The First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FYX Quick QuoteFYX - Free Report) was launched on May 8, 2007, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.05 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

With more potential comes more risk, and small cap companies, with market capitalization below $2 billion, epitomizes this way of thinking.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.58%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.77%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector -- about 18.7% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AAOI) accounts for about 0.77% of total assets, followed by Kosmos Energy Ltd. (KOS) and Valaris Limited (VAL).

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.3% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

FYX seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Core Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 700 Small Cap Index.

The ETF has gained about 6.25% so far this year and was up about 33.33% in the last one year (as of 04/02/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $79.22 and $124.85.

The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 20.65% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 526 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, FYX is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares has $70.84 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $92.64 billion. VB has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJR charges 0.06%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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.