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UNL vs. FYC
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

UNL vs. FYC

Last updated Jun 4, 2026

UNL (United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP) and FYC (First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund) are both exchange-traded funds - UNL is a Oil & Gas fund tracking the 12 Month Natural Gas, while FYC is a Small Cap Growth Equities fund tracking the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, UNL returned -3.81%/yr vs 14.30%/yr for FYC. At a 0.01 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. UNL charges 0.90%/yr vs 0.71%/yr for FYC.

Performance

UNL vs. FYC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP (UNL) and First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, UNL achieves a -11.00% return, which is significantly lower than FYC's 20.01% return. Over the past 10 years, UNL has underperformed FYC with an annualized return of -3.81%, while FYC has yielded a comparatively higher 14.30% annualized return.

UNL

1D
1.21%
1M
-1.96%
YTD
-11.00%
6M
-23.47%
1Y
-28.37%
3Y*
-14.70%
5Y*
-5.77%
10Y*
-3.81%

FYC

1D
-0.91%
1M
3.23%
YTD
20.01%
6M
20.96%
1Y
53.40%
3Y*
26.12%
5Y*
10.47%
10Y*
14.30%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

UNL vs. FYC - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)202520242023202220212020201920182017
UNL
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP		-11.00%-9.67%-4.78%-50.20%47.01%54.42%-9.54%-18.78%12.53%-21.47%
FYC
First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund		20.01%24.24%23.99%14.52%-25.86%21.64%32.34%16.79%-5.54%22.97%

Correlation

The correlation between UNL and FYC is -0.29, meaning they tend to move in opposite directions. This is especially valuable for risk management - when one declines, the other has historically tended to hold steady or rise.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

-0.29

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

-0.09

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.01

Correlation (10Y)
Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

0.02

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Apr 21, 2011

0.01

The correlation between UNL and FYC shifts across timeframes, from -0.29 (1 year) to 0.02 (10 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.

United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP

First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund

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Return for Risk

UNL vs. FYC — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
UNL
UNL Risk / Return Rank: 33
Overall Rank
UNL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 33
Sharpe Ratio Rank
UNL Sortino Ratio Rank: 33
Sortino Ratio Rank
UNL Omega Ratio Rank: 33
Omega Ratio Rank
UNL Calmar Ratio Rank: 22
Calmar Ratio Rank
UNL Martin Ratio Rank: 33
Martin Ratio Rank
FYC
FYC Risk / Return Rank: 7979
Overall Rank
FYC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7878
Sharpe Ratio Rank
FYC Sortino Ratio Rank: 7676
Sortino Ratio Rank
FYC Omega Ratio Rank: 6868
Omega Ratio Rank
FYC Calmar Ratio Rank: 8888
Calmar Ratio Rank
FYC Martin Ratio Rank: 8787
Martin Ratio Rank
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.

UNL vs. FYC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP (UNL) 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.

UNLFYCDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
-0.79
2.55

-3.35

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
-0.97
3.45

-4.42

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

0.87

1.41

-0.54

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

-0.81

5.12

-5.93

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

-1.30

18.64

-19.93

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

UNL vs. FYC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current UNL Sharpe Ratio is -0.79, which is lower than the FYC Sharpe Ratio of 2.55. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of UNL and FYC, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

UNLFYCDifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

-0.79

2.55

-3.35

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

-0.14

0.45

-0.58

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

-0.11

0.58

-0.70

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

-0.40

0.54

-0.93

Drawdowns

UNL vs. FYC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum UNL drawdown since its inception was -89.00%, which is greater than FYC's maximum drawdown of -47.85%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for UNL and FYC.

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Drawdown Indicators

UNLFYCDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-89.00%

-47.85%

-41.15%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-35.11%

-10.48%

-24.63%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-48.16%

-27.79%

-20.37%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-78.12%

-35.37%

-42.75%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

-78.12%

-47.85%

-30.27%

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-88.37%

-1.83%

-86.54%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-73.36%

-9.66%

-63.70%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

21.92%

2.87%

+19.05%

Volatility

UNL vs. FYC - Volatility Comparison

United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP (UNL) has a higher volatility of 8.36% compared to First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FYC) at 5.53%. This indicates that UNL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FYC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

UNLFYCDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

8.36%

5.53%

+2.83%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

32.00%

14.99%

+17.01%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

35.82%

21.03%

+14.79%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

41.76%

23.62%

+18.14%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

33.84%

24.57%

+9.27%

UNL vs. FYC - Expense Ratio Comparison

UNL has a 0.90% expense ratio, which is higher than FYC's 0.71% expense ratio.

Dividends

UNL vs. FYC - Dividend Comparison

UNL has not paid dividends to shareholders, while FYC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.07%.

PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
FYC
First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund		0.07%0.08%0.72%0.58%0.00%0.63%0.12%0.39%0.09%0.10%0.31%0.21%
UNL
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP		0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%

Frequently Asked Questions

UNL and FYC have a correlation of -0.29, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

UNL has higher volatility (8.36%) compared to FYC (5.53%). In terms of maximum drawdown, UNL dropped -89.00% vs FYC's -47.85%.

On 10-year performance, FYC leads with 14.30% vs -3.81% for UNL. On fees, FYC is cheaper at 0.71% per year. On volatility, FYC has been the lower-risk option at 5.53%. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Over the 10-year period, FYC has performed better with a 14.30% return vs -3.81%. Past performance does not guarantee future results, so compare this with risk, fees, and fund exposure.

FYC is cheaper with a 0.71% expense ratio, compared with 0.90% for UNL.

FYC has the higher dividend yield at 0.07%, compared with 0.00% for UNL.

UNL is categorized as Oil & Gas, while FYC is Small Cap Growth Equities. UNL tracks 12 Month Natural Gas, while FYC tracks NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index. They also come from different issuers: Concierge Technologies and First Trust. Their fees differ too: 0.90% for UNL and 0.71% for FYC.

FYC currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (2.55 vs -0.79), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.

Portfolio Optimizer

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