Risk Considerations
Equity Risk. An investment in a portfolio containing common stocks is subject to certain risks, such as an economic recession and the possible deterioration of either the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general condition of the stock market.
Sector Concentration Risk. A portfolio which is concentrated in an individual sector is subject to additional risks, including limited diversification.
Asia Pacific Risk. Certain securities held by the portfolio are issued by companies in the Asia Pacific region, making the portfolio more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Asia Pacific region. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade which creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller companies that are inherently more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.
Communications Services Risk. The companies engaged in the communication services sector are subject to rapidly changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, loss of patent protection, cyclical market patterns, governmental regulation, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Certain companies may be particularly susceptible to cybersecurity threats, which could have an adverse effect on their business.
Emerging Markets Risk. Risks associated with investing in non-U.S. securities may be more pronounced in emerging and developing markets where the securities markets are substantially smaller, less developed, less liquid, less regulated, and more volatile than the U.S. and developed non-U.S. markets.
Foreign Securities Risk. Securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, the lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers.
Large-Cap Risk. Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.
Market Disruption Risk. Ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East, have caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from those hostilities could have a significant impact on certain investments as well as performance.
Public Health Crisis Risk. A public health crisis, and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks in response, could cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk. An investment in a portfolio containing small-cap and mid-cap companies is subject to additional risks, as the share prices of small-cap companies and certain mid-cap companies are often more volatile than those of larger companies due to several factors, including limited trading volumes, products, financial resources, management inexperience and less publicly available information.
Technology Risk. The companies engaged in the information technology sector are subject to fierce competition, high research and development costs, and their products and services may be subject to rapid obsolescence. Technology company stocks, especially those which are Internet-related, may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that are often unrelated to their operating performance.
Variable Interest Entities. Certain of the securities held by the trust are non-Chinese shell companies structured as variable interest entities (VIEs), which provide economic exposure to Chinese companies but do not represent a direct investment in the Chinese company. VIEs are not formally recognized under Chinese law and intervention by the Chinese government into the legality of the VIE structure could negatively impact such securities.
Volatility Risk. The value of the securities held by the trust may be subject to steep declines or increased volatility due to changes in performance or perception of the issuers.
Operational Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the trust has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity.
The style and capitalization characteristics used to describe the stocks are designed to help you
understand how they fit into your overall investment plan. Due to changes in the value of the stocks
the characteristics may vary over time. In general, growth stocks have high relative price-to-book
ratios while value stocks have low relative price-to-book ratios. In determining market capitalization
characteristics, we analyze the market capitalizations of the 3,000 largest stocks in the U.S. (excluding
foreign securities, ADRs, limited partnerships and regulated investment companies) on a monthly basis.
Companies with market capitalizations among the largest 10% are considered Large-Cap securities, the next
20% are considered Mid-Cap securities and the remaining securities are considered Small-Cap securities.
You should carefully consider the trust's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses before investing. Contact your financial professional or call First Trust Portfolios, L.P. at 1.800.621.1675 to request a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the trust. Read it carefully before you invest.
This product information does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any state to any person to whom it is not lawful to make such an offer. Sales of any of these securities must include prospectus delivery and the services of a retail broker/dealer duly licensed in the appropriate states.
Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed and May Lose Value.