ETF Evaluator: First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF () Follow This ETF

First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF Overview

First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF (FTGC) is an actively managed Commodities Commodities Broad Basket exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2013.

The investment seeks to provide total return by providing investors with commodity exposure while seeking a relatively stable risk profile. The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF") that seeks to achieve attractive risk adjusted returns by investing in commodity futures contracts, exchange-traded commodity linked instruments, and commodity linked total return swaps (collectively, "Commodities Instruments") through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). The advisor expects to gain exposure to these investments exclusively by investing in the Subsidiary.

About First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF (FTGC)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.78 years: John Gambla (2013) and Rob Guttschow (2013). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg Commodity TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has 5 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 66.7% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF is part of the Real Assets global asset class and is within the Commodities ETF group. First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has 80.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $3 billion in total assets, which is above the $831 million average for the Commodities Broad Basket category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.

FTGC Performance and Fees

The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Commodities Broad Basket category. First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has an expense ratio of 0.98%, which is 48% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.

High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 16%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 26% for the Commodities Broad Basket category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF returned 7.0%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Commodities Broad Basket category had an average return of 6.9%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.

First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF has a trailing yield of 15.26%, which is above the 5.12% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.

It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.

First Trust Global Tact Cmdty Strat ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 27.0%, 4.9 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 38.5% over the past year (grade of A), 14.5% over the past three years (grade of B) and 13.0% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 8.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).

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