Data as of .
FTLS vs LSEQ: which moved less with stocks?
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, LSEQ moved less with the S&P 500 than FTLS: correlation +0.05 against +0.77.
ETFIQ Diversifier Score: LSEQ 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 LSEQ 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 LSEQ’s +0.05. In the 22 weeks the index fell, by 1.24% a week on average, FTLS averaged −0.52% and LSEQ +0.59%. Over the same weeks, FTLS finished 7.7 percentage points ahead of cash and LSEQ finished 19.2 points ahead of cash.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTLS | LSEQ | FTLS | LSEQ | |
| 3 months | +3.2% | −3.8% | +0.9 pts | −6.1 pts |
| 6 months | +10.9% | +7.4% | −7.1 pts | −10.6 pts |
| 1 year | +11.9% | +23.2% | −4.7 pts | +6.6 pts |
| 3 years | +47.7% | not published | −30.7 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +183.9% | +42.9% | −183.2 pts | −30.0 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 | LSEQ Harbor Long-Short Equity 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 | Harbor |
| Strategy | Long-short equity | Long-short equity |
| Correlation with the S&P 500 | +0.77 | +0.05 |
| Beta to the S&P 500 | +0.44 | +0.07 |
| Down-week capture | 42.3% | −48.0% |
| Average week when the S&P 500 fell | −0.52% | +0.59% |
| The S&P 500 in those weeks | −1.24% | −1.24% |
| Total return, same 52 weeks | +11.4% | +22.8% |
| Against T-bills, percentage points | +7.7 pts | +19.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 1.38% | 2.28% |
| Listed | Sep 10, 2014 | Dec 4, 2023 |
| 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.
LSEQ in plain words
LSEQ is a long-short equity fund. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.05 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.07, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.07% the same way. In the same weeks LSEQ rose 0.59% on average, a down-week capture of −48.0%. Over the same 52 weeks LSEQ returned +22.8% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 19.2 percentage points ahead of cash.
Questions people ask
- Which moved less with the S&P 500, FTLS or LSEQ?
- Over the 52 weeks to Sep 18, 2026, FTLS’s weekly returns had a correlation of +0.77 with the S&P 500 and LSEQ’s +0.05, so LSEQ moved less with the index.
- Which did better when the S&P 500 fell, FTLS or LSEQ?
- In the 22 weeks the S&P 500 fell, by 1.24% a week on average, FTLS averaged −0.52% and LSEQ +0.59%, so LSEQ returned more in those weeks.
- Which earned more than cash, FTLS or LSEQ?
- Over the same weeks, FTLS finished 7.7 percentage points ahead of cash and LSEQ finished 19.2 percentage points ahead of cash. Cash here is BIL, a fund of Treasury bills.
- Which is cheaper, FTLS or LSEQ?
- FTLS charges 1.38% a year and LSEQ charges 2.28%, so FTLS 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 LSEQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/alternatives/ftls-vs-lseq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.