First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX Fund
$33.130.00 (0.00%)
- 0.80%
- $820M
- +31.0%
- 2.17%
- 0.1M sh
- $33.35
- low $25.93high $35.61
The ETF.net FEM Grade
D
Score 38 out of 100
- 15 of 20
Score 38 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 19 of 20Mission
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 5 of 19Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B63 out of 100Rank 7 of 20Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B59 out of 100Rank 10 of 20Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A80 out of 100Rank 2 of 20
Our read on FEM
DA 2011-vintage take on emerging markets that skips cap-weighting: it ranks stocks on growth and value factors, keeps the top scorers, and weights them in tiers, so the megacap giants don't run the portfolio. The fee sits at the high end.
The fund seeks results that generally correspond, before fees and expenses, to the price and yield of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Emerging Markets Index. It normally invests at least 90% of net assets in index securities and uses indexing to replicate the index.
Why people hold it
- Ranks emerging-market stocks on growth and value factors, then weights the survivors in tiers, so the strongest scorers carry more weight than size alone would give them.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Holds roughly 160 names under tiered equal weighting, leaving more room for mid-size and smaller companies than a cap-weighted EM benchmark.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Running since 2011 through several EM cycles, with at least 90% of net assets in index securities and cash paid out quarterly.
- A few hundred million in assets and moderate volume: no giant, but an established fund rather than a launch-stage one.
Worth knowing
- At 0.80% a year it costs well above the median fee in its multifactor EM group, where cheaper builds exist (EMGF at 0.26%, AVES at 0.36%).
- The factor screen and tiered weights can push results well away from headline cap-weighted EM indexes, in either direction.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Country and sector weights fall out of the ranking rules, so nobody is steering exposure toward or away from a given market.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
FEM Holdings
- Stocks
- 162
- 18%
- 3189.TW
Sectors
- Technology29.1%
- Industrials19.5%
- Energy14.0%
- Materials8.9%
- Utilities6.1%
- Financials5.8%
- Consumer Discretionary4.7%
- Communication4.0%
- Consumer Staples3.0%
- Health Care2.6%
- Real Estate2.3%
Geography
- Taiwan36.33%
- China18.48%
- Brazil10.34%
- Turkey5.61%
- India5.36%
- Thailand4.05%
- Indonesia3.81%
- Mexico3.38%
- 12.63%
Developed 1% · Emerging 99%
FEM Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
FEM$13,102
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 | FEM |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +23.1% |
| 1 month | −0.1% |
| 3 months | +4.2% |
| 1 year | +31.0% |
| 3 years | +20.8% |
| 5 years | +8.9% |
| 10 years | +8.7% |
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 | FEM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +23.1% | |
| 2025 | +28.3% | |
| 2024 | +3.0% | |
| 2023 | +10.8% | |
| 2022 | −14.2% | |
| 2021 | +7.3% | |
| 2020 | −1.7% |
FEM in the news
FEM Dividends
- 2.17%
- $0.72
- $0.28 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
FEM Risk
- 14.0%
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.
- 1.00
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.
- −28.5%
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.
- 0.81
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FEM Cost
0.80%
FEM0.80%
- The middle half of Emerging Markets Multifactor funds
- Median 0.47%
18 of the 20 Emerging Markets Multifactor funds charge less.
Other funds in Emerging Markets Multifactor
- CEMMFWisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor FundExpense ratio 0.48%1 year return +27.7%
- DECONColumbia Research Enhanced Emerging Economies ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +35.9%
- DGEMGoldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +30.1%
- DFEMSFirst Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX FundExpense ratio 0.80%1 year return +15.8%
- DTLTENorthern Trust Morningstar Emerging Markets Factor Tilt ETFExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +28.1%