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Is First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF (FJP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF (FJP - Free Report) was launched on 04/18/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $217.61 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. FJP seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Japan Index before fees and expenses.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Japan Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ Japan Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for FJP are 0.80%, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.56%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Fujikura Ltd. (5803.JP) accounts for about 2.47% of the fund's total assets, followed by Taisei Corporation (1801.JP) and Inpex Corporation (1605.JP).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.9% of FJP's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FJP has added roughly 4.67%, and is up about 39.88% in the last one year (as of 01/12/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $47.79 and $70.31.
The fund has a beta of 0.56 and standard deviation of 19.18% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FJP a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $14.67 billion in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $16.6 billion. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ changes 0.50%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Is First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF (FJP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF (FJP - Free Report) was launched on 04/18/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $217.61 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. FJP seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Japan Index before fees and expenses.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Japan Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ Japan Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for FJP are 0.80%, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.56%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Fujikura Ltd. (5803.JP) accounts for about 2.47% of the fund's total assets, followed by Taisei Corporation (1801.JP) and Inpex Corporation (1605.JP).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.9% of FJP's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FJP has added roughly 4.67%, and is up about 39.88% in the last one year (as of 01/12/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $47.79 and $70.31.
The fund has a beta of 0.56 and standard deviation of 19.18% for the trailing three-year period, which makes FJP a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $14.67 billion in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $16.6 billion. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ changes 0.50%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.