NTRL Performance — First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF
Data updated: 2026-10-13
NTRL returned +5.20% year to date and +7.90% over one year to Jul 2026. Annualised returns are +5.23% over 3 years and +3.80% over 5 years. Against its Event-Driven category average the fund came out behind over three years but ahead over one: $100 invested three years ago grew to $117, against $119 for the category, and to $108 over one year, against $107. Volatility over the past three years was 4.03% a year. In the 12 months to Jul 2026 the fund lost a net $18.8M, and assets reached $16.26M.
NTRL Growth of $100
What $100 invested in First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Event-Driven category average over the same months.
| Period | NTRL | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) | $108 | $107 |
| 3 years (Aug 2023 – Jul 2026) | $117 | $119 |
| 5 years (Aug 2021 – Jul 2026) | $120 | $121 |
| Since data start (Feb 2020 – Jul 2026) | $118 | $135 |
NTRL Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jul 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +5.20% |
| 1 year | +7.90% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +5.23% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +3.80% |
NTRL Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jul) | +5.20% |
| 2025 | +6.91% |
| 2024 | +0.41% |
| 2023 | +2.56% |
| 2022 | +3.45% |
| 2021 | +0.56% |
| 2020 (Feb–Dec) | −2.31% |
NTRL 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 | +0.3% | 0.0% | +0.6% | +0.3% | +0.2% | −1.2% | +5.0% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | −0.1% | +1.2% | −0.9% | +0.8% | +0.9% | +1.0% | +1.2% | +0.1% | +0.1% | +0.6% | +1.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | −2.4% | +0.1% | +0.4% | −1.3% | +0.5% | +0.2% | +1.7% | +0.6% | −0.4% | −0.8% | +0.7% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | −0.4% | +0.2% | +0.2% | −0.1% | −2.0% | +1.5% | −0.1% | +1.8% | +0.4% | −0.5% | +0.4% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | +0.5% | +0.5% | +0.6% | −0.5% | +0.4% | −0.4% | +0.8% | +0.4% | +0.1% | +1.3% | −0.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | −0.5% | +0.7% | +0.9% | +0.6% | −1.2% | −0.5% | +0.3% | +0.4% | −0.1% | −0.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | — | −0.1% | −3.8% | +3.2% | −2.3% | +0.4% | 0.0% | −0.1% | 0.0% | +0.5% | +0.4% | −0.3% |
NTRL Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Aug 2023 – Jul 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 4.03%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.18 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +4.99% (Jul 2026)
- Worst month: −2.38% (Jan 2024)
NTRL Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: −$18.8M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $8.3M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 0.31×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | $0 | $3.2M | −$3.2M |
| Jun 2026 | $0 | $1.0M | −$1.0M |
| May 2026 | $0 | $5.2M | −$5.2M |
| Apr 2026 | $0 | $8.3M | −$8.3M |
| Mar 2026 | $1.0M | $7.3M | −$6.2M |
| Feb 2026 | $1.0M | $1.0M | −$1K |
| Jan 2026 | $3.1M | $0 | $3.1M |
| Dec 2025 | $1.0M | $0 | $1.0M |
| Nov 2025 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Oct 2025 | $1.0M | $0 | $1.0M |
| Sep 2025 | $0 | $1.0M | −$1.0M |
| Aug 2025 | $1.0M | $0 | $1.0M |
NTRL Assets Under Management
Net assets of First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | $16.26M |
| 2026-04-30 | $25.04M |
| 2026-01-31 | $39.28M |
| 2025-10-31 | $34.69M |
| 2025-07-31 | $34.18M |
| 2025-04-30 | $34.12M |
| 2025-01-31 | $28.79M |
| 2024-10-31 | $27.59M |
| 2024-07-31 | $30.98M |
| 2024-04-30 | $43.07M |
| 2024-01-31 | $55.24M |
| 2023-10-31 | $64.22M |
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.