First Trust Income Opportunities ETF
$22.88−0.04 (−0.16%)
- 0.85%
- $82M
- +8.1%
- 7.15%
- 0M sh
- $22.93
- low $21.95high $24.35
The ETF.net FCEF Grade
B
Score 66 out of 100
- 1 of 7
Score 66 of 100 falls in the B 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.A71 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Mission
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.B59 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B65 out of 100Rank 3 of 7Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B61 out of 100Rank 4 of 7Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B69 out of 100Rank 3 of 7
Our read on FCEF
BOne of the few ETFs whose portfolio is other closed-end funds: a manager assembles about 50 income vehicles into a single monthly-paying ticker. The convenience is real, and so is the layered cost.
The Fund seeks current income, with total return as a secondary objective. It normally invests in closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds listed on U.S. exchanges.
Why people hold it
- Holds closed-end funds and ETFs listed on U.S. exchanges, a corner of the market most ETFs skip. One ticker instead of hunting down and rebalancing a dozen CEFs yourself.ftportfolios.com
- Income is the stated job, not a byproduct: current income first, total return second. Distributions come monthly.
- Spreads across roughly 50 underlying funds, each of which is itself a portfolio, so no single security carries the fund.
- Trading since 2016, so there is a real operating record through the zero-rate era and the rate-hike years, not a launch-window story.
Worth knowing
- Cost is the headline trade-off: 3.69% in total annual expenses, far above what a typical multi-asset ETF charges, because you pay this fund and the funds it owns.
- Thinly traded for its category, so spreads can widen and sizable orders can push the price around more than in a mainstream allocation fund.
- No index behind it. A manager picks the underlying funds, so results ride on those calls rather than a published benchmark you can check them against.
FCEF Holdings
- Other
- 61
- 34%
- US Dollar
Sectors
- Financials25.1%
- Technology16.2%
- Utilities14.2%
- Health Care10.0%
- Energy9.4%
- Industrials8.2%
- Real Estate4.3%
- Communication4.1%
- Consumer Discretionary4.0%
- Materials2.6%
- Consumer Staples1.9%
Geography
- United States100.00%
FCEF Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
FCEF$10,812
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 | FCEF |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +5.1% |
| 1 month | −2.4% |
| 3 months | −3.2% |
| 1 year | +8.1% |
| 3 years | +15.6% |
| 5 years | +5.4% |
| 10 years | +7.8% |
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 | FCEF |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +5.1% | |
| 2025 | +14.4% | |
| 2024 | +17.5% | |
| 2023 | +10.2% | |
| 2022 | −19.5% | |
| 2021 | +19.5% | |
| 2020 | +3.9% |
FCEF in the news
FCEF Dividends
- 7.15%
- $1.64
- $0.14 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
FCEF Risk
- 9.6%
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.
- 1.04
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.
- −25.0%
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.
- 0.97
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FCEF Cost
0.85%
FCEF0.85%
- The middle half of Closed-End Fund Portfolios funds
- Median 2.76%
1 of the 7 Closed-End Fund Portfolios funds charge less.
Other funds in Closed-End Fund Portfolios
- BCCEFCalamos CEF Income & Arbitrage ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +8.9%
- BPCEFInvesco CEF Income Composite ETFExpense ratio 2.76%1 year return +5.9%
- CCEFSSaba Opportunistic Hedged Closed-End Funds ETFExpense ratio 1.11%1 year return +16.3%
- CYYYAmplify CEF High Income ETFExpense ratio 3.23%1 year return +1.0%
- DCEFZRiverNorth Active Income ETFExpense ratio 2.82%1 year return +7.7%