Seeking AlphaT3·59mo ago
FICS First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF
ETFETF quote, holdings, sector allocation, technicals, and options analytics. Fibonacci levels
Market data may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Verify quotes with your broker before trading. See Terms §17.
FICS
—
—
Key stats
About
First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF (FICS) ETF
No description available.
- Exchange
- XNAS
- Inception
- 2020-12-15
- Has Options
- No
Fund profile
holdings as of Oct 20, 2026issuer datathrough Jun 2026flows, SEC filings
- Expense ratio
- 0.70% prospectus, filed Jan 28, 2026
- Assets
- $202M issuer-reported, Oct 20, 2026
- Trailing yield
- 1.87% paid quarterly
- Average daily volume
- $366K 30 sessions
- Holdings
- 57 top 10 are 20.5%
- Listed
- Dec 15, 2020 Nasdaq
- Net asset value
- $41.40 issuer, Oct 20, 2026
- 30-day SEC yield
- 1.98% issuer, Sep 30, 2026
Cost21
Liquidity19
Scale48
Diversification77
Moves with. US large-cap stocks (45% of its variance, beta 0.80); Developed markets ex-US over US (33% of its variance, beta 0.76); Long Treasuries (6% of its variance, beta 0.16); US dollar (4% of its variance, beta -0.19). These factors explain 81% of its daily moves over the last year.
Stated objective. "The First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF (the ""Fund"" ) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Funds fees and expenses) of an index called The International Developed Capital Strength Index TM (the ""Index"" )." (from the fund's prospectus)
All 57 holdingsFlow historySimilar fundsOverlap toolAll Developed ex-US ETFs
Fund flows
through Jun 2026SEC filings- Jun 2026
- −$2.1M latest reported month
- Latest 3 months
- −$15M −6.9% of assets
- Latest 12 months
- −$22M −10.4% of assets
View as a table
| Month | Net flow |
|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | −$2.1M |
| May 2026 | −$12M |
| Apr 2026 | −$617K |
| Mar 2026 | $0 |
| Feb 2026 | −$2.1M |
| Jan 2026 | −$11K |
| Dec 2025 | $0 |
| Nov 2025 | −$5.7M |
| Oct 2025 | +$2.0M |
| Sep 2025 | −$7.6M |
| Aug 2025 | +$3.8M |
| Jul 2025 | +$1.9M |
Net creations and redemptions from the fund's SEC filings, which become public about 60 days after each quarter. Every month since 67 months ago
Similar funds
| Fund | Overlap | Fee | Assets | 1Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQLTiShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF | 26% | 0.30% | $13.8B | +12.2% | compare |
| LVHIFranklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 25% | 0.40% | $6.2B | +21.8% | compare |
| QLVDNorthern Trust Developed Markets ex-US Quality Low Volatility ETF | 23% | 0.12% | $53M | +9.6% | compare |
| SCHYSchwab International Dividend Equity ETF | 22% | 0.08% | $2.3B | +15.6% | compare |
| HDEFXtrackers MSCI EAFE High Dividend Yield Equity ETF | 21% | 0.09% | $2.3B | +14.2% | compare |
Ranked by how much of the two portfolios is the same securities.
What changed in the portfolio
Oct 15, 2026 → Oct 16, 2026| Action | Holding | Weight before | Weight after | Shares vs flows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exit | Givaudan SA (Registered) | 2.52% | — | — |
| Exit | Aristocrat Leisure Limited | 2.47% | — | — |
| Exit | Compass Group Plc | 2.32% | — | — |
| Exit | The Toronto-Dominion Bank | 2.29% | — | — |
| New position | Thales S.A. | — | 2.05% | — |
| New position | ANTA Sports Products Limited | — | 2.05% | — |
| New position | Imperial Oil Ltd. | — | 2.05% | — |
| New position | Suncor Energy Inc. | — | 2.05% | — |
| New position | Astellas Pharma Inc. | — | 2.02% | — |
| New position | Atlas Copco AB (Class A) | — | 2.01% | — |
0 new, 0 exited, 0 increased and 0 decreased between the fund's two latest holdings reports; turnover 0.5%. Full holdings and history
ETF Profile
holdings as of 2026-10-20
Holdings
57
AUM
$202.1M
Provider
First Trust
Inception
2020-12-15
Exchange
XNAS
Data As Of
2026-10-20
Expense Ratio
0.70%
Dividend Yield
1.87%
Distribution
Quarterly
Recent distributions
| Ex-Date | Pay Date | Amount | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-30 | $0.1036 | CD |
| 2026-06-25 | 2026-06-30 | $0.4455 | CD |
| 2026-03-26 | 2026-03-31 | $0.1948 | CD |
| 2025-12-12 | 2025-12-31 | $0.0336 | CD |
| 2025-09-25 | 2025-09-30 | $0.0918 | CD |
| 2025-06-26 | 2025-06-30 | $0.4680 | CD |
Asset Allocation
Top Holdings
top 50 of 57 holdings
| Symbol | Name | Weight % | Asset Class | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. | 2.09% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Imperial Oil Ltd. | 2.06% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Astellas Pharma Inc. | 2.05% | Equity (Foreign) | JP |
| — | Suncor Energy Inc. | 2.05% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Coca-Cola HBC AG | 2.04% | Equity (Foreign) | GB |
| — | Nestle S.A. (Registered) | 2.04% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Roche Holding AG | 2.04% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Shionogi & Co., Ltd. | 2.04% | Equity (Foreign) | JP |
| — | Aena SME, S.A. | 2.03% | Equity (Foreign) | ES |
| — | Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (Inditex) | 2.03% | Equity (Foreign) | ES |
| — | Zurich Insurance Group AG | 2.03% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Loblaw Companies Limited | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Sampo Oyj (Class A) | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | FI |
| — | Singapore Telecommunications Limited | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | SG |
| — | Sonova Holding AG (Registered) | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Swiss Re AG | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Woolworths Limited | 2.02% | Equity (Foreign) | AU |
| — | DBS Group Holdings Limited | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | SG |
| — | Hannover Rueck SE | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | DE |
| — | Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | GB |
| — | Royal Bank of Canada | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Schindler Holding AG (Participation Certificate) | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Swiss Life Holding AG (Registered) | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Thales S.A. | 2.01% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | ANTA Sports Products Limited | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | HK |
| — | Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | GSK Plc | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | GB |
| — | Investor AB (Class B) | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | SE |
| — | Novartis AG | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | SGS S.A. | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Volvo AB (Class B) | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | SE |
| — | Washington H Soul Pattinson & Co., Ltd. | 2.00% | Equity (Foreign) | AU |
| — | Allianz SE | 1.99% | Equity (Foreign) | DE |
| — | Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited | 1.99% | Equity (Foreign) | HK |
| — | Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG | 1.99% | Equity (Foreign) | DE |
| — | Telstra Group Ltd | 1.99% | Equity (Foreign) | AU |
| — | Unilever Plc | 1.99% | Equity (Foreign) | GB |
| — | Airbus SE | 1.98% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | Great-West Lifeco Inc. | 1.98% | Equity (Foreign) | CA |
| — | Kuehne + Nagel International AG (Registered) | 1.98% | Equity (Foreign) | CH |
| — | Singapore Exchange Limited | 1.98% | Equity (Foreign) | SG |
| — | Kone OYJ (Class B) | 1.97% | Equity (Foreign) | FI |
| — | L'Oreal S.A. | 1.97% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | Poste Italiane SpA | 1.97% | Equity (Foreign) | IT |
| — | Safran S.A. | 1.96% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | Alfa Laval AB | 1.95% | Equity (Foreign) | SE |
| — | LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE | 1.93% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | Publicis Groupe | 1.93% | Equity (Foreign) | FR |
| — | Rio Tinto Plc | 1.93% | Equity (Foreign) | GB |
| — | Atlas Copco AB (Class A) | 1.91% | Equity (Foreign) | SE |
Geographic Breakdown
Chart
Seasonality
| Month | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25 | '26 | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2.91% | -8.14% | 7.28% | 0.75% | 4.68% | 1.00% | 0.44% |
| Feb | -1.10% | -4.62% | -4.95% | 1.63% | 3.49% | 4.10% | -0.24% |
| Mar | 1.56% | 3.84% | 4.83% | 0.91% | -0.53% | -6.77% | 0.64% |
| Apr | 2.91% | -0.68% | 2.28% | -4.26% | 4.98% | 2.46% | 1.28% |
| May | 4.08% | 1.88% | -3.36% | 5.45% | 4.12% | 1.10% | 2.21% |
| Jun | 0.28% | -6.79% | 2.13% | -2.68% | -1.81% | 3.19% | -0.95% |
| Jul | 2.76% | 6.38% | 0.53% | 2.42% | -3.58% | 1.80% | 1.72% |
| Aug | 0.97% | -6.88% | -1.46% | 6.49% | 1.56% | -0.77% | -0.01% |
| Sep | -6.47% | -6.63% | -5.17% | 2.88% | -0.12% | -4.56% | -3.35% |
| Oct | 4.28% | 2.92% | -0.69% | -4.87% | -0.18% | 4.88%* | 1.06% |
| Nov | -2.86% | 9.85% | 7.31% | -0.03% | 2.58% | -- | 3.37% |
| Dec | 5.99% | -4.41% | 4.74% | -4.99% | 3.26% | -- | 0.92% |
| Total | 9.14% | -14.23% | 13.15% | 2.93% | 19.60% | 5.95% | 6.09% |
Technical Indicators
Quick-reference for reading the values below. Indicators combine to confirm a view — no single one is a trade signal on its own.
Trend Indicators
- SMA 20 / 50 / 200 — price above = uptrend, below = downtrend. SMA 50 crossing SMA 200 is the golden/death cross.
- EMA 12 / 26 — faster-reacting averages; 12 above 26 is short-term bullish.
- MACD — bullish when MACD > signal (green badge), bearish when below. Divergence from price often precedes reversals.
- ADX (14) — trend strength regardless of direction. <20 range, 20–25 weak trend, 25–50 trend, >50 strong trend.
- +DI / −DI — +DI > −DI favors bulls; the reverse favors bears. Read alongside ADX.
Momentum Oscillators
- RSI (14) — <30 oversold, >70 overbought. 40–60 is neutral; trending names can stay extreme.
- Stochastic %K / %D — <20 oversold, >80 overbought. %K crossing %D is an early momentum signal.
- Williams %R — inverted scale: <−80 oversold, >−20 overbought.
Oscillators work best in range-bound markets; in strong trends they give premature reversal signals.
Volume & Volatility
- Bollinger Bands — price at upper band = overbought, lower = oversold. Narrow bands (squeeze) often precede expansion.
- OBV — cumulative volume; rising OBV confirms uptrend, falling OBV confirms downtrend. Divergence from price is a warning.
- Vol SMA 20 / Vol ROC — today's volume vs. 20-day average. Positive ROC with price move = conviction.
- ATR / True Range — average daily $ move; sizing and stop-loss reference.
- HV 20 / 30 / 60 — realized (historical) volatility. Compare to IV on the options cards: IV > HV = rich premium.
Confluence matters: trend + momentum + volume agreeing carries far more weight than any single indicator. For how these feed the spread scanner score, see the algorithm docs →
Trend Indicators
SMA 20: $40.43
SMA 50: $41.28
SMA 200: $41.02
Current: $41.50
EMA 12: $40.92
EMA 26: $40.84
MACD: 0.0783 | Signal: 0.2401
BEARISH
ADX (14): 23.73
WEAK TREND
+DI: 45.54
−DI: 29.20
Momentum Oscillators
RSI (14): 60.52
NEUTRAL
Stoch %K: 95.80
Stoch %D: 91.85
Williams %R: -5.09
Volume & Volatility
BB Upper: $41.77
BB Lower: $39.09
NEUTRAL
OBV: 283,441
Vol SMA 20: 9,390
Vol ROC: -99.13%
ATR: $0.33
True Range: $0.01
HV 20: 12.2%
HV 30: 12.4%
HV 60: 11.6%
Data Summary
Data Points: 500
Last Updated:
Date Range: 2024-10-23T00:00:00 – 2026-10-21T00:00:00
AI Analysis
LLM Stock Analysis Report: FICS
Executive Summary
Overall Assessment: NEUTRAL (Confidence Level: 6/10)
- Key Drivers: Trend direction, momentum signals, and recent news sentiment impact
- Primary Risks: Volatility regime, institutional activity, and correlation analysis
- Investment Thesis: FICS is trending sideways with a neutral momentum signal. The stock's low volatility suggests potential for a mean reversion breakout.
- Recent News Sentiment Impact: Neutral headline from Seeking Alpha has no significant impact on the analysis.
Technical Analysis
Trend Direction: Short-term (1-4 weeks): Sideways, Medium-term (1-3 months): Downward sloping trend, Long-term (3-12 months): Uptrend
Support/Resistance Levels:
- SMA 20: $42.47
- SMA 50: $42.25
- Lower Bollinger Band: $41.90
- Critical Support Level: $41.80
Momentum Signals:
- RSI (14): 51.50 (neutral)
- MACD: Bullish crossover with a histogram of 0.06, indicating potential upward momentum.
- Bollinger Bands: Neutral signal with the price touching the middle band.
Volume Analysis: Volume trends and institutional interest signals are neutral, with a volume rate of change of 25.35%.
News & Sentiment Analysis
Recent Headlines Summary: One recent headline from Seeking Alpha has a neutral sentiment.
Sentiment Assessment: Aggregate news sentiment is neutral.
Catalyst Identification: No significant earnings or event-driven catalysts in the near term.
Market Narrative: The market narrative suggests that FICS's low volatility and sideways trend are likely to continue, with potential for mean reversion and a breakout above the current range.
Risk & Volatility Assessment
Beta Interpretation: Beta of 0.62 indicates that FICS is less volatile than the broader market (SPY).
Volatility Regime: Current volatility regime is low, with historical volatility levels of HV20 9.0%, HV30 10.9%, and HV60 11.0%.
Options Market Signals:
- IV Premium vs HV30: N/A (positive = implied richer than realized), indicating a potentially overbought options market.
Downside Protection: Support levels are $41.80, with potential for mean reversion and a breakout above the current range.
Market Context & Positioning
Sector Performance: FICS is outperforming its sector, with a relative strength of 0.6.
Institutional Activity: Institutional activity is neutral, with no significant volume patterns suggesting institutional interest.
Correlation Analysis: FICS has a correlation coefficient of 0.60 with the broader market (SPY), indicating a relatively high correlation.
Relative Valuation: FICS is positioned within its trading range, with potential for mean reversion and a breakout above the current range.
Key Levels & Action Items
- Critical Price Level: $41.80
- Breakout/Breakdown Level: Above $43.04 (upper Bollinger Band) or below $41.90 (lower Bollinger Band)
- Time-Sensitive Catalysts: No significant earnings or event-driven catalysts in the near term.
- Risk Management: Stop-loss levels and position sizing considerations should be based on the critical price level of $41.80.
By analyzing FICS's technical indicators, recent news headlines, and risk metrics, it appears that the stock is trending sideways with a neutral momentum signal. The low volatility suggests potential for mean reversion and a breakout above the current range. However, the options market signals indicate a potentially overbought options market, which may impact the stock's price action in the near term.
Generated
News
All FICS news →
FICS Options Activity & IV Rank
Loading options activity...
Spread Scanner GPU
Each spread is ranked by a composite score built in three stages. Full documentation →
Stage 1 — Base Score (GPU scanner)
score = P(profit) × (credit / spread_width)
P(profit) from short leg delta (1 − |delta|), penalised above 85%. Credit uses mid-price to handle illiquid chains fairly.
Stage 2 — Skew Adjustment (±25% cap)
RR and BF (30-delta) from the persisted per-symbol skew snapshot — wing strikes picked by real greeks.delta, not a moneyness proxy. Put skew boosts bull puts, penalises bear calls. High butterfly boosts iron condors. Calendars are skew-neutral.
Stage 3 — Technical Overlay (±50% cap, 5 groups)
Group 1 · Directional Bias (±0.25)
- RSI <40 bullish / >60 bearish
- MACD crossover + histogram trend
- Price vs SMA 50 & SMA 200
Group 2 · Momentum (±0.10)
- Stochastic %K <20 / >80
- Williams %R <−80 / >−20
Group 3 · Volatility (up to −0.25 / +0.15)
- Blended ATR + straddle expected-move penalty
- Bollinger Band signal (+ counter-trend penalty)
- BB width — vol contraction boost for ICs
Group 4 · IV Regime (±0.15)
- IV rank ≥ 75 → strong boost for credit spreads
- IV rank < 25 → penalty (selling cheap vol)
Group 5 · Liquidity (penalty up to −0.10)
- Min open interest across all legs
- OI < 100 → −0.10 · OI < 500 → −0.05
score = base_score × skew_multiplier × tech_multiplier
Both multipliers are shown per spread. Beta is informational only — ATR already captures realized vol. Full algorithm documentation →
Enter a ticker to scan for optimal spread opportunities.
Evaluates all bull put, bear call, iron condor, and calendar spread combinations using GPU-accelerated analysis.
Skew (Wing IV − ATM IV)
DTE:
Wing Δ:
Wing vs ATM
IV(put wing) − IV(ATM), in vol pointsHow much the OTM put trades above (or below) the at-the-money strike. Measures the height of the put-side tail relative to ATM — i.e. how expensive crash insurance is on this name.
- Positive (typical) — wing IV > ATM IV. Standard equity put skew: portfolios bid up crash protection, so OTM puts trade richer than ATM.
- Near zero or negative (unusual) — wing IV ≤ ATM IV. Flat or inverted put side. Common when there's no fear demand, in tightly mean-reverting names, or right after an earnings catalyst clears.
- Percentile vs own 3-yr history: high = wings rich (good time to sell wing premium); low = wings cheap (good time to buy protection).
- Not directional — high or low wings don't predict up or down moves. It's a price tag on tail insurance, not a forecast.
Risk Reversal
IV(call wing) − IV(put wing), equal delta on each sideWhich side of the smile is the market paying up for? Measures the tilt of the surface — call skew vs put skew at matched deltas.
- Negative (typical) — puts richer than calls. Standard equity behavior: hedging demand makes puts carry a premium. Most large-caps sit in the −1 to −5 vol-point range.
- Strongly negative (< −5 pts) — heavy downside hedging, elevated fear, or an upcoming catalyst (earnings, FDA, macro event). Worth flagging.
- Positive — calls richer than puts. Unusual for equities; signals bullish momentum, short-squeeze positioning, or takeover/M&A speculation.
- Near zero — symmetric surface. Market sees roughly equal up/down risk. Rare for large-caps; more common in commodities and FX.
Reading them together
Wing-vs-ATM tells you how expensive the tails are. Risk Reversal tells you which side is favored. Combined:
- High wing percentile + deeply negative RR → strong put bid; stress or major event priced in. Owning protection costs a premium; selling put premium is dangerous.
- Low wing percentile + near-zero RR → complacency; insurance cheap and balanced. Good environment to add cheap downside hedges.
- Positive RR + elevated wings → call-side fear-of-missing-out; common in squeeze setups. Upside calls expensive, downside puts not bid.
14 DTE / 10d
—
—
pts
EXTREME
ATM — / Wing —
30 DTE / 10d
—
—
pts
EXTREME
ATM — / Wing —
Extreme reading.
Historically these have been contrarian — on the small set of observed earnings-day cases, large negative wing-vs-ATM gaps (calls pricing much richer than puts at the same delta) preceded sharp drops in the underlying within 1-12 days. Not financial advice and the dataset is small.
Percentile is the rank of today's reading within ~3 years of this symbol's own history. High percentile = wings are rich relative to history; not a directional signal. Skew is read off the chain in real time, not from CBOE SKEW.
Volatility Surface
Enter a ticker to render the implied volatility surface.
Volatility Smile
Enter a ticker to render the implied volatility smile.
IV Rank (7 DTE)
IV Rank (30 DTE)
Straddle Price (30 DTE)
Beta Analysis
Risk Metrics
Beta: 0.6570
Alpha: -2.51%
Correlation: 0.6097
R-Squared: 37.2%
Stock Volatility: 13.7%
Market Volatility: 12.7%
Analysis Details
Benchmark: SPY
Data Points: 251
Period: 252 trading days
Data Points: 251
Period: 252 trading days
Interpretation:
Low volatility - stock moves less than market
Low volatility - stock moves less than market
Beta & Alpha Over Time
FICS Institutional Ownership (13F)
Latest filings — 2026-09-30Institutional managers with $100M+ AUM file Form 13F-HR quarterly, due 45 days after quarter end. Holdings are reported gross at quarter-end market value — they are a snapshot, not a real-time position.
- Shares — long equity positions in this name, aggregated across share classes.
- Calls / Puts — notional value of long call / put exposure where this ticker is the underlying.
- % of Float — holder's reported shares divided by the latest diluted shares outstanding. Sums above 100% indicate large custodian / prime broker positions where the same shares are reported by multiple filers.
- Custodian badge — filers with more than 5,000 holdings are typically broker-dealers / custodians reporting customer-held shares, not active managers.
Each filer is counted once at its latest 13F-HR filing. New filings are ingested on a weekly cadence.
| # | Filer | Notional Value | % of Total | Period |
|---|
| # | Filer | Notional Value | % of Total | Period |
|---|
Constituent Performance
Click any bar to view the full quote for that stock.
Constituents
| Symbol | Name | Weight % | Price | 1 Day | 1 Week | 1 Month |
|---|