Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FEX vs FTCS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FEX returned +18.2% to FTCS's +9.5%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.6bn for First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund and $7.8bn for First Trust Capital Strength ETF.
Pair scorecard
FTCS costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.7 points; FTCS is 4.9 times larger.
| Measure | FEX | FTCS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.2% | +9.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index | Capital Strength Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.57% | 0.53% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.6bn | $7.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.1% | 21.0% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 18, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,014 weekly returnsFEX returned slightly more: +480.9% to +437.7%. FTCS swung slightly less: 18.3% to 19.9%. FTCS fell less at its worst: −52.7% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FEX | FTCS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +480.9% | +437.7% | FEX (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.4% | +9.0% | FEX (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +352.4% | +305.0% | FEX | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.9% | 18.3% | FTCS (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.0% | 12.9% | FTCS (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −58.8% | −52.7% | FTCS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.48 | 0.48 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.68 | 0.68 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.17 | FTCS (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,014 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FEX and FTCS hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FEX and FTCS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FEX and FTCS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FEX follows Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index and FTCS follows Capital Strength Index.
- Holdings in common. 9% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FEX returned +18.2% and FTCS +9.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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FEX
FEX tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.57% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 375 positions, with the top ten at 5.1%.
FTCS
FTCS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +9.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.53% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 21.0%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FEX or FTCS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FEX returned +18.2% and FTCS +9.5%.
- Which is cheaper, FEX or FTCS?
- FTCS is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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.
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ETFIQ, FEX against FTCS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fex-vs-ftcs
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FEX against FTCS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fex-vs-ftcs
[FEX against FTCS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fex-vs-ftcs)
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