Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

vsCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Across categories

FTCB vs GTO: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

On Jul 31, 2026 FTCB's duration was 6.0 years and GTO's 5.7; GTO charges 0.35% to FTCB's 0.56%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about FTCB and GTO

Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $2.7bn for First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF and $2.6bn for Invesco Total Return Bond ETF.

At a glance
−2.0%
FTCB total return, 1 year
−1.4%
GTO total return, 1 year
0.56%
FTCB expense ratio
0.35%
GTO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GTO costs 0.21 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.6 points.

FTCB vs GTO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureFTCBGTO
Return
Total return, 1 year−2.0%−1.4%
Drawdown
Below its high3.7%, high on Feb 27, 20263.4%, high on Sep 14, 2021
Benchmark
What it tracksNo index, actively managedNo index, actively managed
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.56%0.35%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$2.7bn$2.6bn
Holdings
Holdings in common4%

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

Risk and return

Nov 17, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 153 weekly returns · each against AGG
FTCB GTO
Return
Total return edge Tie +14.5% +14.3%
Annualized edge Tie +4.7% +4.7%
Price return edge GTO −1.1% −0.4%
Risk
Volatility edge GTO (slight) 5.3% 5.0%
Max drawdown edge GTO −5.3% −4.4%
Downside capture 103.3% 96.0%
Beta 1.04 0.98
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge FTCB (slight) 0.06 0.05
Sortino edge FTCB 0.08 0.07
Treynor 0.003 0.003
Calmar edge GTO 0.88 1.06
Against the benchmark
Alpha +0.6% a year +0.5% a year
Alpha t-stat 1.09 1.02
Information ratio 0.61 0.60
Tracking error 0.9% 0.8%
Reading

FTCB and GTO returned about the same: +14.5% and +14.3%. GTO swung slightly less: 5.0% to 5.3%. GTO fell less at its worst: −4.4% to −5.3%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: FTCB vs GTO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureFTCBGTOAGGEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+14.5%+14.3%TiePrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+4.7%+4.7%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−1.1%−0.4%GTOPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility5.3%5.0%GTO (slight)Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation3.7%3.6%GTO (slight)Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−5.3%−4.4%GTODeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture107.2%99.4%100.0%FTCB (slight)Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture103.3%96.0%100.0%GTO (slight)Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta1.040.981.00GTO lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.970.971.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.060.05FTCB (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.080.07FTCBReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0030.003−0.002FTCB (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.881.06GTOAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkAGGAGGAGGThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha+0.6% a year+0.5% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat1.091.02Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−0.5% to +1.6%−0.5% to +1.4%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio0.610.60TieReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error0.9%0.8%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 153 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

4%

By the books each fund has filed, FTCB and GTO hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

4% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTCB GTO
FNMA-30YR, due Aug 15, 2056 1.41% 1.49%
FNMA-30YR, due Aug 15, 2056 0.23% 1.42%
T 5 05/15/46, due May 15, 2046 0.21% 1.00%
SPCX 6.65 07/15/56 144A, due Jul 15, 2056 0.21% 0.17%
FNMA-30YR, due Aug 15, 2056 0.16% 1.87%
EFMT 2026-NQM3 A1, due Mar 25, 2071 0.13% 0.41%
G2-30YR-Multi, due Aug 15, 2056 0.09% 0.15%
MS V5.605 07/17/37 .., due Jul 17, 2037 0.25% 0.07%
QTSQST 5.7 04/15/36 144A, due Apr 15, 2036 0.24% 0.07%
FNMA-30YR, due Aug 15, 2056 0.06% 1.30%
JPM V5.041 07/23/32, due Jul 23, 2032 0.33% 0.06%
EFMT 2024-INV2 A1, due Oct 25, 2069 0.06% 0.06%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in FTCB
FNMA-30YR, due Sep 15, 2056 1.50%
G2 MA7192, due Feb 20, 2051 1.48%
T 4.125 06/15/29, due Jun 15, 2029 1.36%
FHS 459 GE, due Jul 25, 2031 0.97%
S 0 11/15/34, due Nov 15, 2034 0.81%
S 0 11/15/33, due Nov 15, 2033 0.69%
S 0 08/15/34, due Aug 15, 2034 0.67%
S 0 08/15/39, due Aug 15, 2039 0.65%
Only in GTO
U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds, due May 15, 2036 6.49%
U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds, due Feb 15, 2056 3.97%
U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds, due Jun 30, 2031 3.85%
Government National Mortgage Association, TBA, due Aug 1, 2056 3.68%
U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds, due Jul 15, 2029 3.07%
Government National Mortgage Association, TBA, due Aug 1, 2026 2.11%
U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds, due Jun 30, 2028 1.52%
Uniform Mortgage-Backed Securities, TBA, due Aug 1, 2056 1.24%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTCB First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF GTO Invesco Total Return Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
What it is Actively managed Actively managed
Total return, 1 year −2.0% −1.4%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.4% (AGG) −1.4% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark −0.6 pts vs AGG 0.0 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.56% 0.35%
Holdings 793 1900
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $2.7bn $2.6bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-18497CB6AC

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

  1. Holdings in common. 4% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026).
  2. Cost. FTCB charges 0.56% of assets a year and GTO 0.35%, a gap of 0.21 points.
  3. What each follows (similar). Both follow No index, actively managed.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.

Your saved page · Privacy.

Alert

FTCB and GTO flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

About each fund
FTCB

FTCB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −2.0% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.56% a year. It sat 3.7% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

GTO

GTO is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. It sat 3.4% below its high of Sep 14, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, FTCB or GTO?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FTCB returned −2.0% and GTO −1.4%.
Which is cheaper, FTCB or GTO?
GTO is cheaper, by 0.21 percentage points a year. That is about $21 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, FTCB against GTO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftcb-vs-gto

Open data →

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