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First Trust ETF Based on IPOX-100® U.S. Index Crosses $2 Billion in AUM

FPX | January 21, 2021

First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust”), a leading exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) provider and asset manager, announced today that the First Trust US Equity Opportunities ETF (NYSE Arca: FPX) (the “fund”) reached more than $2 billion in assets under management (“AUM”). FPX seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fund’s fees and expenses) of the IPOX ® -100 U.S. Index.

FPX provides systematic exposure to U.S. equity capital and private equity activity as well as the innovativeness and growth of the U.S. economy via a semi-passive indexing approach. Data from IPOX Schuster, LLC shows that 210 companies went public in 2020, including initial public offerings (“IPOs”), spin-offs and direct listings, an increase of 25.00% from 2019. These companies raised $76.29 billion, an increase of 74.49% from 2019. Since its inception on April 12, 2006, FPX has achieved an average annual total return of 13.73%, based on net asset value (NAV) as of December 31, 2020, outperforming the Russell 3000 ® Index which had a total return of 9.85% over the same period.

“Amid the increase in the number of IPOs, these strong returns underline once more the unique nature and potency of some of the deals coming to market, as IPO companies often operate in unique sectors of the economy not susceptible to overall stock market and economic sentiment, therefore providing for the opportunity of adding unique portfolio returns,” said Dr. Josef Schuster, chief architect of the IPOX Indexes, including the IPOX ® -100 U.S. Index (IPXO).

“We believe the focus on recent IPOs and spin-offs is an important key to the success of this unique strategy, which provides exposure to the innovation and growth of many recently issued stocks long before they have been added to traditional index funds,” said Ryan Issakainen, CFA, Senior Vice President, ETF Strategist at First Trust.

FPX Performance (%) as of 12/31/2020

Performance (%)	1 Year	5 Year	10 Year	Since Fund Inception
Net Asset Value *	47.76	19.10	18.45	13.73
Market Price *	47.85	19.11	18.44	13.74
IPOX ® 100 U.S. Index**	48.44	19.66	19.09	14.38
Russell 3000 ® Index	20.89	15.43	13.79	9.85
S&P 500 Index	18.40	15.22	13.88	9.80

Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than performance quoted. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and shares when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. You can obtain performance information which is current through the most recent month-end by visiting www.ftportfolios.com .

* NAV returns are based on the fund’s net asset value which represents the fund’s net assets (assets less liabilities) divided by the fund’s outstanding shares. Market price returns are determined by using the midpoint of the national best bid offer price (“NBBO”) as of the time that the fund’s NAV is calculated. Returns are average annualized total returns. FPX’s performance reflects fee waivers and expense reimbursements, absent which performance would have been lower.

**Performance information for the IPOX ® -100 U.S. Index is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent actual fund performance. Indexes do not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, and no such fees or expenses were deducted from the performance shown. Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

Gross Expense Ratio: 0.58%. Net Expense Ratio: 0.58%. Expenses are capped contractually at 0.60% per year, at least until April 30, 2021. FPX inception Date: 4/12/2006

About First Trust

First Trust is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the fund’s investment advisor. First Trust and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. (“FTP”), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately held companies that provide a variety of investment services. First Trust has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $171 billion as of December 31, 2020 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. First Trust is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. First Trust and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, visit http://www.ftportfolios.com .

You should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact First Trust Portfolios L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 or visit ftportfolios.com to obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information about the funds. The prospectus or summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

ETF Characteristics

The fund lists and principally trades its shares on the NYSE Arca, Inc.

The fund’s return may not match the return of the IPOX ® 100 U.S. Index. Securities held by the fund will generally not be bought or sold in response to market fluctuations.

Investors buying or selling fund shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. Market prices may differ to some degree from the net asset value of the shares. Investors who sell fund shares may receive less than the share’s net asset value. Shares may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, unlike mutual funds, shares may only be redeemed directly from the fund by authorized participants, in very large creation/redemption units. If the fund's authorized participants are unable to proceed with creation/redemption orders and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, fund shares may trade at a discount to the fund's net asset value and possibly face delisting.

Risk Considerations

The fund’s shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the funds. One of the principal risks of investing in the funds is market risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular stock owned by the funds, fund shares or stocks in general may fall in value. There can be no assurance that the fund’s investment objective will be achieved. The outbreak of the respiratory disease designated as COVID-19 in December 2019 has caused significant volatility and declines in global financial markets, which have caused losses for investors. The COVID-19 pandemic may last for an extended period of time and will continue to impact the economy for the foreseeable future.

The fund may invest in securities issued by companies concentrated in a particular industry.

The fund may invest in small capitalization and mid capitalization companies. Such companies may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.

The stocks of companies that have recently conducted an initial public offering are often subject to price volatility and speculative trading. These stocks may have exhibited above average price appreciation in connection with the initial public offering prior to inclusion in the fund. The price of stocks included in the fund may not continue to appreciate and their performance may not replicate the performance exhibited in the past.

The fund is classified as “non-diversified” and may invest a relatively high percentage of their assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the funds may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly concentrated in certain issuers.

First Trust Advisors L.P. is the adviser to the fund. First Trust Advisors L.P. is an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., the fund’s distributor.

The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any speci?c person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any ?duciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any other regulatory framework. Financial professionals are responsible for evaluating investment risks independently and for exercising independent judgment in determining whether investments are appropriate for their clients.

IPOX ® and IPOX ® -100 U.S. Index are registered international trademarks and service marks of IPOX ® Schuster LLC (“IPOX”) and have been licensed for use by First Trust. The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by IPOX, and IPOX makes no representation regarding the advisability of trading in such fund.

Index Definitions

The IPOX ® -100 U.S. Index is a modified value-weighted price index measuring the performance of the top 100 companies ranked quarterly by market capitalization in the IPOX ® Global Composite Index.

The Russell 3000 Index is comprised of the 3000 largest and most liquid stocks based and traded in the U.S.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 stocks used to measure large-cap U.S. stock market performance.