Data as of .
FTLS vs HFEQ: which moved less with stocks?
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FTLS moved less with the S&P 500 than HFEQ: correlation +0.77 against +0.82.
ETFIQ Diversifier Score: FTLS scores higher
How much does it diversify a stock portfolio?
A percentile among the 63 alternatives ETFs with a full year. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All alternatives ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
One strategy, two funds
FTLS and HFEQ both run a long-short equity strategy. Over the same 52 weeks to Sep 18, 2026, FTLS’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.77 with the S&P 500 and HFEQ’s +0.82. In the 22 weeks the index fell, by 1.24% a week on average, FTLS averaged −0.52% and HFEQ −1.74%. Over the same weeks, FTLS finished 7.7 percentage points ahead of cash and HFEQ finished 11.2 points ahead of cash.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTLS | HFEQ | FTLS | HFEQ | |
| 3 months | +3.2% | −4.9% | +0.9 pts | −7.2 pts |
| 6 months | +10.9% | +13.2% | −7.1 pts | −4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +11.9% | +14.8% | −4.7 pts | −1.8 pts |
| 3 years | +47.7% | not published | −30.7 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +183.9% | +27.8% | −183.2 pts | +3.7 pts |
| FTLS First Trust Long/Short Equity Long-short equity fund: owns stocks and sells others short, so part of its exposure to the stock market cancels out | HFEQ Unlimited HFEQ Equity Long/Short ETF Long-short equity fund: owns stocks and sells others short, so part of its exposure to the stock market cancels out | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | Unlimited |
| Strategy | Long-short equity | Long-short equity |
| Correlation with the S&P 500 | +0.77 | +0.82 |
| Beta to the S&P 500 | +0.44 | +1.32 |
| Down-week capture | 42.3% | 139.9% |
| Average week when the S&P 500 fell | −0.52% | −1.74% |
| The S&P 500 in those weeks | −1.24% | −1.24% |
| Total return, same 52 weeks | +11.4% | +14.8% |
| Against T-bills, percentage points | +7.7 pts | +11.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 1.38% | 0.96% |
| Listed | Sep 10, 2014 | Jul 15, 2025 |
| Net assets | $2.6bn | $16m |
FTLS in plain words
FTLS is a long-short equity fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.77 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.44, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.44% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 22 of those 52 weeks, by 1.24% on average. In the same weeks FTLS fell 0.52% on average, a down-week capture of 42.3%. Over the same 52 weeks FTLS returned +11.4% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 7.7 percentage points ahead of cash.
HFEQ in plain words
HFEQ is a long-short equity fund. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.82 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +1.32, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 1.32% the same way. In the same weeks HFEQ fell 1.74% on average, a down-week capture of 139.9%. Over the same 52 weeks HFEQ returned +14.8% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 11.2 percentage points ahead of cash.
Questions people ask
- Which moved less with the S&P 500, FTLS or HFEQ?
- Over the 52 weeks to Sep 18, 2026, FTLS’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.77 with the S&P 500 and HFEQ’s +0.82, so FTLS moved less with the index.
- Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, FTLS or HFEQ?
- In the 22 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.24% a week on average, FTLS averaged −0.52% and HFEQ −1.74%, so FTLS returned more in those weeks.
- Which earned more than cash, FTLS or HFEQ?
- Over the same weeks, FTLS finished 7.7 percentage points ahead of cash and HFEQ finished 11.2 percentage points ahead of cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
- Which is cheaper, FTLS or HFEQ?
- FTLS charges 1.38% a year and HFEQ charges 0.96%, so HFEQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, FTLS against HFEQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/ftls-vs-hfeq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.