56%
FTEU.L First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Shares	12.78%	46.50%	4.57%	10.67%	-9.18%	12.84%	1.98%	15.97%	-4.96%

Correlation

The correlation between SAEU.L and FTEU.L is 0.80, indicating a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Combining them offers limited diversification - they tend to fall together during downturns.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.80
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.83
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.82
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Oct 24, 2018	0.81

The correlation between SAEU.L and FTEU.L has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.80 to 0.83 - a consistent structural relationship.

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors	SAEU.L	FTEU.L
Financial Services	27.0%	10.6%
Industrials	19.3%	27.4%
Healthcare	14.8%	5.2%
Technology	9.9%	6.0%
Consumer Cyclical	5.9%	9.2%
Utilities	5.5%	8.3%
Basic Materials	5.1%	7.5%
Consumer Defensive	4.8%	5.3%
Communication Services	4.0%	3.7%
Energy	2.7%	10.8%
Real Estate	0.9%	6.0%

Return for Risk

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L — Risk / Return Rank

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

SAEU.L

SAEU.L Risk / Return Rank: 41
SAEU.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
SAEU.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 43
SAEU.L Omega Ratio Rank: 44
SAEU.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
SAEU.L Martin Ratio Rank: 39

FTEU.L

FTEU.L Risk / Return Rank: 58
FTEU.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 57
FTEU.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
FTEU.L Omega Ratio Rank: 59
FTEU.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 59
FTEU.L Martin Ratio Rank: 58

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.

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) and First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Shares (FTEU.L). 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.

	SAEU.L	FTEU.L	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	1.49	2.16	-0.67
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	2.14	2.85	-0.71
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.28	1.40	-0.12
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.69	3.23	-1.54
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	6.04	11.93	-5.89
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SAEU.L Sharpe Ratio is 1.49, which is lower than the FTEU.L Sharpe Ratio of 2.16. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SAEU.L and FTEU.L, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SAEU.L	FTEU.L	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.49	2.16	-0.67
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.69	0.66	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.62	0.58	+0.04

Drawdowns

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SAEU.L drawdown since its inception was -28.68%, smaller than the maximum FTEU.L drawdown of -35.87%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SAEU.L and FTEU.L.

Drawdown Indicators

	SAEU.L	FTEU.L	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-28.68%	-35.87%	+7.19%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.13%	-10.50%	-0.63%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-12.84%	-13.83%	+0.99%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.74%	-24.32%	+6.58%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.11%	-0.15%	-0.96%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.10%	-6.50%	+2.40%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.11%	2.84%	+0.27%

Volatility

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) is 4.21%, while First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Shares (FTEU.L) has a volatility of 5.05%. This indicates that SAEU.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than FTEU.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SAEU.L	FTEU.L	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.21%	5.05%	-0.84%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.55%	13.09%	-2.54%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.57%	15.67%	-3.10%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.24%	17.71%	-3.47%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.74%	18.31%	-1.57%

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

SAEU.L has a 0.12% expense ratio, which is lower than FTEU.L's 0.80% expense ratio.

Dividends

SAEU.L vs. FTEU.L - Dividend Comparison

Neither SAEU.L nor FTEU.L has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both SAEU.L and FTEU.L in my portfolio?

SAEU.L and FTEU.L have a correlation of 0.80, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which ETF is better, SAEU.L or FTEU.L?

On fees, SAEU.L is cheaper at 0.12% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Which ETF is cheaper, SAEU.L or FTEU.L?

SAEU.L is cheaper with a 0.12% expense ratio, compared with 0.80% for FTEU.L.

What is the main difference between SAEU.L and FTEU.L?

SAEU.L tracks MSCI Europe NR EUR, while FTEU.L tracks MSCI EMU NR EUR. They also come from different issuers: iShares and First Trust. Their fees differ too: 0.12% for SAEU.L and 0.80% for FTEU.L.