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Upturn AI Summary
First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX® Fund(FYX)
Advisory History & Simulated Performance *
*as per simulation (see disclosures)- ALL
- 1Y
- 1M
- 1W
- BUY Advisory
- SELL Advisory (Profit)
- SELL Advisory (Loss)
- Profit
- Loss
- PASS (Skip)
Stock price based on last close Advisory Performance History (Simulated)
Upturn Advisory & Investor View for FYX
10/28/2026: FYX (2-star) is currently NOT-A-BUY. Pass it for now.
The First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX® Fund (FYX) offers exposure to US small-cap stocks through a proprietary quantitative methodology that ranks and selects companies based on growth and value factors. Its main strengths include a disciplined rules-based strategy and exposure to a broad, diversified small-cap universe, though it carries a higher expense ratio than passive counterparts. It is designed to serve as a growth-oriented component of a diversified portfolio. Investors should monitor market conditions affecting small-cap companies, such as interest rate cycles and economic growth, while remaining aware of the higher volatility inherent in this asset class. It is best suited for long-term investors seeking active factor tilts rather than traditional passive indexing.
How to Read the Upturn Advisory
The Upturn Star Rating and the current BUY, SELL, or PASS advisory are generated by Upturn’s AI advisory engine based on proprietary signal analysis, price behavior, advisory history, and historical signal performance.
ETF holdings, costs, diversification, valuation, risks, and market conditions provide supporting context about the fund.
Investor Fit
| Investor style | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth investor | Strong fit | The AlphaDEX methodology incorporates growth factors to overweight stocks with high potential for appreciation. |
| Momentum investor | Mixed fit | While not a pure momentum fund, the strategy favors stocks showing positive price growth trends, contingent on market conditions. |
| Value investor | Strong fit | The methodology explicitly incorporates value factors to select stocks that appear fundamentally attractive. |
| Dividend/Income investor | Weak fit | The primary objective is capital appreciation rather than generating high dividend income. |
| Low-risk investor | Weak fit | Small-cap equities generally carry higher volatility and risk compared to large-cap or income-focused assets. |
Investor Profile
Ideal Investor Profile
The ideal investor is someone seeking long-term capital appreciation and is willing to accept higher volatility in exchange for potential factor-driven outperformance.
Suitability
FYX is best suited for long-term investors looking to tilt their core portfolio toward small-cap equities with a factor-based strategy rather than passive market-cap followers.
Risk Profile
| Risk factor | Level | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility | High | Small-cap stocks are inherently more volatile than large-cap stocks, leading to greater price swings. |
| Market risk | Medium / high | The fund is sensitive to broad US economic downturns and fluctuations in small-cap market sentiment. |
| Concentration | Medium | While diversified, the factor-based selection can lead to overweights in certain industries depending on current market leadership. |
| Tracking/expense | Low | The fund typically maintains close tracking of its index, though the 0.35% expense ratio is higher than passive alternatives. |
| Liquidity | Medium | Small-cap stocks can occasionally face liquidity crunches during periods of extreme market stress. |
| Business/sector quality | Medium | The factor-based selection process helps filter for quality, but the small-cap universe still includes higher-risk business models. |
Risk Analysis
Volatility
FYX exhibits higher volatility typical of the small-cap asset class, exacerbated by its factor-tilted selection process.
Market Risk
The fund is exposed to systemic risks affecting the US economy, specifically those impacting smaller-cap firms such as interest rate sensitivity and access to capital.
What the ETF Owns
| Exposure Type | Exposure | Weight (%) | Retail Investor Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market capitalization | US Small-Cap Equities | 98.5 | This provides broad exposure to the small-cap segment of the US equity market. |
| Cash/collateral | Cash and Cash Equivalents | 1.5 | This minor allocation represents liquidity held for fund rebalancing and operational purposes. |
Price Behavior
Strong Uptrend
The stock has maintained a strong upward price trend across the last three quarters.
Very Smooth
The stock has followed a highly orderly price path with minimal short-term disruption.
Analysis of Past Performance
Type ETF | Historic Profit 39.83% | Avg. Invested days 72 | Today’s Advisory PASS |
Upturn Advisory Rating  | Upturn Advisory Performance  4.0 | ETF Returns Performance  5.0 |
| Profits based on simulation | Last Close 10/28/2026 |
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