IFV vs PTMC

IFVDFirst Trust Dorsey Wright International Focus 5 ETF

PTMCAPacer Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF

In short

IFV Most international index funds spread you across dozens of countries. IFV holds five: whichever First Trust country and region ETFs show the strongest relative price momentum, equal-weighted, picked by rules rather than manager hunches.

PTMC A mid-cap index fund with a seatbelt built in. PTMC tracks a rules-based trend index that shifts the portfolio between roughly 400 US mid-cap stocks and defensive positioning, with no manager judgment in the loop. Running since 2015.

Stated mandate

IFV The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield of the Dorsey Wright International Focus Five Index. The index selects five First Trust international country- or region-based ETFs using relative-strength momentum and equal-weights them.

PTMC The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Pacer Trendpilot US Mid Cap Index.

Why people hold it

• IFV Momentum with a rulebook: Dorsey Wright's relative strength screen picks the five holdings, so country bets shift on a formula, not a manager's read of the news.ftportfolios.com
• One ticket covers a rotating set of single-country and regional funds, a trade that would otherwise mean owning and swapping several positions yourself.ftportfolios.com
• Trading since 2014, so the rules have run in live markets, through calm and chaos, rather than only on a backtest.

• PTMC The trend rules do the deciding, not a portfolio manager's gut: the index itself dictates when to hold mid-cap equities and when to shift defensive.paceretfs.com
• Under the overlay sits a plain, broad basket of roughly 400 US mid caps, not a handful of concentrated picks.
• Live since 2015, so the signal has run through real market drawdowns and recoveries rather than a backtest.

Worth knowing

• IFV The 1.14% expense ratio sits well above the roughly 0.45% median for index-tracking funds in its peer group, and far above broad global options like VT at 0.06%.
• Five equal-weighted holdings is concentrated by design: leadership rotates, and the portfolio can end up parked in a handful of markets, with currency moves along for the ride.ftportfolios.com
• The menu is First Trust's own international country and region ETFs, so the screen ranks one issuer's lineup rather than every fund on the market.ftportfolios.com

• PTMC The 0.60% fee buys the rules, not more stocks. Plain index wrappers in the same peer group, like VXF at 0.05%, simply hold the market and skip the overlay.
• Trend systems move on sustained direction, so a sharp drop and fast snapback can whipsaw the signal in both directions.paceretfs.com
• It trades lightly next to vanilla mid-cap index funds, which tends to mean wider bid-ask spreads at the moment of the trade.

Full IFV profile⁠

Full PTMC profile⁠