Which returned more over the last year, FPE or PFFD?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FPE returned −2.6% and PFFD −6.2%.

Which is cheaper, FPE or PFFD?

PFFD is cheaper, by 0.60 percentage points a year. That is about $60 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do FPE and PFFD overlap with the S&P 500?

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

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

FPE vs PFFD: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FPE returned −2.6% to PFFD's −6.2%, and PFFD charges 0.23% to FPE's 0.83%.

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Net assets: $5.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Preferred Securities and Income ETF, and $2.0bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X U.S. Preferred ETF.

FPE on its own →PFFD on its own →

At a glance

−2.6%

FPE total return, 1 year

−6.2%

PFFD total return, 1 year

0.83%

FPE expense ratio

0.23%

PFFD expense ratio

Pair scorecard

PFFD costs 0.60 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.6 points; FPE is 3.0 times larger.

FPE vs PFFD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FPE	PFFD
Return
Measure	FPE	PFFD
Total return, 1 year	−2.6%	−6.2%
Drawdown
Measure	FPE	PFFD
Below its high	4.3%, high on Feb 20, 2026	10.5%, high on Nov 5, 2021
Benchmark
Measure	FPE	PFFD
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	ICE BofA Diversified Core U.S. Preferred Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	FPE	PFFD
Expense ratio	0.83%	0.23%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$5.9bn	$2.0bn
Holdings
Measure	FPE	PFFD
Holdings in common	16%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	15.0%	21.2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Sep 22, 2017 to Oct 23, 2026 · 474 weekly returns

FPE PFFD

Return

Total return edge FPE +39.5% +16.8%

Annualized edge FPE +3.7% +1.7%

Price return edge FPE −15.7% −31.8%

Risk

Volatility edge FPE (slight) 11.7% 12.9%

Max drawdown edge PFFD −30.1% −26.1%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge FPE 0.14 −0.01

Sortino edge FPE 0.19 −0.02

Calmar edge FPE 0.12 0.07

Reading

FPE returned more: +39.5% to +16.8%. FPE swung slightly less: 11.7% to 12.9%. PFFD fell less at its worst: −26.1% to −30.1%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: FPE vs PFFD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FPE	PFFD	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+39.5%	+16.8%	FPE	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+3.7%	+1.7%	FPE	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−15.7%	−31.8%	FPE	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	11.7%	12.9%	FPE (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	8.6%	9.0%	FPE (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−30.1%	−26.1%	PFFD	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.14	−0.01	FPE	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.19	−0.02	FPE	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.12	0.07	FPE	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 474 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

16%

By the books each fund has filed, FPE and PFFD hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

16% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FPE PFFD

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.08% 2.25%

NEXTERA ENERGY CAPITAL HOLDINGS INC SERIES U JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE JUNE 1, 2085 1.33% 0.71%

XCEL ENERGY INC 6.25% NOTES ISSUED DUE ON OCTOBER 15, 2085 1.23% 0.70%

AEGON FUNDING COMPANY LLC 5.10% SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE DECEMBER 15, 2049 0.93% 0.60%

ATHENE HOLDING LTD 6.35%DEP 1/1000TH PERP NON CUM PFD SER A 0.49% 0.70%

DTE ENERGY COMPANY 6.250% JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE ON OCTOBER 1, 2085 0.98% 0.49%

ATHENE HOLDING LTD JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE ON MARCH 30, 2064 0.71% 0.47%

COREBRIDGE FINANCIAL INC 6.375% JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE DECEMBER 15,2064. 1.05% 0.45%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP DEP SHS EACH REP A 1/1,000TH INT IN A SHARE OF BANK OF AMERICA CORP 5.375% NON-CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES KK 0.43% 0.44%

EQUITABLE HOLDINGS INC 5.25% DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/1,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF FIXED RATE NONCUMULATIVE PERPETUAL PREFERRED STOCK 0.42% 0.52%

ATHENE HOLDING LTD DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/1,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF THE ISSUERS 7.750% FIXED-RATE RESET PERPETUAL NON-CUMULATIV 0.50% 0.42%

AFFILIATED MANAGERS GROUP INC FIXED JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES DUE MARCH 30, 2064 0.45% 0.35%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FPE

BAC V6.625 PERP 2.52%

BACR V8 PERP 1.67%

JPM V6.875 PERP NN 1.35%

BNP V7.2 PERP 144A 1.26%

ACAFP V7.125 PERP 144A 1.21%

C V6.625 PERP 1.20%

HIG F 02/12/47 ICON, due Feb 12, 2047 1.09%

SCHW V4 PERP H 1.07%

Only in PFFD

Boeing Co/The PREFERRED STOCK 4.70%

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co PREFERRED STOCK 2.71%

Citigroup Capital XIII PREFERRED STOCK 2.20%

Microchip Technology Inc PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

NextEra Energy Inc PREFERRED STOCK 1.71%

KKR & Co Inc PREFERRED STOCK 1.70%

Southern Co/The PREFERRED STOCK 1.64%

Bank of America Corp PREFERRED STOCK 1.30%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FPE First Trust Preferred Securities and Income ETF PFFD Global X U.S. Preferred ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer First Trust Global X

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year −2.6% −6.2%

Expense ratio 0.83% 0.23%

Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 0.0%

Holdings 263 224

Net assets, FPE as of Oct 27, 2026 and PFFD as of Oct 12, 2026 $5.8bn $2.0bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-B56DD6F0DE

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

What each follows. FPE follows No index, actively managed and PFFD follows ICE BofA Diversified Core U.S. Preferred Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 16% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FPE returned −2.6% and PFFD −6.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.6 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

FPE

FPE is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −2.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.83% 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 263 positions, with the top ten at 15.0%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Feb 20, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

PFFD

PFFD tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −6.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.23% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 224 positions, with the top ten at 21.2%. It sat 10.5% below its high of Nov 5, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, FPE or PFFD?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FPE returned −2.6% and PFFD −6.2%.
Which is cheaper, FPE or PFFD?: PFFD is cheaper, by 0.60 percentage points a year. That is about $60 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do FPE and PFFD overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 0% of FPE and 0% of PFFD by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

FPE vs FPEI FPE vs PGX FPE vs PFF FPE vs PREF PFFD vs PGX PFFD vs VRP PFFD vs PFXF PFFD vs PREF

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

FPE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FPE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

First Trust page for FPE ↗

PFFD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFFD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Global X page for PFFD ↗

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, FPE against PFFD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fpe-vs-pffd

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