FIW Performance — First Trust Water ETF
Data updated: 2026-08-21
FIW returned +1.16% year to date and +2.04% over one year to Jun 2026. Annualised returns are +8.12% over 3 years and +6.30% over 5 years. The fund trailed its US Mid-Cap Blend category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $126, against $150 for the category, and to $102 over one year, against $122. Volatility over the past three years was 16.37% a year. In the 12 months to Jun 2026 the fund lost a net $23.6M, and assets reached $1.86B.
FIW Growth of $100
What $100 invested in First Trust Water ETF grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the US Mid-Cap Blend category average over the same months.
| Period | FIW | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) | $102 | $122 |
| 3 years (Jul 2023 – Jun 2026) | $126 | $150 |
| 5 years (Jul 2021 – Jun 2026) | $136 | $147 |
| Since data start (Jul 2019 – Jun 2026) | $209 | $208 |
FIW Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jun 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +1.16% |
| 1 year | +2.04% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +8.12% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +6.30% |
FIW Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of First Trust Water ETF, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | +1.16% |
| 2025 | +7.19% |
| 2024 | +8.37% |
| 2023 | +20.38% |
| 2022 | −15.64% |
| 2021 | +31.89% |
| 2020 | +21.21% |
| 2019 (Jul–Dec) | +9.69% |
FIW Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +3.8% | +1.1% | −9.3% | +3.9% | −3.2% | +5.8% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +3.5% | −1.5% | −3.1% | +0.6% | +4.3% | +2.5% | +0.5% | +4.7% | −1.1% | −0.9% | +0.7% | −2.8% |
| 2024 | −3.2% | +6.8% | +4.3% | −3.0% | +3.8% | −2.6% | +7.3% | +0.5% | +1.7% | −4.0% | +5.1% | −7.2% |
| 2023 | +7.0% | −2.0% | +0.6% | −1.9% | −0.6% | +8.8% | +3.1% | −2.1% | −7.3% | −5.0% | +12.1% | +8.0% |
| 2022 | −12.3% | −2.7% | +4.3% | −8.8% | 0.0% | −6.0% | +12.8% | −3.6% | −8.3% | +11.2% | +4.7% | −4.7% |
| 2021 | −0.9% | +5.9% | +3.2% | +5.0% | +1.3% | +0.7% | +4.8% | +3.6% | −6.1% | +6.2% | −0.8% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | +0.9% | −8.0% | −13.9% | +9.9% | +5.7% | +0.5% | +5.8% | +2.4% | +0.3% | +3.1% | +11.3% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | +0.4% | −0.1% | +2.2% | +2.4% | +1.1% | +3.2% |
FIW Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jul 2023 – Jun 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 16.37%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.22 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +12.06% (Nov 2023)
- Worst month: −9.33% (Mar 2026)
FIW Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of First Trust Water ETF, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: −$23.6M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $207.8M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 0.90×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | $0 | $5.3M | −$5.3M |
| May 2026 | $5.2M | $15.2M | −$10.1M |
| Apr 2026 | $0 | $16.0M | −$16.0M |
| Mar 2026 | $0 | $10.5M | −$10.5M |
| Feb 2026 | $11.5M | $5.7M | $5.7M |
| Jan 2026 | $11.5M | $27.9M | −$16.4M |
| Dec 2025 | $5.5M | $0 | $5.5M |
| Nov 2025 | $11.2M | $11.2M | $20K |
| Oct 2025 | $22.5M | $5.7M | $16.9M |
| Sep 2025 | $118.2M | $95.3M | $22.9M |
| Aug 2025 | $5.7M | $16.9M | −$11.2M |
| Jul 2025 | $16.4M | $21.6M | −$5.2M |
FIW Assets Under Management
Net assets of First Trust Water ETF by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | $1.86B |
| 2026-03-31 | $1.78B |
| 2025-12-31 | $1.90B |
| 2025-09-30 | $1.94B |
| 2025-06-30 | $1.86B |
| 2025-03-31 | $1.72B |
| 2024-12-31 | $1.78B |
| 2024-09-30 | $1.88B |
| 2024-06-30 | $1.67B |
| 2024-03-31 | $1.64B |
| 2023-12-31 | $1.52B |
| 2023-09-29 | $1.34B |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.