XME vs. FDTS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS).

XME and FDTS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. XME is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index. It was launched on Jun 19, 2006. FDTS is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX DM Ex-US Small Cap Index. It was launched on Feb 15, 2012. Both XME and FDTS 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

XME vs. FDTS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

XME vs. FDTS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
XME SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF	4.31%	83.47%	-4.54%	21.51%	13.13%	34.92%	15.95%	14.69%	-26.78%	21.17%
FDTS First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund	11.04%	51.17%	2.44%	10.96%	-15.34%	11.79%	12.90%	18.71%	-23.71%	36.01%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XME achieves a 4.31% return, which is significantly lower than FDTS's 11.04% return. Over the past 10 years, XME has outperformed FDTS with an annualized return of 19.54%, while FDTS has yielded a comparatively lower 10.43% annualized return.

XME

• 1D: 4.40%
• 1M: -9.45%
• YTD: 4.31%
• 6M: 16.12%
• 1Y: 93.75%
• 3Y*: 27.50%
• 5Y*: 22.88%
• 10Y*: 19.54%

FDTS

• 1D: 3.04%
• 1M: -9.63%
• YTD: 11.04%
• 6M: 16.94%
• 1Y: 59.05%
• 3Y*: 21.33%
• 5Y*: 10.78%
• 10Y*: 10.43%

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

XME vs. FDTS - Expense Ratio Comparison

XME has a 0.35% expense ratio, which is lower than FDTS's 0.80% expense ratio.

FDTS

First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

XME

SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF

Return for Risk

XME vs. FDTS — Risk / Return Rank

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

XME

XME Risk / Return Rank: 94
XME Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
XME Sortino Ratio Rank: 95
XME Omega Ratio Rank: 94
XME Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
XME Martin Ratio Rank: 91

FDTS

FDTS Risk / Return Rank: 97
FDTS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
FDTS Sortino Ratio Rank: 98
FDTS Omega Ratio Rank: 97
FDTS Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
FDTS Martin Ratio Rank: 97

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.

XME vs. FDTS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS). 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.

	XME	FDTS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.63	3.16	-0.53
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.07	3.90	-0.83
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	1.60	-0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.05	4.68	-0.63
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.64	18.83	-7.19
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XME vs. FDTS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XME Sharpe Ratio is 2.63, which is comparable to the FDTS Sharpe Ratio of 3.16. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XME and FDTS, 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

	XME	FDTS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.63	3.16	-0.53
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.71	0.37	+0.34
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.59	0.42	+0.17
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.15	0.36	-0.21

Correlation

The correlation between XME and FDTS is 0.36, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

XME vs. FDTS - Dividend Comparison

XME's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.35%, less than FDTS's 2.71% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
XME SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF	0.35%	0.38%	0.65%	1.00%	1.64%	0.70%	0.99%	2.43%	2.23%	1.15%	1.02%	2.61%
FDTS First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund	2.71%	2.94%	3.94%	2.90%	3.71%	3.01%	2.02%	2.30%	1.96%	2.08%	1.78%	1.73%

Drawdowns

XME vs. FDTS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XME drawdown since its inception was -85.89%, which is greater than FDTS's maximum drawdown of -51.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XME and FDTS.

Drawdown Indicators

	XME	FDTS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-85.89%	-51.26%	-34.63%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-22.60%	-12.61%	-9.99%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-37.27%	-33.11%	-4.16%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-61.69%	-51.26%	-10.43%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-17.77%	-9.95%	-7.82%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-44.45%	-10.74%	-33.71%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.87%	3.13%	+4.74%

Volatility

XME vs. FDTS - Volatility Comparison

SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) has a higher volatility of 11.55% compared to First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) at 7.97%. This indicates that XME's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FDTS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	XME	FDTS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	11.55%	7.97%	+3.58%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	28.02%	12.60%	+15.42%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	35.81%	18.77%	+17.04%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	32.46%	29.14%	+3.32%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	32.98%	24.75%	+8.23%