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Launched · SEC filings

First Trust Emerging Markets Equity Select ETF

RNEMNasdaqFirst TrustC

$55.69+0.24 (+0.44%)

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

C44/ 100

Rank 17 of 27 in Emerging Markets Active Equity

C44/100Rank 17 of 27inEmerging Markets Active Equity
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 55.45 to 55.69. Range 49.91 to 61.00. Use the arrow keys to read each point.50.0052.0058.0060.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.75%
Fund size
$17M
1Y total return
+4.1%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.37%
Holdings
280
Avg volume · 30D
1.52K sh
52W range
low $46.90high $59.01
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net RNEM Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 44 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Active Equity⁠
Rank
17 of 27
Six-pillar profile for RNEM. Scores out of 100: Cost 25, Risk 63, Mission not scored, Tradability 43, Holdings 74, Durability 55. Strongest: Holdings (74). Weakest: Cost (25). 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.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    D25 out of 100
    Rank 20 of 27

  • 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.
    B63 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 27

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C43 out of 100
    Rank 13 of 27

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A74 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 25

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B55 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 27

Our read on RNEM

ETF.net Research

In short

CThe calm corner of emerging markets: a Nasdaq-calculated index picks the 25 lowest-volatility stocks in each EM country, then modified-equal-weights them. Fee is 0.75%, with no waiver.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq Riskalyze Emerging MarketsTM Index. It normally invests at least 90% of assets in the common stocks and depositary receipts included in that index.

Why people hold it

  • Rather than cap-weighting EM megacaps, the index screens each country for its 25 steadiest names by trailing 12-month volatility, then rebalances twice a year.sec.govftportfolios.com
  • Spreads the money wide: roughly 300 stocks, at least 90% of assets in index names and depositary receipts, with cash paid out quarterly.
  • The index was built by Riskalyze, the firm behind the risk-scoring software advisors run on client portfolios, and is calculated by Nasdaq. RNEM is the only ETF linked to it.sec.govnasdaqomx.com

Worth knowing

  • At 0.75% with no fee waiver, it sits above the emerging-markets category median and well above peers like AVEM and JEMA at 0.33%. The volatility screen is what you pay up for.
  • A small fund that trades lightly next to the category's index giants, so bid-ask spreads can run wider.
  • Country lines come from Nasdaq's own emerging-markets classification, so the country mix can differ from MSCI-based rivals; overall it lands in the lower half of its peer group.sec.gov

RNEM Holdings

Holdings pillarA74 out of 100Rank 8 of 25 in Emerging Markets Active Equity
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
280
Top-10 weight
26%
Largest holding
Shree Cement Limited3.1%

Sectors

  • Financials36.8%
  • Materials13.4%
  • Consumer Discretionary10.1%
  • Communication8.2%
  • Energy7.0%
  • Technology6.5%
  • Consumer Staples5.6%
  • Health Care4.3%
  • Industrials4.0%
  • Utilities3.4%
  • Real Estate0.7%

Geography

  • India32.07%
  • Taiwan18.05%
  • China12.55%
  • Brazil10.18%
  • Mexico5.30%
  • South Africa4.36%
  • Thailand3.64%
  • Poland2.83%
  • Other countries (11)11.01%

Developed 0% · Emerging 100% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 19.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1No dataShree Cement Limited3.12%2,141$520K1
2No dataBajaj Auto Limited2.88%4,399$480K3
3No dataPidilite Industries Ltd.2.78%30,060$463K2
4RELIANCE.NSReliance Insurance PLC2.76%37,334$459K58
5No dataKotak Mahindra Bank Limited2.65%90,423$441K3
6No dataAnand Rathi Wealth Limited2.54%17,786$422K1
7No dataICICI Bank Limited2.53%28,529$422K4
8No dataHDFC Bank Limited2.35%53,205$391K3
9SBILIFE.NSSBI Life Insurance Company Limited2.34%22,227$390K48
102002.TWChina Steel Corporation2.03%573,503$338K69
11ANG.JOAngloGold Ashanti Plc2.00%4,196$333K114
121101.TWTaiwan Cement Corporation1.89%362,489$314K47
131102.TWAsia Cement Corporation1.86%266,298$310K42
14No dataBharti Airtel Ltd.1.84%14,692$306K4
151402.TWFar Eastern New Century Corporation1.75%337,468$292K55

Showing 1–15 of 280 holdings

RNEM Performance

Launched Jun 20, 2017

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

Not enough history yet.
RNEM$10,409
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. RNEM $10,409. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 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 RNEM. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodRNEM
Year to date+1.9%
1 month+0.8%
3 months−1.9%
1 year+4.1%
3 yearsper year+9.0%
5 yearsper year+5.7%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

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 RNEM
YearReturn barRNEM
2026 YTD+1.9%
2025+15.6%
2024−1.5%
2023+23.4%
2022−8.7%
2021+6.1%
2020−8.1%

RNEM in the news

RNEM 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.
2.37%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.32Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.63 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 30 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Sep 21, 2017 $0.57; Dec 21, 2017 $0.68; Mar 22, 2018 $0.0068; Jun 21, 2018 $0.44; Sep 14, 2018 $0.80; Dec 18, 2018 $0.12; Mar 21, 2019 $0.16; Jun 14, 2019 $0.20; Sep 25, 2019 $1.03; Dec 13, 2019 $0.10; Mar 26, 2020 $0.03; Jun 25, 2020 $0.27; Sep 24, 2020 $0.77; Dec 24, 2020 $0.33; Jun 24, 2021 $0.69; Sep 23, 2021 $0.84; Jun 24, 2022 $0.32; Sep 23, 2022 $0.90; Dec 23, 2022 $0.05; Jun 27, 2023 $0.17; Sep 22, 2023 $0.60; Dec 22, 2023 $0.06; Jun 27, 2024 $0.14; Sep 26, 2024 $0.57; Dec 13, 2024 $0.98; Jun 26, 2025 $0.56; Sep 25, 2025 $0.63; Dec 12, 2025 $0.33; Jun 25, 2026 $0.35; Sep 24, 2026 $0.63. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 24, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.63
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.35
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.33
Sep 25, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.63
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.56
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.98
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.57
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.14
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.06
Sep 22, 2023Sep 29, 2023$0.60
Jun 27, 2023Jun 30, 2023$0.17
Dec 23, 2022Dec 30, 2022$0.05

See all 30 payments⁠

$10,000 in RNEM 5 years ago paid $1,306 in dividends.⁠

RNEM Risk

Risk pillarB63 out of 100Rank 4 of 27 in Emerging Markets Active Equity
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
9.8%
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.
0.48
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.
−21.4%
Trough Oct 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.
0.61
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.

RNEM Cost

Compare RNEM and AVEM

Overpaying vs AVEM, tied cheapest in Emerging Markets Active Equity

$7,745

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

  • RNEM 0.75%

    $14,482

  • AVEM 0.33% Tied cheapest

    $6,737

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • RNEM 0.75%
  • AVEM 0.33%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530RNEM $14,482AVEM $6,737

Year by year

YearRNEMAVEMOverpaying
10$1,336$598$738
20$5,078$2,318$2,760
30$14,482$6,737$7,745

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