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First Trust SSI Strategic Convertible Securities ETF

FCVTNasdaqFirst TrustC

$43.95−0.99 (−2.20%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 44.94 to 43.95. Range 43.82 to 45.20. Use the arrow keys to read each point.43.7544.2544.5044.7545.2510 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.95%
Fund size
$78M
1Y total return
+2.4%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.21%
Holdings
124
Avg volume · 30D
29.5K sh
52W range
low $41.00high $54.90
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net FCVT Grade

C

Score 49 out of 100

Rank
5 of 7
Six-pillar profile for FCVT. Scores out of 100: Cost 8, Risk 37, Mission 100, Tradability 46, Holdings 65, Durability 67. Strongest: Mission (100). Weakest: Cost (8). Leans toward Mission.

Score 49 of 100 falls in the C 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.
    F8 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 7
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A100 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 6
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D37 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 7
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C46 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 7
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B65 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 7
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B67 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 7

Our read on FCVT

ETF.net Research

In short

CConvertibles are a hybrid, quirky corner of the bond market, and this one hands the keys to a Los Angeles boutique that specializes in them. Active, global, no index to hug since 2015. Specialist judgment is the whole pitch, and you pay up for it.

Stated mandate

The fund is actively managed and seeks total return by investing at least 80% of net assets in a diversified portfolio of U.S. and non-U.S. convertible securities under normal market conditions.

Why people hold it

  • No index to follow. First Trust farms security selection out to SSI Investment Management, a Los Angeles firm built around convertible assets, equities and hedging strategies.sec.gov
  • Global by mandate: at least 80% of net assets in U.S. and non-U.S. convertible securities, with total return as the stated objective rather than income alone.ftportfolios.com
  • The prospectus also permits synthetic convertibles (an income piece plus a conversion component), so the manager can build hybrid exposure where no traditional convertible exists.ftportfolios.com
  • Live since 2015 with a diversified book of roughly 130 positions and monthly distributions.

Worth knowing

  • That specialist team costs 0.95% a year, above the convertibles group median and several times index rivals ICVT (0.20%) and CWB (0.40%).
  • Thinly traded next to the category's index heavyweights, which tends to mean wider spreads and more care needed on sizable orders.
  • Convertibles track their underlying stocks, so this behaves more like equity risk than a plain bond fund, and synthetic positions add counterparty exposure.ftportfolios.com

FCVT Performance

Launched Nov 3, 2015

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

FCVT$10,244
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. FCVT $10,244. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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.

Trailing total return for FCVT. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodFCVT
Year to date+5.4%
1 month−8.2%
3 months−8.2%
1 year+2.4%
3 yearsper year+17.1%
5 yearsper year+3.0%
10 yearsper year+10.0%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for FCVT
YearReturn barFCVT
2026 YTD+5.4%
2025+19.6%
2024+11.9%
2023+7.1%
2022−20.9%
2021+4.1%
2020+51.0%

FCVT in the news

FCVT Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
1.21%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.54Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.05 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Monthly

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 46 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jan 24, 2023 $0.04; Feb 22, 2023 $0.04; Mar 24, 2023 $0.04; Apr 21, 2023 $0.04; May 23, 2023 $0.04; Jun 27, 2023 $0.04; Jul 21, 2023 $0.04; Aug 22, 2023 $0.04; Sep 22, 2023 $0.04; Oct 24, 2023 $0.04; Nov 21, 2023 $0.04; Dec 22, 2023 $0.15; Jan 23, 2024 $0.04; Feb 21, 2024 $0.04; Mar 21, 2024 $0.04; Apr 23, 2024 $0.04; May 21, 2024 $0.04; Jun 27, 2024 $0.04; Jul 23, 2024 $0.04; Aug 21, 2024 $0.04; Sep 26, 2024 $0.04; Oct 22, 2024 $0.04; Nov 21, 2024 $0.04; Dec 13, 2024 $0.04; Jan 22, 2025 $0.09; Feb 21, 2025 $0.09; Mar 27, 2025 $0.09; Apr 22, 2025 $0.09; May 21, 2025 $0.10; Jun 26, 2025 $0.10; Jul 22, 2025 $0.08; Aug 21, 2025 $0.05; Sep 25, 2025 $0.05; Oct 21, 2025 $0.05; Nov 21, 2025 $0.05; Dec 12, 2025 $0.05; Jan 21, 2026 $0.05; Feb 20, 2026 $0.05; Mar 26, 2026 $0.05; Apr 21, 2026 $0.05; May 21, 2026 $0.05; Jun 25, 2026 $0.05; Jul 21, 2026 $0.05; Aug 21, 2026 $0.05; Sep 24, 2026 $0.05; Oct 21, 2026 $0.05. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Oct 21, 2026Oct 30, 2026$0.05
Sep 24, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.05
Aug 21, 2026Aug 31, 2026$0.05
Jul 21, 2026Jul 31, 2026$0.05
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.05
May 21, 2026May 29, 2026$0.05
Apr 21, 2026Apr 30, 2026$0.05
Mar 26, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.05
Feb 20, 2026Feb 27, 2026$0.05
Jan 21, 2026Jan 30, 2026$0.05
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.05
Nov 21, 2025Nov 28, 2025$0.05

See all 129 payments⁠

$10,000 in FCVT 10 years ago paid $6,254 in dividends.⁠

FCVT Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
15.5%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.81
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−30.5%
Trough Oct 2023
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.25
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

FCVT Cost

Overpaying vs ICVT, cheapest in Convertible Bond

$13,714

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • FCVT 0.95%

    $17,869

  • ICVT 0.20% Cheapest

    $4,155

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FCVT 0.95%
  • ICVT 0.20%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530FCVT $17,869ICVT $4,155

Year by year

YearFCVTICVTOverpaying
10$1,678$365$1,313
20$6,322$1,421$4,901
30$17,869$4,155$13,714

Other funds in Convertible Bond