FGD: FIRST TRUST DOW JONES GLOBAL SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX FUND
What this ETF is trying to do
The First Trust Dow Jones Global Select Dividend Index Fund (FGD) is an ETF that focuses on dividend-paying companies from around the world. Instead of picking just one company, it holds a variety of stocks to spread out its investments. As of October 7, 2026, the fund held 105 different assets.
What the numbers show
As of October 5, 2026, the share price was $32.82. To understand how the fund has performed, we look at two different types of returns: price return (which only tracks the share price) and total return (which includes the share price plus the cash distributions paid to investors).
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is 8.42%, while the total return is 12.67%.
• One Year: The price return is 13.06%, while the total return is 19.99%.
• Three Year: The price return is 62.54%, while the total return is 93.54%.
For a simple example, if you had invested $10,000 based on the estimated price from roughly one year ago ($29.03), the price-only growth would have increased that amount by 13.06%.
Income and Distribution Explanation
This ETF pays out cash to investors, which is known as a distribution. It usually pays these distributions quarterly (four times a year). The distribution yield is 5.83%.
It is important for beginners to know that a high distribution yield alone can be misleading. A high yield does not guarantee that the overall investment is growing or that the original money invested is safe.
NAV Erosion Explanation
"NAV erosion" happens when the actual value of the fund's underlying assets drops over time, often causing the share price to fall permanently. StockValueFinder uses an erosion-risk score to measure this.
FGD has an erosion score of 100, and the label states "No price erosion detected." The severe erosion-risk flag is false, meaning the fund's price trend has not triggered a warning.
Top Holdings
The fund's portfolio can change over time. As of October 7, 2026, some of the top holdings included:
• Robert Half Inc: 2.32%
• Hyundai Elevator Co Ltd: 2.09%
• Morgan Stanley Instl Lqudty Trs Instl: 1.94%
• HP Inc: 1.73%
• Banco BPM Spa: 1.72%
Pros
• Strong total returns over the last one and three years.
• No price erosion detected.
• Provides regular quarterly income.
Cons
• The share price can still go up or down based on the market.
• The fund's performance depends on the success of global dividend-paying companies.
Beginner Takeaway
FGD is designed for investors who want a mix of global stocks that pay dividends. While the distribution yield provides cash income, the total return shows how the fund performed when that income was combined with the change in share price.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROBERT HALF INC | RHI | 2.32% |
| 2 | HYUNDAI ELEVATOR CO LTD | n/a | 2.09% |
| 3 | MORGAN STANLEY INSTL LQUDTY TRS INSTL | MISXX | 1.94% |
| 4 | HP INC | HPQ | 1.73% |
| 5 | BANCO BPM SPA | n/a | 1.72% |
| 6 | OMV AG | n/a | 1.68% |
| 7 | TELEPERFORMANCE SE | n/a | 1.67% |
| 8 | B&M EUROPEAN VALUE RETAIL PLC | n/a | 1.57% |
| 9 | AKER ASA CLASS A | n/a | 1.49% |
| 10 | LEGAL & GENERAL GROUP PLC | n/a | 1.46% |