Which returned more over the last year, ESML or FYX?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and FYX +26.2%.

Which is cheaper, ESML or FYX?

ESML is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do ESML and FYX overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 12% of ESML and 0% of FYX by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

ESML vs FYX: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ESML returned +17.7% to FYX's +26.2%; 16% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $2.7bn for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF and $1.4bn for First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund.

ESML on its own →FYX on its own →

At a glance

+17.7%

ESML total return, 1 year

+26.2%

FYX total return, 1 year

0.17%

ESML expense ratio

0.58%

FYX expense ratio

Pair scorecard

ESML costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.5 points; ESML is 1.9 times larger.

ESML vs FYX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ESML	FYX
Return
Measure	ESML	FYX
Total return, 1 year	+17.7%	+26.2%
Drawdown
Measure	ESML	FYX
Below its high	5.3%, high on Aug 14, 2026	5.0%, high on Aug 4, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	ESML	FYX
What it tracks	MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index	Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index
Cost and size
Measure	ESML	FYX
Expense ratio	0.17%	0.58%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$2.7bn	$1.4bn
Holdings
Measure	ESML	FYX
Holdings in common	16%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	5.2%	3.9%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returns

ESML FYX

Return

Total return edge FYX +126.6% +144.8%

Annualized edge FYX (slight) +10.1% +11.1%

Price return edge FYX +104.3% +123.2%

Risk

Volatility edge ESML (slight) 22.8% 25.3%

Max drawdown edge ESML −40.6% −47.6%

Downside capture 104.1% 110.3%

Beta 1.11 1.19

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge FYX (slight) 0.41 0.43

Sortino edge FYX (slight) 0.59 0.63

Treynor 0.085 0.086

Calmar edge ESML (slight) 0.25 0.23

Against the benchmark

Alpha −4.4% a year −1.6% a year

Alpha t-stat −1.14 −0.62

Information ratio −0.27 0.02

Tracking error 11.3% 12.0%

Each against its own benchmark: ESML against PBUS, Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026; FYX against IWV, May 18, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

FYX returned more: +144.8% to +126.6%. ESML swung slightly less: 22.8% to 25.3%. ESML fell less at its worst: −40.6% to −47.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: ESML vs FYX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ESML	FYX	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+126.6%	+144.8%	FYX	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+10.1%	+11.1%	FYX (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+104.3%	+123.2%	FYX	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	22.8%	25.3%	ESML (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	16.0%	17.3%	ESML (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−40.6%	−47.6%	ESML	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	97.1%	122.6%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	104.1%	110.3%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.11	1.19	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.76	0.78	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.41	0.43	FYX (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.59	0.63	FYX (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.085	0.086		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.25	0.23	ESML (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	PBUS	IWV		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−4.4% a year	−1.6% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−1.14	−0.62	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−11.9% to +3.2%	−6.7% to +3.5%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.27	0.02		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	11.3%	12.0%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

16%

By the books each fund has filed, ESML and FYX hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

16% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first ESML FYX

NORTHWEST NATURAL HOLDING COMPANY 0.23% 0.26%

CAREDX 0.18% 0.33%

OPTION CARE HEALTH INC 0.18% 0.17%

YETI HOLDINGS 0.16% 0.19%

HARLEY DAVIDSON 0.15% 0.37%

WORKIVA CLASS A 0.15% 0.23%

BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS 0.14% 0.14%

BEACON FINANCIAL 0.25% 0.13%

CHESAPEAKE UTILITIES 0.17% 0.13%

CVB FINANCIAL CORP 0.15% 0.13%

FTI CONSULTING 0.13% 0.14%

HOWARD HUGHES HOLDINGS INC 0.13% 0.24%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in ESML

MODERNA 1.13%

ASSURANT INC 0.66%

US FOODS HOLDING 0.58%

OVINTIV 0.51%

ONE GAS 0.40%

REVVITY 0.39%

DYNATRACE INC 0.38%

GUARDANT HEALTH 0.38%

Only in FYX

DXC Technology Company 0.45%

Appian Corporation 0.43%

Kohl's Corporation 0.39%

Slide Insurance Holdings, Inc. 0.39%

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. 0.38%

Amplitude, Inc. (Class A) 0.38%

Comstock Resources, Inc. 0.37%

Everforth Incorporated 0.37%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

ESML iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF FYX First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares First Trust

What it is Tracks an index Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year +17.7% +26.2%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.3% (PBUS) +13.3% (IWV)

Gap to its benchmark +4.4 pts vs PBUS +12.9 pts vs IWV

Expense ratio 0.17% 0.58%

Already in the S&P 500 12.3% 0.0%

Holdings 903 525

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $2.7bn $1.4bn

ESML and FYX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-8950774FD2

ESML and FYX are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. ESML follows MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index and FYX follows Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index.
Holdings in common. 16% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ESML returned +17.7% and FYX +26.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.5 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

ESML

ESML tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.17% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 12% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 903 positions, with the top ten at 5.2%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

FYX

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +26.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.

FYX tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.58% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 525 positions, with the top ten at 3.9%. It sat 5.0% below its high of Aug 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, ESML or FYX?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and FYX +26.2%.
Which is cheaper, ESML or FYX?: ESML is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do ESML and FYX overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 12% of ESML and 0% of FYX by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

ESML vs FYC ESML vs RSSL ESML vs FFSM ESML vs NUSC FYX vs VIOO FYX vs SMLF FYX vs SLYG FFSM vs FYX

Where to next

ESML on its own →FYX on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →ESML dividend history →ESML holdings →FYX dividend history →FYX holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

ESML filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

ESML prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for ESML ↗

FYX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FYX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

First Trust page for FYX ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, ESML against FYX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-fyx

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.