FICS bid-ask spread and liquidity

First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF
StocksFirst Trust$204m net assets0.70% fee
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As of Oct 22, 2026, FICS’s median bid-ask spread over 30 days was 0.19%.

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Ask IQ about FICS bid-ask spread and liquidity

Answers cite the figures on this page.

OverviewHoldingsDividendsTradingFlowsCompare

IQ Liquidity Score

2 of 6 measured · Oct 22, 2026
·
Not scored
0 · Hard to trade100 · Trades like a giant

The IQ Liquidity Score: a fixed 0 to 100 scale of trading conditions, the same anchors for every fund; 100 is the easiest to trade. It measures how cheaply and reliably the fund trades, not whether to own it. Method →

Cost to trade
0.19% median spread, 30 days to Oct 22, 2026
51.1
Capacity
Not measured · 26.0% of its long weight could be measured; the largest part not measured is unresolved
·
Price fidelity
Not measured · 14 days of closing premium are held, under the 20 needed
·
Primary market
5 active dealers of 22; largest 45% of creations and redemptions, N-CEN to Sep 30, 2024
85.0
Bad-day behaviour
Not measured · 0 of the 10 worst days and 14 other days are held, under the 5 and 60 needed
·
Depth
Not measured · needs trade and quote data (Phase 2)
·

Cost for your order

One way, half its 30-day median spread; sizes above $10,000 are estimates
FICS: cost for your order at each size, round trip
OrderDollarsPercentBasis
$1,000$0.950.095%spread
$10,000$9.500.095%spread

Spread 0.19% median, 30 days to Oct 22, 2026. Above $10,000 the cost adds an estimate of market impact that grows with the order against the holdings’ capacity; a patient limit pays less.

Premium or discount to value

Daily, 14 days to Oct 22, 2026 · the ±1% band marked
FICS premium or discount to NAV, 14 days+1%0−1%Oct 2, 2026Oct 22, 2026
Latest close, Oct 22
+0.05%
95% of days within
±0.43%
Days more than 1% from NAV
0 of 14
Widest
+0.43%, Oct 8, 2026

Close against the NAV its issuer struck the same day, from the issuer. Source: ETFIQ. Its holdings trade on markets that close before New York, so its closing premium carries the move since then.

Capacity

What the holdings can absorb a day

Not measured: 26.0% of its long weight could be measured; the largest part not measured is unresolved.

Dealers

Authorized participants · N-CEN, the year to Sep 30, 2024
Active dealers
5
of 22 authorized
Largest
45%
of creations and redemptions
One dealer
No
5 active

5 of 22 authorized participants created or redeemed FICS shares in the year to Sep 30, 2024. From the fund’s Form N-CEN, filed Dec 16, 2024.

The active authorized participants, largest first, by share of the dollars created and redeemed: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (44.9%), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (42.0%), Jane Street Capital, LLC (7.3%), UBS Securities LLC (2.9%), Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (2.9%). 17 more were listed and created or redeemed nothing.

How to trade FICS

To buy or to sell, up to $100,000
Order type
Limit: midpoint + 4¢ to buy, midpoint − 4¢ to sell.At the Oct 22 close of $41.58, that’s $41.62 to buy and $41.54 to sell.
When
Its holdings trade on markets that close before New York, so its price can drift from their value later in the day.
Watch
The premium. On 95% of days it is within ±0.43%; beyond that a buyer pays more, and a seller gets less, than the holdings are worth.
Phase 2 · drawn now, filled when trade data arrives
Spread through the dayComing with trade data

Median spread by half hour, 30 days.

Buyers against sellersComing with trade data

Share of volume at the ask against at the bid.

Retail flow, estimatedComing with trade data

Sub-penny prints as a share of volume.

Large tradesComing with trade data

Prints above $500k, count and share.

Closing auctionComing with trade data

Share of the day’s volume at the close.

Questions people ask

What is FICS’s bid-ask spread?

0.19% of the midpoint, the median over the 30 days to Oct 22, 2026, as its issuer states it. Half of it is about 4¢ a share at the Oct 22 close.

Does FICS trade at a premium or discount to NAV?

It closed +0.05% from its NAV on Oct 22, 2026. On 95% of the 14 days to then it was within ±0.43%, and it closed more than 1% from NAV on 0 of them.

Who is the AP for FICS?

FICS’s latest Form N-CEN, for the period ending Sep 30, 2024, lists 22 authorized participants (APs), and 5 created or redeemed shares. The largest were Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (44.9%), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (42.0%), Jane Street Capital, LLC (7.3%) of the dollars its APs created and redeemed.

Who is the LMM for FICS?

FICS’s lead market maker (LMM) on Nasdaq is Jane Street Capital, LLC. Lead market maker per Nasdaq, as of Oct 23, 2026.

What does it cost to trade $10,000 of FICS?

About $9.50 one way, 0.095%: half its 30-day median spread. In and out costs twice that.

How do I place a limit order for FICS?

Set the limit at the midpoint + 4¢ to buy, or the midpoint − 4¢ to sell, in your broker’s quote. At the Oct 22 close of $41.58, that’s $41.62 to buy and $41.54 to sell.
Sources and dates
SpreadFirst Trust (fund page), 30-day median · to Oct 22, 2026
Premium to NAVETFIQ, close against the issuer’s NAV · Oct 2, 2026 to Oct 22, 2026
DealersForm N-CEN · the year to Sep 30, 2024
Where to next
ETF trading costs and liquidity→Cost-to-trade checker→Why low volume does not mean illiquidguide →Limit orders vs market orders for ETFsguide →How the IQ Liquidity Score is builtmethod →FICS fund page→
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, FICS trading: cost, capacity, premium and dealers, data as of Oct 22, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/fics/trading/

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The score measures trading conditions, not the fund. ETFIQ makes no recommendations.