Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FPE vs PFXF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FPE returned −2.6% to PFXF's +0.5%, and PFXF charges 0.40% to FPE's 0.83%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $5.8bn for First Trust Preferred Securities and Income ETF and $2.2bn for VanEck Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF.
Pair scorecard
PFXF costs 0.43 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; FPE is 2.6 times larger.
| Measure | FPE | PFXF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −2.6% | +0.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.3%, high on Feb 20, 2026 | 8.4%, high on Jun 2, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | ICE Exchange-Listed Fixed & Adjustable Rate Non-Financial Preferred Securities Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.83% | 0.40% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $5.8bn | $2.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 8% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.0% | 46.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 22, 2013 to Oct 23, 2026 · 713 weekly returnsPFXF returned more: +90.3% to +80.1%. FPE swung less: 10.0% to 12.1%. PFXF fell slightly less at its worst: −29.2% to −30.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FPE | PFXF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +80.1% | +90.3% | PFXF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.4% | +4.8% | PFXF (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −16.1% | −17.4% | FPE (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 10.0% | 12.1% | FPE | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 7.3% | 8.5% | FPE | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −30.1% | −29.2% | PFXF (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.29 | 0.29 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.40 | 0.42 | PFXF (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.16 | PFXF | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 713 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FPE and PFXF hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
8% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FPE and PFXF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FPE and PFXF 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 PFXF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Fixed & Adjustable Rate Non-Financial Preferred Securities Index.
- Holdings in common. 8% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FPE returned −2.6% and PFXF +0.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
PFXF
PFXF tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +0.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% 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 116 positions, with the top ten at 46.1%. It sat 8.4% below its high of Jun 2, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FPE or PFXF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FPE returned −2.6% and PFXF +0.5%.
- Which is cheaper, FPE or PFXF?
- PFXF is cheaper, by 0.43 percentage points a year. That is about $43 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, FPE against PFXF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fpe-vs-pfxf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FPE against PFXF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fpe-vs-pfxf
[FPE against PFXF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fpe-vs-pfxf)
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