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FTXR vs SEA

First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

FTXRCNasdaq

U.S. Global Sea to Sky Cargo ETF

SEACNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

FTXR0.60%SEA0.60%

Avg volume · 30D

FTXR 29.6×the volume

FTXR564KSEA19K

3Y return · a year

SEA +3.4pt

FTXR+21.3%SEA+24.7%

FTXR vs SEA Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

+23.3%FTXR+52.4%SEA

Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. FTXR +23.3%. SEA +52.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%10%40%60%Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026
Expense ratio
FTXR 0.60%
SEA 0.60%
Fund size
FTXR $159M
SEA $19M
1Y total return
FTXR +23.3%
SEA +52.4%, better
Yield (12M)
FTXR 1.03%
SEA 4.56%, better
Holdings
FTXR 43
SEA 31
Avg volume (30D)
FTXR 564K sh, better
SEA 19K sh
NAV per share
FTXR $42.84
SEA $21.58
52W range

ETF.net Grade

FTXR: Cost 31, Risk 53, Mission not scored, Tradability 78, Holdings 44, Durability 67. SEA: Cost 31, Risk 71, Mission not scored, Tradability 25, Holdings 67, Durability 46.
Pillar letters and Scores for FTXR, SEA, with each pillar’s weight
PillarFTXRSEA
Cost30% weightD31D31
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightC53A71Higher
Tradability15% weightA78HigherD25
Holdings10% weightC44B67Higher
Durability5% weightB67HigherC46

Rank among Transportation funds

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

Same Category. FTXR and SEA are both graded against the same 8 Transportation funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Transportation⁠

Category · 8 funds
See all 8 ›

FTXR ranks 3rd and SEA 4th of 8 funds in the Transportation Category.

  1. Rank 1BXTNState Street SPDR S&P Transportation ETFScore 65
  2. Rank 2BIYTiShares U.S. Transportation ETFScore 56
  3. Rank 3CFTXRFirst Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETFScore 48
  4. Rank 4CSEAU.S. Global Sea to Sky Cargo ETFScore 43
  5. Rank 5CDOCKCorgi Portfolios Rail & Freight EtfScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FTXRCFirst Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF

SEACU.S. Global Sea to Sky Cargo ETF

In short

FTXR Transportation with a screen on top. FTXR holds about 40 US names that move goods and people (rails, truckers, airlines, parcel), ranked on momentum and profitability instead of sheer size.

SEA One ticker for the whole freight chain: container ships, port operators, and air couriers. Fixed-tier weights keep the giant parcel names from swallowing the portfolio, with a 70/30 tilt toward sea over sky.

Stated mandate

FTXR The fund seeks to generally track the price and yield of the Nasdaq US Smart TransportationTM Index before fees and expenses. It uses an indexing approach to replicate the index's holdings and weightings.

SEA The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the U.S. Global SEA Index.

Why people hold it

  • FTXR The Nasdaq US Smart Transportation Index scores companies on momentum and profitability and weights them on those scores, so the biggest firm isn't automatically the biggest position.
  • About 40 holdings, all in transportation. A focused read on freight and travel rather than a diluted industrials basket.
  • Live since 2016, so it carries a full-cycle record in a niche where narrow funds often don't stick around. Cash goes out quarterly.
  • SEA Owns freight end to end: marine shipping, port and harbor operators, and air freight and courier names, global and including emerging markets.usglobaletfs.com
  • Weights are assigned in fixed tiers (5%, 4% and 2% slots for sea names, 3% for air) rather than by market cap, so one mega-cap courier cannot dominate the book.usglobaletfs.com
  • Reconstitutes and rebalances quarterly, so the roughly 30-stock lineup refreshes with the freight cycle instead of drifting for years.usglobaletfs.com
  • Trading since 2022 and an unusual pairing of ocean and air cargo in a single US-listed fund; it sits in the upper half of its global thematic peer group.usglobaletfs.com

Worth knowing

  • FTXR The 0.60% fee sits at the middle of the transportation pack but above plain cap-weighted rivals IYT (0.38%) and XTN (0.35%), so the factor screen carries a price.
  • One cyclical corner of the economy, roughly 40 stocks deep: fuel, freight rates and shipping demand hit the whole basket at once, so swings run wider than a broad market fund.
  • Volume is moderate rather than heavy for the category, which can show up as wider spreads in fast markets.
  • SEA At 0.60% a year, it runs a touch above the 0.56% median for global thematic funds.
  • A small fund that trades lightly, so spreads can be wider than in large sector ETFs.
  • The index was built by U.S. Global Indices, a subsidiary of the adviser, with Indxx as calculation agent, and about 30 cyclical freight names make for a concentrated ride.usglobaletfs.com

Full FTXR profile⁠

Full SEA profile⁠

FTXR vs SEA 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.

FTXR vs SEA Cost

Same expense ratio

$11,817

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

  • FTXR 0.60%

    $11,817

  • SEA 0.60%

    $11,817

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FTXR 0.60%
  • SEA 0.60%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530FTXR $11,817SEA $11,817

Year by year

YearFTXRSEA
10$1,076$1,076
20$4,116$4,116
30$11,817$11,817

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%FTXR
  • 0.60%SEA
  • Middle half of Transportation funds
  • Median 0.48%

FTXR 5th cheapest of 8 funds

SEA 5th cheapest of 8 funds

FTXR vs SEA Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Yield (12M)
FTXR 1.03%
SEA 4.56%, better
Payout (12M)
FTXR $0.45
SEA $0.96
Last payment
FTXR $0.12
SEA $0.96
Ex-dividend
FTXR Sep 24, 2026
SEA Dec 24, 2025
Paid on
FTXR Sep 30, 2026
SEA Dec 26, 2025
Frequency
FTXR Quarterly
SEA Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FTXRQuarterly · 38 paymentsAll FTXR payments⁠
One bar per payment. 38 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 23, 2017 $0.09; Jun 22, 2017 $0.08; Sep 21, 2017 $0.07; Dec 21, 2017 $0.07; Mar 22, 2018 $0.11; Jun 21, 2018 $0.09; Sep 14, 2018 $0.07; Dec 18, 2018 $0.11; Mar 21, 2019 $0.06; Jun 14, 2019 $0.02; Sep 25, 2019 $0.16; Dec 13, 2019 $0.09; Mar 26, 2020 $0.03; Jun 25, 2020 $0.02; Sep 24, 2020 $0.0002; Dec 24, 2020 $0.04; Jun 24, 2021 $0.08; Sep 23, 2021 $0.08; Dec 23, 2021 $0.07; Mar 25, 2022 $0.20; Jun 24, 2022 $0.14; Sep 23, 2022 $0.10; Dec 23, 2022 $0.17; Mar 24, 2023 $0.15; Jun 27, 2023 $0.11; Sep 22, 2023 $0.07; Dec 22, 2023 $0.12; Mar 21, 2024 $0.11; Jun 27, 2024 $0.09; Sep 26, 2024 $0.13; Dec 13, 2024 $0.40; Mar 27, 2025 $0.12; Jun 26, 2025 $0.20; Sep 25, 2025 $0.11; Dec 12, 2025 $0.17; Mar 26, 2026 $0.03; Jun 25, 2026 $0.13; Sep 24, 2026 $0.12. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD
SEAAnnual · 4 paymentsAll SEA payments⁠
One bar per payment. 4 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 23, 2022 $2.59; Dec 22, 2023 $1.48; Dec 24, 2024 $2.40; Dec 24, 2025 $0.96. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD

FTXR vs SEA Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
FTXR 19.1%SEA 18.9%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
FTXR 0.88SEA 1.13, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
FTXR −34.0%SEA −39.5%since Jan 2022
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
FTXR 1.32SEA 0.52

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