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FMTL vs ILIT

First Trust Indxx Critical Metals ETF

FMTLCNYSE Arca

iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

ILITBNasdaq

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ILIT −0.18pt a year

FMTL0.65%ILIT0.47%

Avg volume · 30D

ILIT 2.0×the volume

FMTL5.93KILIT12.1K

FMTL vs ILIT Performance

Dec 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+8.5%FMTL−36.0%ILIT

Dec 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. FMTL +8.5%. ILIT −36.0%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%20%40%Dec 2025Jun 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
FMTL 0.65%
ILIT 0.47%, better
Fund size
FMTL $28M
ILIT $10M
1Y total return
FMTL No data
ILIT −26.3%
Yield (12M)
FMTL No data
ILIT 3.22%
Holdings
FMTL 51
ILIT 54
Avg volume (30D)
FMTL 5.93K sh
ILIT 12.1K sh, better
NAV per share
FMTL $31.04
ILIT $10.05
52W range

ETF.net Grade

FMTL: Cost 38, Risk 87, Mission not scored, Tradability 61, Holdings 45, Durability 47. ILIT: Cost 97, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 40, Holdings 69, Durability 43.
Pillar letters and Scores for FMTL, ILIT, with each pillar’s weight
PillarFMTLILIT
Cost30% weightD38A97Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightA87HigherD27
Tradability15% weightB61HigherC40
Holdings10% weightC45B69Higher
Durability5% weightC47HigherC43

Rank among Critical Materials funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. FMTL and ILIT are both graded against the same 12 Critical Materials funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Critical Materials⁠

Category · 12 funds
See all 12 ›

ILIT ranks 2nd and FMTL 5th of 12 funds in the Critical Materials Category.

  1. Rank 1AREMXVanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETFScore 75
  2. Rank 2BILITiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETFScore 64
  3. Rank 3BEARTGlobal X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETFScore 59
  4. Rank 4CSETMSprott Critical Materials ETFScore 56
  5. Rank 5CFMTLFirst Trust Indxx Critical Metals ETFScore 53
  6. Rank 5CIONProShares S&P Global Core Battery Metals ETFScore 53

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FMTLCFirst Trust Indxx Critical Metals ETF

ILITBiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

In short

FMTL First Trust's late-2025 entry into the critical-metals race: an index fund on the miners and processors behind batteries, magnets and grids, across US, developed and emerging markets. Priced at the category median, on a crowded shelf.

ILIT Most lithium funds blend miners with EV makers and battery tech. ILIT stays at the source: an index of global companies whose main business is digging lithium ore or making lithium compounds, about 40 names, for 0.47% a year.

Stated mandate

FMTL The fund seeks investment results that generally correspond to the Indxx Global Critical Metals Index and normally invests at least 80% of net assets in securities comprising that index.

ILIT ILIT aims to replicate an index of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issuers whose principal activities are lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing.

Why people hold it

  • FMTL One ticket to the metals story: companies across the US, developed and emerging markets rather than a single-country bet.ftportfolios.com
  • Rules-based by design. It tracks the Indxx Global Critical Metals Index and normally keeps at least 80% of net assets in that index's securities, so no stock-picking discretion.ftportfolios.com
  • The 0.65% expense ratio sits right at the median for critical-materials ETFs, so the newest name on the shelf isn't charging a premium for being new.
  • ILIT Straight to the rock. The index holds only firms whose principal business is lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing, so EV assemblers and electronics names stay out.ishares.com
  • 0.47% a year undercuts most of the critical-materials shelf, including SETM (0.65%) and EART (0.59%).
  • Rules-based and transparent: it replicates the STOXX Global Lithium Miners and Producers Index (STXLIMEV) rather than a manager's stock picks.
  • Global by design. The mandate spans US, developed international and emerging market issuers instead of stopping at the US border.

Worth knowing

  • FMTL Cheaper routes into the theme exist: PICK charges 0.39% and REMX 0.53%, both with far longer track records.
  • It opened in November 2025, so there is no multi-year record of how tightly it tracks its index or how it holds up through a metals downturn.
  • Distributions come annually or semiannually, and a young, small fund tends to trade in lighter volume than the category's established names.
  • ILIT Small asset base and light trading volume, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on the big diversified mining funds.
  • One metal, roughly 40 stocks. Lithium-linked shares have been a volatile ride, and a portfolio this concentrated feels every move in the metal.
  • Launched in 2023, so the track record is short, and cash distributions land only once or twice a year.

Full FMTL profile⁠

Full ILIT profile⁠

FMTL vs ILIT Holdings

How FMTL and ILIT differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

Shared holdings make up 0.0% of FMTL and 0.0% of ILIT.

Level by level

  • Holdings0 in both0.0%
  • Countryby domicile35.1%
  • Asset classEquity100%

Sector

No Sector split for FMTL.

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FMTL and ILIT, widest gap first
CountryMore in FMTLMore in ILIT
ChinaILIT +36.2 points
United KingdomFMTL +17.3 points
CanadaFMTL +12.4 points
MexicoFMTL +10.2 points
AustraliaILIT +10.1 points
ChileILIT +8.8 points
JapanFMTL +7.0 points
South KoreaILIT +5.7 points
Other countries (13)FMTL +14.0 points

Outside the US: FMTL 74% developed, 26% emerging. ILIT 33% developed, 67% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • FMTL61.5%
  • ILIT53.0%

Securities held

  • FMTL46
  • ILIT45

Asset class

FMTL
Equity
ILIT
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in FMTL46
  • In both0
  • Only in ILIT45

Only in FMTL

46 securities, 99.9% of FMTL by weight

  • Grupo Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (Class B)8.27%
  • BHP Group Limited8.26%
  • Rio Tinto Plc7.81%

Only in ILIT

45 securities, 99.9% of ILIT by weight

  • Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile8.86%
  • Albemarle Corp8.76%
  • Pls Group Ltd6.25%

Weight gaps

FMTL and ILIT share no securities.

All 46 FMTL holdings⁠All 45 ILIT holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

FMTL vs ILIT Cost

Overpaying FMTL vs ILIT

$3,299

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

  • FMTL 0.65%

    $12,717

  • ILIT 0.47%

    $9,418

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FMTL 0.65%
  • ILIT 0.47%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530FMTL $12,717ILIT $9,418

Year by year

YearFMTLILITOverpaying
10$1,163$847$316
20$4,440$3,261$1,179
30$12,717$9,418$3,299

Expense ratio

  • 0.65%FMTL
  • 0.47%ILIT, cheaper
  • Middle half of Critical Materials funds
  • Median 0.64%

ILIT cheapest of 12 funds

FMTL 7th cheapest of 12 funds

FMTL vs ILIT Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
FMTL No data
ILIT 3.22%
Payout (12M)
FMTL No data
ILIT $0.32
Last payment
FMTL $0.51
ILIT $0.02
Ex-dividend
FMTL Jun 25, 2026
ILIT Jun 15, 2026
Paid on
FMTL Jun 30, 2026
ILIT Jun 18, 2026
Frequency
FMTL Twice a year
ILIT Twice a year

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

FMTLTwice a year · 2 paymentsAll FMTL payments⁠
One bar per payment. 2 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 12, 2025 $0.02; Jun 25, 2026 $0.51. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD
ILITTwice a year · 6 paymentsAll ILIT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 20, 2023 $0.12; Jun 11, 2024 $0.08; Dec 17, 2024 $0.50; Jun 16, 2025 $0.06; Dec 16, 2025 $0.30; Jun 15, 2026 $0.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD

FMTL vs ILIT Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
FMTL No dataILIT 46.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
FMTL No dataILIT −0.11
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
FMTL No dataILIT −73.7%since Jun 2023
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
FMTL 0.98ILIT 1.58

FMTL and ILIT in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

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