ETF Filings
First Trust's AFDM and AFEM summary prospectuses take effect, still printing the 2016 record
First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Emerging Markets ETF
$99.61−0.10 (−0.10%) past 5 days
Market opens at 9:30 AM ET.
- 0.85%
- $84M
- +32.1%
- 2.54%
- 0M sh
- $98.44
- low $73.81high $100.15
The ETF.net RFEM Grade
D
Score 44 out of 100
- 19 of 28
Score 44 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. The letter stays D for now. A new letter must hold for 3 published runs before it replaces it.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F7 out of 100Rank 27 of 28Mission
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.A84 out of 100Rank 2 of 28Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B58 out of 100Rank 12 of 28Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C53 out of 100Rank 13 of 26Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A77 out of 100Rank 5 of 28
Our read on RFEM
DRiverFront runs this one: about 120 emerging-market stocks chosen on momentum, quality and value, with currency hedging allowed. Active EM since 2016, priced above most of its rivals.
The Fund seeks capital appreciation through an actively managed portfolio that invests at least 80% of assets in equity securities of emerging-market companies, including common stock, depositary receipts and REIT shares, with currency hedging permitted.
Why people hold it
- Currency hedging is permitted, so dollar exposure is a lever the manager can pull rather than a fixed setting baked into the fund.ftportfolios.com
- Momentum, quality and value get combined in one proprietary optimization instead of a single-factor tilt, and the mandate covers stocks, depositary receipts and REIT shares.
- Roughly 120 holdings, so this is a genuinely concentrated active book rather than an index clone with a higher price tag.
- Trading since 2016, which means a real live record through emerging-market ups and downs, not a backtest. Distributions come quarterly.
Worth knowing
- At 0.99% a year, the fee sits well above the 0.65% median for active EM funds, and above top-ranked peers like AVEM (0.33%) and DFEM (0.39%).
- Thinly traded compared with the giants of the category, so the spread between buy and sell prices is a bigger part of the cost picture here.
- Against its active emerging-markets peer group it lands in the lower half, with price the main thing holding it back rather than how the portfolio is built.
RFEM Holdings
- Stocks
- 136
- 38%
- 2330.TW
Sectors
- Technology36.2%
- Financials22.0%
- Consumer Discr.10.9%
- Industrials8.3%
- Energy6.7%
- Communication4.9%
- Materials3.8%
- Cons. Staples2.8%
- Health Care2.5%
- Utilities1.2%
- Real Estate0.6%
Geography
- Taiwan29.87%
- South Korea16.82%
- India11.79%
- China11.48%
- Hong Kong6.10%
- Brazil5.75%
- Turkey1.94%
- Israel1.74%
- 14.51%
Developed 8% · Emerging 92%
RFEM Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
RFEM$13,206
Returns run to the Sep 14, 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 | RFEM |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +24.8% |
| 1 month | +0.3% |
| 3 months | +4.1% |
| 1 year | +32.1% |
| 3 years | +24.6% |
| 5 years | +11.0% |
| 10 years | +9.4% |
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 | RFEM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +24.8% | |
| 2025 | +27.7% | |
| 2024 | +10.8% | |
| 2023 | +20.8% | |
| 2022 | −19.0% | |
| 2021 | +0.9% | |
| 2020 | +8.2% |
RFEM in the news
RFEM Dividends
- 2.54%
- $2.48
- $1.12 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
RFEM Risk
- 13.0%
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.
- 1.49
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.
- −31.3%
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.
- 0.89
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
RFEM Cost
0.85%