First Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund (FXO) Performance
FXO total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +8.0% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +15.0% total return
- 5 years
- +8.5% a year
- 10 years
- +12.9% a year
- Since first price
- +8.3% a year since 2007
FXO trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | FXO total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +2.7% | +2.7% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +0.5% | −0.0% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +7.7% | +6.7% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +8.0% | +6.1% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +15.0% | +12.4% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +91.1%+24.1%/yr | +78.9% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +50.2%+8.5%/yr | +32.9% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| 10 years | +235.1%+12.9%/yr | +164.9% | +315.9%+15.3%/yr | +538.9%+20.4%/yr | +14.0%+1.3%/yr |
| 15 years | +573.9%+13.6%/yr | +390.8% | +696.0%+14.8%/yr | +1,299.3%+19.2%/yr | +32.2%+1.9%/yr |
| Since inceptionMay 10, 2007 | +372.5%+8.3%/yr | +219.5% | — | — | — |
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: FXO vs SPY
From May 10, 2007: FXO grew to $47,254, SPY to $72,541.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
FXO returns by calendar year
14 of 18 full years positive. Best 2013 (+40.6%), worst 2008 (−39.1%). 2026 is year to date.
FXO annual returns table
| Year | FXO | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +8.0% | −11.7% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +13.6% | −19.4% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +27.7% | −9.6% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +9.3% | −27.4% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −9.2% | −23.0% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +37.8% | −9.3% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +6.0% | −48.6% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +26.3% | −8.1% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −11.7% | −21.5% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | +17.9% | −6.3% | +21.7% | +32.7% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | +18.3% | −14.5% | +12.0% | +7.1% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | +1.1% | −10.7% | +1.2% | +9.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | +8.7% | −7.2% | +13.5% | +19.2% | +6.0% |
| 2013 | +40.6% | −5.5% | +32.3% | +36.6% | −2.0% |
| 2012 | +21.1% | −13.7% | +16.0% | +18.1% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | −7.6% | −27.4% | +1.9% | +3.4% | +7.7% |
| 2010 | +19.2% | −16.6% | +15.1% | +19.9% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | +33.6% | −42.1% | +26.4% | +54.7% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | −39.1% | −56.0% | −36.8% | −41.7% | +7.9% |
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.
FXO largest drawdowns
Now 3.9% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2007 | −71.3% | Mar 6, 2009 | Apr 11, 2013 | 1.8 years | 5.9 years |
| Feb 20, 2020 | −48.6% | Mar 23, 2020 | Dec 4, 2020 | 32 days | 9 months |
| Jan 11, 2022 | −28.8% | May 4, 2023 | Mar 20, 2024 | 1.3 years | 2.2 years |
| Sep 20, 2018 | −21.5% | Dec 24, 2018 | Jul 12, 2019 | 3 months | 10 months |
| Nov 25, 2024 | −21.3% | Apr 8, 2025 | Aug 13, 2025 | 4 months | 9 months |
| Aug 17, 2015 | −19.3% | Feb 11, 2016 | Aug 5, 2016 | 6 months | 12 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
FXO risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years | Since 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +19.6% | +9.1% | +12.2% | +8.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 17.5% | 21.2% | 21.4% | 21.3% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.87 | 0.35 | 0.54 | 0.40 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.56 | 0.53 | 0.79 | 0.58 |
| Best month | +11.5% | +13.1% | +15.9% | +22.3% |
| Worst month | −7.5% | −15.4% | −27.4% | −27.4% |
| Best 12 months | +50.4% | +50.4% | +102.7% | +102.7% |
| Worst 12 months | +2.8% | −16.9% | −28.3% | −54.0% |
| Positive months | 64% | 57% | 62% | 59% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.92 | 0.94 | 1.07 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.65 | 0.70 | 0.77 | — |
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.
FXO rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 222 | −54.0% | +10.9% | +102.7% | 73% |
| 3-year (a year) | 198 | −13.6% | +12.3% | +33.5% | 91% |
| 5-year (a year) | 174 | −5.4% | +12.3% | +29.0% | 96% |
| 10-year (a year) | 114 | +4.8% | +11.9% | +18.8% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2007. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
FXO performance overview
First Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund (FXO) returned +15.0% over the past year and +12.9% a year over ten years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2007 it has returned +8.3% a year, turning $10,000 into about $47,254. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −71.3%, from May 23, 2007 to Mar 6, 2009, and it took 4.1 years to get back to the old high. FXO finished 14 of its 18 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2013 (+40.6%) and the worst 2008 (−39.1%). Volatility has been 21.3% a year.
Related: FXO chart, FXO holdings, FXO dividends, FXO valuation. See the FXO overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
FXO performance FAQ
What is the FXO return over the past year?
FXO returned +15.0% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 12.4%.
What is the average annual return of FXO?
FXO has returned +8.5% a year over 5 years, +12.9% a year over 10 years, +8.3% a year since May 10, 2007 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in FXO be worth?
$10,000 invested in FXO at its first recorded close on May 10, 2007 would be worth about $47,254 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for FXO?
The worst calendar year was 2008, with a total return of −39.1%. The best was 2013 at +40.6%.
What is the biggest drawdown of FXO?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −71.3% between May 23, 2007 and March 6, 2009. It recovered to the old high on April 11, 2013, 4.1 years after the bottom.
How volatile is FXO?
Over the past 3 years FXO had an annualized volatility of 17.5% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.87 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).