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First Trust RiverFront Dynamic Emerging Markets ETF

RFEMNasdaqFirst TrustD

$99.61−0.10 (−0.10%) past 5 days

At close: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT ET

5D price: down, 5 points from 99.71 to 99.61. Range 98.53 to 99.75. Use the arrow keys to read each point.98.5098.7599.0099.2599.75
Market opens at 9:30 AM ET.
Expense ratio
0.85%
Fund size
$84M
1Y total return
+32.1%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.54%
Holdings
136
Avg volume · 30D
3.23K sh
52W range
low $73.81high $100.15
Launched

The ETF.net RFEM Grade

As of · Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 44 out of 100

Rank
19 of 28
Six-pillar profile for RFEM. Scores out of 100: Cost 7, Risk 84, Mission not scored, Tradability 58, Holdings 53, Durability 77. Strongest: Risk (84). Weakest: Cost (7). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

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 100
    Rank 27 of 28
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A84 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 28
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B58 out of 100
    Rank 12 of 28
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C53 out of 100
    Rank 13 of 26
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A77 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 28

Our read on RFEM

ETF.net Research

In short

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.

Stated mandate

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

Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
136
Top-10 weight
38%
Largest holding
2330.TW8.9%

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%
  • Other countries (15)14.51%

Developed 8% · Emerging 92% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 2.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
12330.TWTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.8.90%97,521$7.48M175
22454.TWMediaTek Inc.7.56%43,633$6.36M163
33037.TWUnimicron Technology Corporation3.73%102,698$3.13M103
4MCHIiShares MSCI China ETF2.99%47,526$2.51M5
50700.HKTencent Holdings Limited2.82%44,096$2.37M153
6000270.KSKia Corporation2.47%22,457$2.08M103
73443.TWGlobal Unichip Corporation2.45%10,707$2.06M91
8ICTEFInternational Container Terminal Services, Inc.2.33%124,950$1.96M54
93653.TWJentech Precision Industrial Company Ltd.2.25%10,591$1.89M81
101398.HKIndustrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (Class H)2.15%1,866,506$1.8M101
110992.HKLenovo Group Limited1.99%412,081$1.67M110
12KBANK-R.BKKasikornbank Pcl (NVDR)1.86%210,100$1.56M71
13KBANK.BKKasikornbank Pcl1.82%206,300$1.53M14
14No dataHDFC Bank Limited1.68%195,285$1.41MNo data
15TUPRS.ISTurkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.S.1.66%162,162$1.4M80

Showing 1–15 of 30 holdings

RFEM Performance

Launched Jun 14, 2016

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
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,702
Sep 12, 2025 to Sep 14, 2026. RFEM $13,206. SPY $11,702. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000$13,000Sep 2025Mar 2026Sep 2026

Sep 12, 2025 – Sep 14, 2026

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.

As of
Trailing total return for RFEM. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodRFEM
Year to date+24.8%
1 month+0.3%
3 months+4.1%
1 year+32.1%
3 yearsper year+24.6%
5 yearsper year+11.0%
10 yearsper year+9.4%

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 RFEM
YearReturn barRFEM
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

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 Sep 14, 2026.
2.54%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$2.48Last 12 months
Last payment
$1.12 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

Through Sep 14, 2026

One bar per payment. 32 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 23, 2017 $0.06; Jun 22, 2017 $0.16; Sep 21, 2017 $0.41; Dec 21, 2017 $0.53; Mar 22, 2018 $0.04; Jun 21, 2018 $0.26; Sep 14, 2018 $0.74; Dec 18, 2018 $0.29; Jun 14, 2019 $0.27; Sep 25, 2019 $0.81; Dec 13, 2019 $1.34; Jun 25, 2020 $0.18; Sep 24, 2020 $0.57; Dec 24, 2020 $0.09; Mar 25, 2021 $0.05; Jun 24, 2021 $0.64; Sep 23, 2021 $0.59; Dec 23, 2021 $0.90; Jun 24, 2022 $0.85; Sep 23, 2022 $1.61; Dec 23, 2022 $1.46; Jun 27, 2023 $0.74; Sep 22, 2023 $0.58; Dec 22, 2023 $0.63; Jun 27, 2024 $0.73; Sep 26, 2024 $0.33; Dec 13, 2024 $1.24; Jun 26, 2025 $0.26; Sep 25, 2025 $0.66; Dec 12, 2025 $0.65; Mar 26, 2026 $0.05; Jun 25, 2026 $1.12. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$1.12
Mar 26, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.05
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.65
Sep 25, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.66
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.26
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$1.24
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.33
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.73
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.63
Sep 22, 2023Sep 29, 2023$0.58
Jun 27, 2023Jun 30, 2023$0.74
Dec 23, 2022Dec 30, 2022$1.46

See all 34 payments⁠

RFEM Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
13.0%
Annualised · 36 months to Aug 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.
1.49
vs 3-month T-bills · to Aug 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.
−31.3%
Trough Sep 2022
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.
0.89
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.

RFEM Cost

RFEM cost

$16,199

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

  • RFEM 0.85%

    $16,199

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • RFEM 0.85%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530RFEM $16,199

Year by year

YearRFEM
10$1,508
20$5,706
30$16,199