First Trust WCM Developing World Equity ETF
$18.96−0.23 (−1.21%)
- 0.95%
- $40M
- +16.4%
- 0.35%
- 0M sh
- $19.37
- low $16.17high $20.29
The ETF.net WCME Grade
C
Score 41 out of 100
- 6 of 9
Score 41 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.D26 out of 100Rank 7 of 9Mission
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.C43 out of 100Rank 7 of 9Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B56 out of 100Rank 3 of 9Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C48 out of 100Rank 6 of 9Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A71 out of 100Rank 3 of 9
Our read on WCME
CEmerging markets with conviction: roughly 30 stocks hand-picked by boutique manager WCM, with frontier names in bounds. Built to look nothing like a broad developing-world index fund.
The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. It normally invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in developing countries, using WCM’s bottom-up fundamental research process.
Why people hold it
- Genuinely active: about 30 holdings chosen by bottom-up fundamental research, not index weights. Real concentration, not closet indexing with a higher fee.
- Wide mandate: at least 80% of net assets in developing-country equities, with frontier markets inside the lines and no market-cap box.sec.gov
- Full opportunity set. Peers like EMM and PEMX screen China out by rule; here China exposure is a stock-by-stock decision the manager makes.
- The 0.95% expense ratio sits right at the median for its active emerging-markets peer group: the going rate for stock-picking, not a surcharge.
Worth knowing
- Cheaper active EM options exist. EMM charges 0.66% and PEMX 0.70% against this fund's 0.95%, and fees compound whatever the market does.
- Small and thinly traded, so bid-ask spreads tend to be wider than a mega-fund's and sizeable orders need more care at the open and close.
- Concentration cuts both ways: with about 30 developing and frontier holdings, single stocks and single countries move it more than a broad tracker. It launched in 2020, so the record is short.
WCME Holdings
- Stocks
- 45
- 48%
- 2330.TW
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials19.1%
- Health Care11.4%
- Consumer Discretionary8.2%
- Industrials8.0%
- Materials5.5%
- Energy4.3%
- Utilities2.5%
- Communication1.1%
Geography
- Taiwan (Province of China)23.44%
- Korea (the Republic of)21.00%
- China10.32%
- Brazil9.15%
- Hong Kong6.11%
- Mexico5.25%
- Israel5.11%
- Switzerland3.76%
- 15.86%
Developed 13% · Emerging 87%
WCME Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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WCME$11,643
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 | WCME |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.7% |
| 1 month | 0.0% |
| 3 months | −1.8% |
| 1 year | +16.4% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
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 | WCME |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.7% | |
| 2025 | +35.2% | |
| 2024 | −10.8% |
WCME in the news
WCME Dividends
- 0.35%
- $0.07
- $0.05 per share
- Twice a year
Distribution history
WCME Risk
- 17.1%
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.
- 0.88
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.
- −15.7%
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.
- 1.08
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
WCME Cost
0.95%
WCME0.95%
- The middle half of Emerging Markets Active Growth funds
- Median 0.79%
6 of the 9 Emerging Markets Active Growth funds charge less.
Other funds in Emerging Markets Active Growth
- CPEMXPutnam Emerging Markets Ex-China ETFExpense ratio 0.71%1 year return +46.3%
- CBCEMBaron Emerging Markets Select ETFExpense ratio 0.80%1 year return —
- DBGEGBaillie Gifford Emerging Markets ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —
- DMEMSMatthews Emerging Markets Discovery Active ETF MEMSExpense ratio 0.99%1 year return +21.9%
- FTEMXTouchstone ETF Trust - Capital Emerging Markets Ex China Growth ETFExpense ratio 2.72%1 year return +30.8%