First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF (FTHI) Performance
FTHI total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +6.5% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +8.9% total return
- 5 years
- +10.1% a year
- 10 years
- +8.5% a year
- Since first price
- +7.6% a year since 2014
FTHI trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | FTHI total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −0.6% | −2.1% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +0.7% | −1.6% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +3.5% | −1.0% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +6.5% | −1.2% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +8.9% | −1.2% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +53.6%+15.4%/yr | +15.9% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +62.1%+10.1%/yr | +4.4% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| 10 years | +126.2%+8.5%/yr | +16.7% | +315.9%+15.3%/yr | +538.9%+20.4%/yr | +14.0%+1.3%/yr |
| Since inceptionJan 7, 2014 | +156.7%+7.6%/yr | +16.4% | — | — | — |
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: FTHI vs SPY
From Jan 7, 2014: FTHI grew to $25,672, SPY to $51,251.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
FTHI returns by calendar year
8 of 11 full years positive. Best 2023 (+20.7%), worst 2018 (−9.7%). 2026 is year to date.
FTHI annual returns table
| Year | FTHI | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +6.5% | −5.5% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +11.8% | −15.9% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +19.0% | −5.8% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +20.7% | −5.9% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −4.4% | −16.7% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +14.0% | −6.7% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | −7.1% | −32.6% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +18.1% | −4.2% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −9.7% | −17.2% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | +14.4% | −2.3% | +21.7% | +32.7% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | +11.0% | −9.2% | +12.0% | +7.1% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | +2.6% | −11.1% | +1.2% | +9.4% | +0.5% |
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.
FTHI largest drawdowns
Now 2.0% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2020 | −32.6% | Mar 23, 2020 | May 3, 2021 | 33 days | 1.2 years |
| Aug 29, 2018 | −17.2% | Dec 24, 2018 | Jul 5, 2019 | 4 months | 10 months |
| Apr 20, 2022 | −16.7% | Sep 30, 2022 | Jun 13, 2023 | 5 months | 1.1 years |
| Feb 19, 2025 | −15.9% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jul 3, 2025 | 48 days | 4 months |
| Sep 17, 2015 | −15.1% | Jan 20, 2016 | Jul 20, 2016 | 4 months | 10 months |
| May 28, 2015 | −11.1% | Aug 24, 2015 | Sep 16, 2015 | 3 months | 4 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
FTHI risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years | Since 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +15.0% | +11.2% | +8.2% | +8.1% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 7.5% | 10.7% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.34 | 0.72 | 0.54 | 0.58 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.41 | 1.07 | 0.74 | 0.82 |
| Best month | +5.9% | +6.6% | +9.9% | +9.9% |
| Worst month | −4.7% | −8.4% | −15.2% | −15.2% |
| Best 12 months | +25.5% | +25.5% | +28.5% | +28.5% |
| Worst 12 months | +6.3% | −7.3% | −17.1% | −17.1% |
| Positive months | 75% | 70% | 70% | 68% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.56 | 0.63 | 0.69 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.89 | — |
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.
FTHI rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 142 | −17.1% | +9.6% | +28.5% | 81% |
| 3-year (a year) | 118 | −2.6% | +7.9% | +18.7% | 94% |
| 5-year (a year) | 94 | +0.8% | +6.4% | +13.4% | 100% |
| 10-year (a year) | 34 | +6.5% | +7.4% | +9.1% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2014. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
FTHI performance overview
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF (FTHI) returned +8.9% over the past year and +8.5% a year over ten years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2014 it has returned +7.6% a year, turning $10,000 into about $25,672. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −32.6%, from Feb 19, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 1.1 years to get back to the old high. FTHI finished 8 of its 11 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2023 (+20.7%) and the worst 2018 (−9.7%). Volatility has been 11.4% a year.
Related: FTHI chart, FTHI holdings, FTHI dividends, FTHI valuation. See the FTHI overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
FTHI performance FAQ
What is the FTHI return over the past year?
FTHI returned +8.9% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it fell 1.2%.
What is the average annual return of FTHI?
FTHI has returned +10.1% a year over 5 years, +8.5% a year over 10 years, +7.6% a year since January 7, 2014 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in FTHI be worth?
$10,000 invested in FTHI at its first recorded close on January 7, 2014 would be worth about $25,672 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for FTHI?
The worst calendar year was 2018, with a total return of −9.7%. The best was 2023 at +20.7%.
What is the biggest drawdown of FTHI?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −32.6% between February 19, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on May 3, 2021, 1.1 years after the bottom.
How volatile is FTHI?
Over the past 3 years FTHI had an annualized volatility of 7.5% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.34 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).