Which returned more over the last year, FYX or NUSC?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FYX returned +26.2% and NUSC +12.2%.

Which is cheaper, FYX or NUSC?

NUSC is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do FYX and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 0% of FYX and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

FYX vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FYX returned +26.2% to NUSC's +12.2%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $1.4bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund, and $1.3bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF.

FYX on its own →NUSC on its own →

At a glance

+26.2%

FYX total return, 1 year

+12.2%

NUSC total return, 1 year

0.58%

FYX expense ratio

0.31%

NUSC expense ratio

Pair scorecard

NUSC costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.0 points.

FYX vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FYX	NUSC
Return
Measure	FYX	NUSC
Total return, 1 year	+26.2%	+12.2%
Drawdown
Measure	FYX	NUSC
Below its high	5.0%, high on Aug 4, 2026	5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	FYX	NUSC
What it tracks	Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index	Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index
Cost and size
Measure	FYX	NUSC
Expense ratio	0.58%	0.31%
Net assets, FYX as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026	$1.4bn	$1.3bn
Holdings
Measure	FYX	NUSC
Holdings in common	14%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	3.9%	10.2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Dec 23, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 513 weekly returns

FYX NUSC

Return

Total return edge FYX +180.0% +139.1%

Annualized edge FYX +11.0% +9.2%

Price return edge FYX +153.4% +100.1%

Risk

Volatility edge NUSC 24.1% 21.6%

Max drawdown edge NUSC −47.6% −40.5%

Downside capture 110.3% 103.0%

Beta 1.19 1.07

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge FYX 0.45 0.40

Sortino edge FYX 0.66 0.57

Treynor 0.086 0.081

Calmar edge Tie 0.23 0.23

Against the benchmark

Alpha −1.6% a year −4.5% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.62 −1.33

Information ratio 0.02 −0.34

Tracking error 12.0% 10.5%

Each against its own benchmark: FYX against IWV, May 18, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026; NUSC against MLRG, Dec 23, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

FYX returned more: +180.0% to +139.1%. NUSC swung less: 21.6% to 24.1%. NUSC fell less at its worst: −40.5% to −47.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: FYX vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	FYX	NUSC	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+180.0%	+139.1%	FYX	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+11.0%	+9.2%	FYX	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+153.4%	+100.1%	FYX	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	24.1%	21.6%	NUSC	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	16.4%	15.1%	NUSC (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−47.6%	−40.5%	NUSC	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	122.6%	93.6%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	110.3%	103.0%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.19	1.07	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.78	0.77	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.45	0.40	FYX	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.66	0.57	FYX	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.086	0.081		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.23	0.23	Tie	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	IWV	MLRG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−1.6% a year	−4.5% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.62	−1.33	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−6.7% to +3.5%	−11.0% to +2.1%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.02	−0.34		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	12.0%	10.5%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 513 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

14%

By the books each fund has filed, FYX and NUSC hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

14% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FYX NUSC

Resideo Technologies, Inc. 0.31% 0.35%

Cinemark Holdings, Inc. 0.26% 0.28%

Stride, Inc. 0.31% 0.25%

First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. 0.26% 0.24%

Kyndryl Holdings, Inc. 0.23% 0.23%

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. 0.29% 0.22%

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. 0.21% 0.21%

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. 0.29% 0.20%

Fastly, Inc. (Class A) 0.20% 0.23%

Itron, Inc. 0.20% 0.33%

Palomar Holdings, Inc. 0.20% 0.27%

United Natural Foods, Inc. 0.20% 0.23%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FYX

Appian Corporation 0.43%

Slide Insurance Holdings, Inc. 0.39%

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. 0.38%

Amplitude, Inc. (Class A) 0.38%

Comstock Resources, Inc. 0.37%

Mattel, Inc. 0.37%

FIGS, Inc. (Class A) 0.36%

MAXIMUS, Inc. 0.36%

Only in NUSC

ATI Inc 1.26%

TD SYNNEX Corp 1.08%

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc 1.07%

Viatris Inc 1.07%

nVent Electric PLC 1.06%

East West Bancorp Inc 1.04%

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd 0.96%

AGNC Investment Corp 0.90%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FYX First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX Fund NUSC Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer First Trust Nuveen

What it is Tracks an index Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year +26.2% +12.2%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.3% (IWV) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark +12.9 pts vs IWV −1.4 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.58% 0.31%

Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 6.1%

Holdings 525 405

Net assets, FYX as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026 $1.4bn $1.3bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-05F1611EBF

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

What each follows. FYX follows Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index and NUSC follows Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index.
Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FYX returned +26.2% and NUSC +12.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 14.0 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

FYX

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +26.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.

FYX tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.58% 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 525 positions, with the top ten at 3.9%. It sat 5.0% below its high of Aug 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

NUSC

NUSC tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.31% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 6% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 405 positions, with the top ten at 10.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, FYX or NUSC?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FYX returned +26.2% and NUSC +12.2%.
Which is cheaper, FYX or NUSC?: NUSC is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do FYX and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 0% of FYX and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

FYX vs IWC FYX vs GSSC FYX vs VIOG FYX vs PSC NUSC vs VIOG NUSC vs PSC NUSC vs XSMO NUSC vs VIOO

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

FYX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FYX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

First Trust page for FYX ↗

NUSC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

NUSC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Nuveen website ↗

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, FYX against NUSC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fyx-vs-nusc

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