First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF (FSCS) Performance
FSCS total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +4.5% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +3.3% total return
- 5 years
- +5.8% a year
- Since first price
- +8.5% a year since 2017
FSCS trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | FSCS total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +2.8% | +2.4% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +1.2% | +0.8% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +2.0% | +1.3% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +4.5% | +3.5% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +3.3% | +2.0% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +46.2%+13.5%/yr | +41.2% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +32.3%+5.8%/yr | +23.7% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJun 22, 2017 | +113.8%+8.5%/yr | +87.5% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: FSCS vs SPY
From Jun 22, 2017: FSCS grew to $21,378, SPY to $36,097.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
FSCS returns by calendar year
6 of 8 full years positive. Best 2019 (+28.0%), worst 2018 (−12.9%). 2026 is year to date.
FSCS annual returns table
| Year | FSCS | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +4.5% | −7.8% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +1.8% | −16.0% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +15.0% | −7.5% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +16.8% | −13.7% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −9.1% | −21.2% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +26.1% | −7.6% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +5.7% | −43.6% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +28.0% | −8.5% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −12.9% | −23.0% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
FSCS largest drawdowns
Now 3.4% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2020 | −43.6% | Mar 23, 2020 | Nov 24, 2020 | 2 months | 10 months |
| Aug 29, 2018 | −23.0% | Dec 24, 2018 | Oct 28, 2019 | 4 months | 1.2 years |
| Jan 4, 2022 | −21.2% | Sep 27, 2022 | Dec 13, 2023 | 9 months | 1.9 years |
| Nov 26, 2024 | −19.5% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jul 28, 2026 | 4 months | 1.7 years |
| Jan 26, 2018 | −10.6% | Feb 9, 2018 | Aug 6, 2018 | 14 days | 6 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
FSCS risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +10.1% | +5.7% | +8.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 15.0% | 17.7% | 19.6% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.42 | 0.20 | 0.37 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.68 | 0.31 | 0.54 |
| Best month | +9.3% | +11.9% | +17.1% |
| Worst month | −7.1% | −9.7% | −22.7% |
| Best 12 months | +35.8% | +35.8% | +78.5% |
| Worst 12 months | −5.8% | −15.0% | −24.4% |
| Positive months | 61% | 55% | 61% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.76 | 0.89 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.63 | 0.79 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
FSCS rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 101 | −24.4% | +5.5% | +78.5% | 72% |
| 3-year (a year) | 77 | −0.3% | +9.9% | +22.3% | 99% |
| 5-year (a year) | 53 | +4.8% | +8.7% | +18.6% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
FSCS performance overview
First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF (FSCS) returned +3.3% over the past year and +5.8% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +8.5% a year, turning $10,000 into about $21,378. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −43.6%, from Jan 16, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 8 months to get back to the old high. FSCS finished 6 of its 8 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2019 (+28.0%) and the worst 2018 (−12.9%). Volatility has been 19.6% a year.
Related: FSCS chart, FSCS holdings, FSCS dividends, FSCS valuation. See the FSCS overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
FSCS performance FAQ
What is the FSCS return over the past year?
FSCS returned +3.3% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 2.0%.
What is the average annual return of FSCS?
FSCS has returned +5.8% a year over 5 years, +8.5% a year since June 22, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in FSCS be worth?
$10,000 invested in FSCS at its first recorded close on June 22, 2017 would be worth about $21,378 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for FSCS?
The worst calendar year was 2018, with a total return of −12.9%. The best was 2019 at +28.0%.
What is the biggest drawdown of FSCS?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −43.6% between January 16, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on November 24, 2020, 8 months after the bottom.
How volatile is FSCS?
Over the past 3 years FSCS had an annualized volatility of 15.0% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.42 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).