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| Investment Objective/Strategy -
The First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX® Fund is an exchange-traded fund. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield, before fees and expenses, of an equity index called the StrataQuant® Utilities Index. |
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| There can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objectives will be achieved. |
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- The StrataQuant® Utilities Index is an "enhanced" index developed, maintained and sponsored by the NYSE Euronext or its affiliates ("NYSE Euronext") which employs the AlphaDEX® stock selection methodology to select stocks from the Russell 1000® Index. Prior to the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange LLC (“AMEX”) by NYSE Euronext, the index was developed, maintained and sponsored by the AMEX.
- The NYSE Euronext constructs the StrataQuant® Utilities Index by ranking the stocks which are members of the Russell 1000® Index on growth factors including three, six and 12-month price appreciation, sales to price and one year sales growth, and, separately, on value factors including book value to price, cash flow to price and return on assets.
- Stocks which Russell has classified solely as growth or value, receive their score using the above growth or value factors respectively.
- Stocks which Russell allocates between both growth and value receive their best score between the growth and value factors.
- The NYSE Euronext then ranks those stocks contained in the the utilities sector (the members of the Russell 1000® Utilities Index) according to their score. The bottom 25% is eliminated and the top 75% is selected for the StrataQuant® Utilities Index.
- The selected stocks are divided into quintiles based on their rankings and the top ranked quintiles receive a higher weight within the index. The stocks are equally-weighted within each quintile.
- The index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly.
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Fund Overview
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| Ticker |
FXU |
| Fund Type |
Utilities |
| Investment Advisor |
First Trust Advisors L.P. |
| Investor Servicing Agent |
Bank of New York |
| CUSIP |
33734X184 |
| Intraday NAV |
FXUIV |
| Fiscal Year-End |
07/31 |
| Exchange |
NYSE Arca |
| Inception |
5/8/2007 |
| Inception Price |
$20.00 |
| Inception NAV |
$20.00 |
Gross Expense Ratio
(1/31/2010) |
0.94% |
| Net Expense Ratio |
0.70% |
| Rebalance Frequency |
QUARTERLY |
| Marginable |
Yes |
| Options |
No |
| Short Sell |
Yes |
Pursuant to contract, First Trust has agreed to waive fees and/or pay fund expenses to prevent the net expense ratio of the fund from exceeding 0.70% per year, at least until May 15, 2011.
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| Bid/Ask Midpoint and NAV History (Since Inception) |
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Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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Current Fund Data (as of 7/29/2010)
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| Closing Share Price |
$15.53 |
| Bid/Ask Midpoint |
$15.49 |
| Closing NAV |
$15.50 |
| Bid/Ask Discount |
0.07% |
| Total Net Assets |
$31,002,294 |
| Common Shares Outstanding |
2,000,002 |
| Dividend Frequency |
Semi-Annual |
| Dividend per Share Amt1 |
$0.2331 |
| Daily Volume |
7,919 |
| Average 30-Day Daily Volume |
13,857 |
| Closing Share Price 52-Week High/Low |
$15.95 / $13.54 |
| Closing NAV 52-Week High/Low |
$15.97 / $13.55 |
| Number of Stocks |
55 |
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| Diversified Telecommunication Services |
7.92% |
| Electric Utilities |
29.99% |
| Gas Utilities |
7.33% |
| Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders |
12.71% |
| Multi-Utilities |
25.25% |
| Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels |
1.17% |
| Other |
0.11% |
| Wireless Telecommunication Services |
15.52% |
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| Top 10 Holdings (as of 7/30/2010) |
| Holdings |
Percent (%) |
| United States Cellular Corporation |
3.57 |
| Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. |
3.51 |
| Allegheny Energy, Inc. |
3.44 |
| AT&T Inc. |
3.35 |
| CenturyLink, Inc. |
3.34 |
| NRG Energy Inc. |
3.34 |
| Ameren Corporation |
3.33 |
| Great Plains Energy Incorporated |
3.29 |
| Mirant Corporation |
3.24 |
| Constellation Energy Group |
3.06 |
| Fund Characteristics (as of 6/30/2010) 3,4 |
| 30-Day SEC Yield |
3.26% |
| Distribution Rate |
3.24% |
| Median Market Cap. |
$5,187 |
| Maximum Market Cap. |
$142,939 |
| Minimum Market Cap. |
$1,015 |
| Price/Earnings |
9.36 |
| Price/Book |
1.04 |
| Price/Cash Flow |
4.10 |
| Price/Sales |
0.83 |
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| Number of Days Bid/Ask Midpoint Above NAV |
| Quarter Ended |
0-49
Basis Points |
50-99
Basis Points |
100-199
Basis Points |
>=200
Basis Points |
| 6/30/2010 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 3/31/2010 |
46 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 12/31/2009 |
52 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 9/30/2009 |
38 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Number of Days Bid/Ask Midpoint Below NAV |
| Quarter Ended |
0-49
Basis Points |
50-99
Basis Points |
100-199
Basis Points |
>=200
Basis Points |
| 6/30/2010 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 3/31/2010 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 12/31/2009 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 9/30/2009 |
26 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
The price used to calculate market return is determined by using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the stock exchange, on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated.
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| Month End Performance (as of 6/30/2010) |
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3 Mos |
YTD |
1 Year |
3 Year |
5 Year |
10 Year |
Since
Fund
Inception2 |
| Fund Performance * |
| NAV |
-4.49% |
-5.11% |
12.53% |
-5.45% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.74% |
| After Tax Held |
-5.03% |
-5.64% |
11.53% |
-6.66% |
N/A |
N/A |
-7.88% |
| After Tax Sold |
-2.92% |
-3.32% |
8.15% |
-5.25% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.28% |
| Market Price |
-4.49% |
-5.05% |
12.35% |
-5.44% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.74% |
| Index Performance ** |
| StrataQuant® Utilities Index |
-4.36% |
-4.80% |
13.34% |
-4.64% |
N/A |
N/A |
-5.94% |
| Russell 1000® Utilities Index |
-4.54% |
-7.60% |
4.86% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| S&P 500 Utilities Index |
-3.74% |
-7.14% |
5.73% |
-6.81% |
N/A |
N/A |
-8.38% |
| Russell 1000® Index |
-11.44% |
-6.40% |
15.24% |
-9.54% |
N/A |
N/A |
-9.17% |
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| Quarter End Performance (as of 6/30/2010) |
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3 Mos |
YTD |
1 Year |
3 Year |
5 Year |
10 Year |
Since
Fund
Inception2 |
| Fund Performance * |
| NAV |
-4.49% |
-5.11% |
12.53% |
-5.45% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.74% |
| After Tax Held |
-5.03% |
-5.64% |
11.53% |
-6.66% |
N/A |
N/A |
-7.88% |
| After Tax Sold |
-2.92% |
-3.32% |
8.15% |
-5.25% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.28% |
| Market Price |
-4.49% |
-5.05% |
12.35% |
-5.44% |
N/A |
N/A |
-6.74% |
| Index Performance ** |
| StrataQuant® Utilities Index |
-4.36% |
-4.80% |
13.34% |
-4.64% |
N/A |
N/A |
-5.94% |
| Russell 1000® Utilities Index |
-4.54% |
-7.60% |
4.86% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| S&P 500 Utilities Index |
-3.74% |
-7.14% |
5.73% |
-6.81% |
N/A |
N/A |
-8.38% |
| Russell 1000® Index |
-11.44% |
-6.40% |
15.24% |
-9.54% |
N/A |
N/A |
-9.17% |
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3-Year Statistics (as of 6/30/2010)
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Standard Deviation |
Alpha |
Beta |
Sharpe Ratio |
Correlation |
| First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX® Fund |
17.95% |
0.99 |
0.74 |
-0.38 |
0.87 |
| S&P 500 Utilities Index |
17.19% |
-2.18 |
0.59 |
-0.49 |
0.72 |
| Russell 1000® Index |
21.20% |
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--- |
-0.50 |
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*Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than performance quoted. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and shares when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. You can obtain performance information which is current through the most recent month-end by visiting ftportfolios.com.
After Tax Held returns represent return after taxes on distributions. Assumes shares have not been sold. After Tax Sold returns represent the return after taxes on distributions and the sale of fund shares. Returns do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Market Price returns are based on the midpoint of the bid/ask spread. Returns are average annualized total returns, except those for periods of less than one year, which are cumulative. The fund's performance reflects fee waivers and expense reimbursements, absent which performance would have been lower.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
The gross expense ratio for this fund is 0.94%.
Pursuant to contract, First Trust has agreed to waive fees and/or pay fund expenses to prevent the net expense ratio of the fund from exceeding 0.70% per year, at least until May 15, 2011.
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**Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Performance information for the StrataQuant® Utilities Index is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the performance of any actual investment or fund. No representation is being made that any investment will achieve performance similar to that shown. The index does not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, and no such fees or expenses were deducted from the performance shown. Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index. All index returns assume that dividends are reinvested when they are received.
Standard Deviation is a measure of price variability (risk).
Alpha is an indication of how much an investment outperforms or underperforms on a risk-adjusted basis relative to its benchmark.
Beta is a
measure of price variability relative to the market.
Sharpe Ratio is a measure of excess reward per unit of volatility.
Correlation is a measure of the similarity of performance.
The Russell 1000 Index is an unmanaged index used to measure the large-cap U.S. equity universe.
The Russell 1000 Utilities Index is an unmanaged index which includes the stocks in the utilities sector of the Russell 1000 Index.
The S&P 500 Utilities Index is an unmanaged index which includes the stocks in the utilities sector of the S&P 500 Index.
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| Footnotes
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| 1 |
Most recent distribution paid or declared through today's date. Subject to change in the future. |
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Inception Date is 5/8/2007 |
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30-day SEC yield is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the most recent 30-day period by the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the period.
Distribution rate is calculated by dividing the most recent annualized distribution paid or declared by the market price. |
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All market capitalization numbers are in US$ Millions. |
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You should consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. You can download a prospectus or contact First Trust Portfolios, L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 to request a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the fund. Read it carefully before you invest.
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Risk Considerations:
The fund's shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the fund. One of the principal risks of investing in the fund is market risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular stock owned by the fund, fund shares or stocks in general may fall in value.
The fund's return may not match the return of the StrataQuant® Utilities Index. The fund may not be fully invested at times. Securities held by the fund will generally not be bought or sold in response to market fluctuations. The fund may invest in small capitalization and mid capitalization companies. Such companies may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.
Investors buying or selling fund shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. Investors who sell fund shares may receive less than the share's net asset value. Shares may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, shares may only be redeemed directly from the fund by authorized participants, in very large creation/redemption units.
This fund is concentrated in stocks in the utilities sector which involves additional risks, including limited diversification. The companies engaged in the utilities sector are subject to certain risks, including price and supply fluctuations caused by international politics, energy conservation, taxes, and other regulatory policies of various governments.
The StrataQuant® Utilities Index is a trademark of NYSE Euronext and has been licensed for use by First Trust Portfolios L.P. The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by NYSE Euronext and NYSE Euronext makes no representation or warranty regarding the advisability of investing in the fund or as to the result to be obtained by any person from use of the index in connection with the trading of the fund.
Russell Investment Group is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Russell® is a trademark of the Russell Investment Group.
"AlphaDEX®" is a registered trademark of First Trust Portfolios L.P.
A patent application with respect to the AlphaDEX® stock selection methodology is pending at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The Fund is classified as "non-diversified." A non-diversified fund generally may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular companies, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these companies.
Not FDIC Insured * Not Bank Guaranteed * May Lose Value
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