First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF (FTXH) Performance
FTXH total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +30.1% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +46.3% total return
- 5 years
- +12.0% a year
- 10 years
- +9.7% a year
- Since first price
- +8.9% a year since 2016
FTXH trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | FTXH total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +3.4% | +3.4% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +9.9% | +9.9% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +25.8% | +25.5% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +30.1% | +29.6% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +46.3% | +45.0% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +80.0%+21.6%/yr | +72.7% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +76.4%+12.0%/yr | +64.8% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| 10 years | +152.1%+9.7%/yr | +122.4% | +315.9%+15.3%/yr | +538.9%+20.4%/yr | +14.0%+1.3%/yr |
| Since inceptionSep 22, 2016 | +136.7%+8.9%/yr | +108.8% | — | — | — |
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: FTXH vs SPY
From Sep 22, 2016: FTXH grew to $23,666, SPY to $40,975.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
FTXH returns by calendar year
7 of 9 full years positive. Best 2025 (+24.1%), worst 2018 (−9.5%). 2026 is year to date.
FTXH annual returns table
| Year | FTXH | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +30.1% | −7.5% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +24.1% | −17.6% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +3.0% | −9.0% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | −1.4% | −14.5% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | +2.5% | −14.3% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +6.1% | −7.9% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +11.7% | −32.1% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +22.1% | −9.5% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −9.5% | −23.4% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | +19.4% | −9.4% | +21.7% | +32.7% | +3.6% |
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.
FTXH largest drawdowns
Now 1.2% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2020 | −32.1% | Mar 23, 2020 | Jul 20, 2020 | 2 months | 6 months |
| Aug 28, 2018 | −23.4% | Dec 24, 2018 | Jan 14, 2020 | 4 months | 1.4 years |
| Aug 30, 2024 | −19.5% | Apr 10, 2025 | Oct 1, 2025 | 7 months | 1.1 years |
| Jan 29, 2018 | −14.6% | May 3, 2018 | Aug 7, 2018 | 3 months | 6 months |
| Dec 2, 2022 | −14.6% | Oct 27, 2023 | Feb 22, 2024 | 11 months | 1.2 years |
| Apr 8, 2022 | −14.3% | Sep 27, 2022 | Nov 30, 2022 | 6 months | 8 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
FTXH risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +19.1% | +11.5% | +9.1% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 14.3% | 14.3% | 15.2% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.99 | 0.58 | 0.50 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.76 | 0.99 | 0.81 |
| Best month | +9.9% | +10.0% | +15.1% |
| Worst month | −7.2% | −7.2% | −11.3% |
| Best 12 months | +53.0% | +53.0% | +53.0% |
| Worst 12 months | −8.3% | −9.5% | −14.0% |
| Positive months | 69% | 62% | 58% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.37 | 0.45 | 0.66 |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.32 | 0.50 | 0.66 |
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.
FTXH rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 110 | −14.0% | +7.8% | +53.0% | 76% |
| 3-year (a year) | 86 | +0.2% | +6.7% | +22.8% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 62 | +2.8% | +6.7% | +11.7% | 100% |
| 10-year (a year) | 2 | +9.1% | +9.7% | +10.3% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2016. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
FTXH performance overview
First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF (FTXH) returned +46.3% over the past year and +9.7% a year over ten years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2016 it has returned +8.9% a year, turning $10,000 into about $23,666. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −32.1%, from Jan 16, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 4 months to get back to the old high. FTXH finished 7 of its 9 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2025 (+24.1%) and the worst 2018 (−9.5%). Volatility has been 15.2% a year.
Related: FTXH chart, FTXH holdings, FTXH dividends, FTXH valuation. See the FTXH overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
FTXH performance FAQ
What is the FTXH return over the past year?
FTXH returned +46.3% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 45.0%.
What is the average annual return of FTXH?
FTXH has returned +12.0% a year over 5 years, +9.7% a year over 10 years, +8.9% a year since September 22, 2016 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in FTXH be worth?
$10,000 invested in FTXH at its first recorded close on September 22, 2016 would be worth about $23,666 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for FTXH?
The worst calendar year was 2018, with a total return of −9.5%. The best was 2025 at +24.1%.
What is the biggest drawdown of FTXH?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −32.1% between January 16, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on July 20, 2020, 4 months after the bottom.
How volatile is FTXH?
Over the past 3 years FTXH had an annualized volatility of 14.3% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.99 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).