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Launched

First Trust WCM Developing World Equity ETF

WCMENYSE ArcaFirst TrustD

$17.57+0.09 (+0.51%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:55 PM ET

D36/ 100

Rank 7 of 9 in Emerging Markets Active Growth

D36/100Rank 7 of 9inEmerging Markets Active Growth
Intraday session: up, 72 prints from 17.48 to 17.57. Range 17.48 to 17.87. Use the arrow keys to read each point.17.7017.8010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.95%
Fund size
$36M
1Y total return
−0.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.38%
Holdings
44
Avg volume · 30D
9.97K sh
52W range
low $16.17high $20.29
Launched

The ETF.net WCME Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 36 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Active Growth⁠
Rank
7 of 9
Six-pillar profile for WCME. Scores out of 100: Cost 7, Risk 56, Mission not scored, Tradability 60, Holdings 49, Durability 65. Strongest: Durability (65). Weakest: Cost (7). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 36 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.
    F7 out of 100
    Rank 9 of 9

  • 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.
    B56 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 9

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B60 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 9

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C49 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 9

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B65 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 9

Our read on WCME

ETF.net Research

In short

DEmerging 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.

Stated mandate

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 Performance

Launched Mar 31, 2020

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.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
WCME$9,984
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. WCME $9,984. 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 WCME. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodWCME
Year to date+1.8%
1 month−8.3%
3 months−5.2%
1 year−0.2%
3 yearsHistory unavailableper yearNo data
5 yearsHistory unavailableper yearNo data
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 WCME
YearReturn barWCME
2026 YTD+1.8%
2025+35.2%
2024−10.8%

History from Oct 7, 2024

WCME in the news

WCME 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.
0.38%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.07Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.05 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Twice a year

Distribution history

2024–2026

One bar per payment. 4 payments from 2024 to 2026 YTD. Dec 13, 2024 $0.07; Jun 26, 2025 $0.10; Dec 12, 2025 $0.01; Jun 25, 2026 $0.05. Use the arrow keys to read each point.202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.05
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.01
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.10
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.07

$10,000 in WCME 1 year ago paid $37.79 in dividends.

WCME Risk

Risk pillarB56 out of 100Rank 2 of 9 in Emerging Markets Active Growth
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
18.1%
Annualised · 24 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.
0.55
vs 3-month T-bills · 24 months 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.
−15.7%
24 months · trough Mar 2026
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.
0.99
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.

WCME Cost

Compare WCME and FFEM

Overpaying vs FFEM, cheapest in Emerging Markets Active Growth

$6,052

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

  • WCME 0.95%

    $17,869

  • FFEM 0.60% Cheapest

    $11,817

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • WCME 0.95%
  • FFEM 0.60%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530WCME $17,869FFEM $11,817

Year by year

YearWCMEFFEMOverpaying
10$1,678$1,076$602
20$6,322$4,116$2,206
30$17,869$11,817$6,052

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