FTGS vs USMV: Differences, Returns & Fees
FTGS and USMV hold 21% of their weight in the same names. Net assets: $1.3bn on Oct 9, 2026 for First Trust Growth Strength ETF, and $23.8bn on Oct 12, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF.
USMV costs 0.45 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; USMV is 18.2 times larger.
| FTGS | USMV | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 9, 2026 | $1.3bn | $23.8bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +9.1% | +8.8% |
| What it tracks | Growth Strength Index | MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) Index |
| Holdings in common | 21% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 24.9% | 15.1% |
| Below its high | 3.4%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, FTGS and USMV hold 21% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Oct 9, 2026.
half
21% in common
On the same fields
FTGS and USMV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About FTGS
FTGS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 12, 2026 it returned +9.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 24.9%. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 12, 2026.
About USMV
USMV tracks the MSCI USA Min Vol Factor. Over the year to Oct 12, 2026 it returned +8.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 176 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FTGS or USMV?
- In the year to Oct 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FTGS returned +9.1% and USMV +8.8%.
- Which is cheaper, FTGS or USMV?
- USMV is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, FTGS against USMV, data as of Oct 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-usmv
ETFIQ. (Oct 12, 2026). FTGS against USMV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-usmv
[FTGS against USMV (ETFIQ, Oct 12, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-usmv)
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