Best ETFs
Schwab and Vanguard charge the same 0.03%. Their small-cap funds are 3.7 percentage points apart
abrdn Focused U.S. Small Cap Active ETF
$36.78−0.14 (−0.38%)
- 1.09%
- $10M
- +27.4%
- 0M sh
- $36.95
- low $28.91high $40.06
The ETF.net AFSC Grade
D
Score 25 out of 100
- 35 of 41
Score 25 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F3 out of 100Rank 40 of 41Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C54 out of 100Rank 18 of 38Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.D28 out of 100Rank 32 of 41Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D36 out of 100Rank 33 of 41Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C54 out of 100Rank 21 of 41
Our read on AFSC
DA high-conviction abrdn stockpicking strategy from the late 1990s that traded its mutual fund wrapper for an ETF in 2025. A few dozen U.S. small caps, hand-picked, no index to hide behind.
The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of U.S. small-cap companies. It uses a focused approach that typically holds a small number of issuers.
Why people hold it
- Concentrated on purpose: the prospectus targets roughly 35 to 45 issuers, so each name carries real weight instead of vanishing into a thousand-stock index.financecharts.comaaii.com
- Not a startup strategy. The predecessor mutual fund dates to 1997 and was reorganized into this ETF, so the process arrived with a long paper trail.sec.gov
- Fully transparent active management from abrdn, with at least 80% of assets committed to U.S. small-cap equities under the fund's own mandate.accessnewswire.com
Worth knowing
- Cost is the headline trade-off: 1.09% a year, against 0.25% at index-based small-cap rivals like AVUV and AVSC.
- A small fund that trades thinly. Spreads can be wider than the category giants', which puts a premium on limit orders.
- Concentration cuts both ways: with a few dozen holdings, one stumble lands hard and results can stray a long way from the small-cap benchmark.financecharts.com
AFSC Holdings
- Stocks
- 41
- 33%
- Ssc Government Mm Gvmxx
Geography
- United States94.33%
- United Kingdom3.54%
- Bahamas2.12%
AFSC Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
AFSC$12,736
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | AFSC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +21.3% |
| 1 month | −1.6% |
| 3 months | −3.0% |
| 1 year | +27.4% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | AFSC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +21.3% | |
| 2025 | +2.7% |
AFSC in the news
AFSC Dividends
- $0.02 per share
- Irregular
Distribution data unavailable.
Distribution history
AFSC Risk
- 17.9%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 0.84
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −21.7%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.17
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
AFSC Cost
1.09%
AFSC1.09%
- The middle half of US Active Small-Cap funds
- Median 0.55%
37 of the 39 US Active Small-Cap funds charge less.
Other funds in US Active Small-Cap
- DMMSCFirst Trust Multi-Manager Small Cap Opportunities ETFExpense ratio 0.95%1 year return +14.3%
- DFESCFirst Eagle Small Cap Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return —
- FTMFSMotley Fool Small-Cap Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return −1.1%
- FSMLLHarbor Active Small Cap ETF (SMLL)Expense ratio 0.80%1 year return +3.4%
- FSCAPInfrastructure Capital Small Cap Income ETFExpense ratio 2.20%1 year return +14.3%