497K 1 etf6_497k.htm SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

Rule 497(k)

File No. 333-182308

 
First Trust
Exchange-Traded Fund VI
 
 
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
First Trust Dorsey Wright DALI 1 ETF
 
Ticker Symbol:
DALI
Exchange:
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s statutory prospectus and other information about the Fund, including the statement of additional information and most recent reports to shareholders, online at www.ftportfolios.com/retail/ETF/ETFfundnews.aspx?Ticker=DALI.   You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 621-1675 or by sending an e-mail request to info@ftportfolios.com.   The Fund’s  prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2023, are all incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
May 1, 2023
Investment Objective
The First Trust Dorsey Wright DALI 1 ETF (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund’s fees and expenses) of an index called the Nasdaq Dorsey Wright DALI 1TM Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) 
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
None
 
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
Management Fees
0.30%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.88%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.18%
Example
The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$120
$375
$649
$1,432
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 186% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal conditions, the Fund will invest at least 90% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in the securities that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Index is owned and was developed by Nasdaq, Inc. (the “Index Provider”). The Index Provider may, from time to time, exercise reasonable discretion as it deems appropriate in order to ensure Index integrity. The Index consists exclusively of U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). Certain ETFs in which the Fund invests may be advised by First Trust Advisors L.P., the Fund’s investment advisor.
The Index evaluates three broad asset classes (U.S. equity securities, international equity securities and commodities) and seeks to determine which of the three is most likely to experience the best investment performance until the next Index evaluation date (generally the second and fourth Friday of each month). The Index has been designed based upon the principle that the asset class exhibiting the highest levels of “relative strength,” based on current prices, will be the asset class with the best performance over the near term. A relative strength calculation is an objective method of comparing two investment options to determine which of the two is exhibiting greater forward price momentum.
For the purpose of comparing the asset classes, each asset class is represented by a roster of indices and/or one or more ETFs that principally track or invest in the securities that comprise each asset class, and collectively provide diversified exposure to each asset class. To determine which of the three asset classes is exhibiting the greatest price momentum, the Index compares the relative strength of each component (ETF or index) of each asset class against each component of each of the other two asset classes. To make this comparison, the closing price of the two ETFs/indices being compared are divided against each other and then multiplied by 100. This number is then charted. When the same calculation is run the next day, if the number increases for a given asset class, it is charted as
an “X.” If it decreases, it is charted as an “O.” This is known as “point and figure” charting. The Index utilizes this technique by comparing each component of each asset class against the components of each of the other two asset classes and aggregating the information. The asset class with the greatest number of “Xs” is the asset class exhibiting the greatest relative strength and is therefore the asset class chosen for inclusion in the Index. The Index provides exposure to a single asset class at a time.
The point and figure relative strength comparison is generally used to determine the highest scoring asset class on a twice-monthly basis. The Index, and thus the Fund, will reconstitute and rebalance to reflect the asset class exhibiting the highest levels of relative strength. Once the asset class exhibiting the highest relative strength is determined, the Index is constituted and weighted pursuant to the individual methodology of the selected asset class, each of which is set forth below. Each ETF that is currently eligible for inclusion in the Index is set forth on Appendix A. The ETFs eligible for inclusion in the Index are advised by First Trust Advisors L.P., the investment advisor to the Fund. The list of ETFs eligible for inclusion in the Index may change from time to time pursuant to the methodology of the Index.
U.S. Equity Securities
•
65% of the Fund’s assets will be equally weighted among the constituents of the Dorsey Wright Focus Five Index (an index of ETFs designed to select the five sector/industry-based First Trust ETFs exhibiting the greatest relative strength).
•
35% of the Fund’s assets will be equally weighted among the First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX® Fund (an ETF that provides exposure to large capitalization U.S. issuers that have exhibited higher levels of growth potential) and First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX® Fund (an ETF that provides exposure to small capitalization U.S. issuers that have exhibited higher levels of growth potential).
•
The Index will re-balance back to the 65% and 35% target weights quarterly. The Index may re-constitute periodically in response to changes in the composition of the Dorsey Wright Focus Five Index.
International Equity Securities
•
65% of the Fund’s assets will be equally weighted among the constituents of the Dorsey Wright International Focus Five Index (an index of ETFs designed to select the five country/region-based First Trust ETFs exhibiting the greatest relative strength).
•
35% of the Fund’s assets will be equally weighted among the First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX® Fund (an ETF that provides exposure to equity securities issued by companies operating in emerging markets) and First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX® Fund (an ETF that provides exposure to equity securities issued by companies operating in non-U.S. developed markets).
•
The Index will re-balance back to the 65% and 35% target weights quarterly. The Index may re-constitute periodically in response to changes in the composition of the Dorsey Wright International Focus Five Index.
Commodities
•
First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund (an ETF that invests in a combination of exchange-listed commodity futures contracts and commodity-linked instruments through a wholly-owned Cayman subsidiary with the objective of providing investors with commodity exposure) is included in the Index and given a weight of 100%.
The Index is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted periodically and the Fund will make corresponding changes to its portfolio shortly after the Index changes are made public. The Index’s quarterly rebalance and periodic reconstitution schedule may cause the Fund to experience a higher rate of portfolio turnover. The Fund will be concentrated in an industry or a group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a given jurisdiction or investment sector, the Fund may be exposed to the risks associated with that jurisdiction or investment sector. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts, U.S. dollar denominated securities and non-U.S. dollar denominated securities.
As of March 31, 2023, the Index was allocated to the International Equity Securities asset class and was composed of the First Trust Japan AlphaDEX® Fund, First Trust Dow Jones Global Select Dividend Index Fund, First Trust Developed Markets ex-US AlphaDEX® Fund, First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX® Fund, First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF, First Trust Latin America AlphaDEX® Fund and First Trust Switzerland AlphaDEX® Fund.
Principal Risks
You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.
ASSET CONCENTRATION RISK. Since the Index, and therefore the Fund, may be composed of a very small number of ETFs (including a single ETF), the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately and significantly by the poor performance of those ETFs to which it has significant exposure. Asset concentration makes the Fund more susceptible to any single occurrence affecting the underlying ETFs and may subject the Fund to greater market risk than more diversified funds.
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT CONCENTRATION RISK. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. A limited number of institutions act as authorized participants for the Fund. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders and no other authorized participant steps forward to create or redeem, the Fund’s shares may trade at a premium or discount (the difference between the market price of the Fund's shares and the Fund's net asset value) and possibly face delisting and the bid/ask spread (the difference between the price that someone is willing to pay for shares of the Fund at a specific point in time versus the price at which someone is willing to sell) on the Fund’s shares may widen.
CLEARING BROKER RISK. To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs which invest in commodity futures contracts through a clearing broker, the failure or bankruptcy of such a clearing broker could result in a substantial loss of Fund assets. Under current Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulations, a clearing broker maintains customers’ assets in a bulk segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to risk of loss of their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers, such as an underlying ETF, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for distribution to all of that clearing broker’s customers.
COMMODITIES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest have exposure to commodities. Commodity prices can have significant volatility, and exposure to commodities can cause the value of an underlying ETF’s shares to decline or fluctuate in a rapid and unpredictable manner. The values of physical commodities may be affected by changes in overall market movements, real or perceived inflationary trends, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates, population growth and changing demographics, international economic, political and regulatory developments, and factors affecting a particular region, industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, or other weather conditions, livestock disease, changes in storage costs, trade embargoes, competition from substitute products, transportation bottlenecks or shortages, fluctuations in supply and demand, and tariffs. The commodity markets are subject to temporary distortions or other disruptions due to, among other factors, lack of liquidity, the participation of speculators, and government regulation and other actions.
COMMODITY REGULATORY RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold commodity-linked derivative instruments that subject them to commodity regulatory risk. The investment decisions of such underlying ETFs may have to be liquidated at disadvantageous times or prices, to avoid exceeding any applicable position limits established by the CFTC, potentially subjecting an underlying ETF to substantial losses. The regulation of commodity transactions in the United States is subject to ongoing modification by government, self-regulatory and judicial action. The effect of any future regulatory change with respect to any aspect of an underlying ETF is impossible to predict, but could be substantial and adverse to an underlying ETF.
COMMODITY-LINKED DERIVATIVES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold commodity-linked derivatives. Investments linked to the prices of commodities may be considered speculative. Significant investment exposure to commodities may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Therefore, the value of such instruments may be volatile and fluctuate widely based on a variety of macroeconomic factors or commodity-specific factors. At times, price fluctuations may be quick and significant and may not correlate to price movements in other asset classes. A liquid secondary market may not exist for certain commodity-linked derivatives, which may make it difficult for the Fund to sell them at a desirable price or at the price at which it is carrying them.
COUNTERPARTY RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold securities that subject them to counterparty risk. Underlying ETF transactions involving a counterparty are subject to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the underlying ETF. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to an underlying ETF. An underlying ETF may be unable to recover its investment from the counterparty or may obtain a limited recovery, and/or recovery may be delayed.
CURRENCY RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold investments that are denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates affect the value of investments denominated in a foreign currency, and therefore the value of such investments in an underlying ETF’s portfolio. An underlying ETF’s net asset value could decline if a currency to which an underlying ETF has exposure depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in such an underlying ETF may change quickly and without warning.
CYBER SECURITY RISK. The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests or the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer
agent, custodian, or sub-advisor, as applicable, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Although the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold depositary receipts. Depositary receipts represent equity interests in a foreign company that trade on a local stock exchange. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Any distributions paid to the holders of depositary receipts are usually subject to a fee charged by the depositary. Holders of depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact the value of depositary receipts because such restrictions may limit the ability to convert the equity shares into depositary receipts and vice versa. Such restrictions may cause the equity shares of the underlying issuer to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the depositary receipts.
DERIVATIVES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest utilize derivatives. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include: (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. Derivative contracts ordinarily have leverage inherent in their terms. The low margin deposits normally required in trading derivatives, including futures contracts, permit a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement may result in an immediate and substantial loss. The use of leverage may also cause an underlying ETF to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on share price.
EMERGING MARKETS RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. Investments in securities issued by governments and companies operating in emerging market countries involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in securities and instruments issued by U.S. companies or by companies operating in other developed market countries. Investments in emerging markets securities are generally considered speculative in nature and are subject to the following heightened risks: smaller market capitalization of securities markets which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital; rapid inflation; and currency convertibility issues. Emerging market countries also often have less uniformity in accounting, auditing and reporting requirements, unsettled securities laws, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. Financial and other reporting by companies and government entities also may be less reliable in emerging market countries. Shareholder claims that are available in the U.S., as well as regulatory oversight and authority that is common in the U.S., including for claims based on fraud, may be difficult or impossible for shareholders of securities in emerging market countries or for U.S. authorities to pursue. The Index the Fund seeks to track may not weight the securities in emerging market countries on the basis of investor protection limitations, financial reporting quality or available oversight mechanisms. Furthermore, investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization or creation of government monopolies.
EQUITY SECURITIES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold equity securities. The value of an underlying ETF’s shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant equity market, such as market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting an issuer occur. Common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry or sector of the market.
ETF RISK. The Fund’s investment in shares of ETFs subjects it to the risks of owning the securities underlying the ETF, as well as the same structural risks faced by an investor purchasing shares of the Fund, including authorized participant concentration risk, market maker risk, premium/discount risk and trading issues risk. As a shareholder in another ETF, the Fund bears its proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses, subjecting Fund shareholders to duplicative expenses.
FREQUENT TRADING RISK. The Fund may invest in ETFs that regularly purchase and subsequently sell (i.e., “roll”) individual futures contracts throughout the year so as to maintain a fully invested position. As the contracts near their expiration dates, the underlying ETF rolls them over into new contracts. This frequent trading of contracts may increase the amount of commissions or mark-ups to broker-dealers that the ETF pays when it buys and sells contracts, which may detract from the Fund’s performance.
FUTURES CONTRACTS RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold futures contracts. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset by one party to another at a certain price and date, or cash
settlement of the terms of the contract. The risk of a position in a futures contract may be very large compared to the relatively low level of margin an underlying ETF is required to deposit. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. In the event no secondary market exists for a particular contract, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions, and an underlying ETF will be unable to terminate the derivative. If an underlying ETF uses futures contracts for hedging purposes, there is a risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the derivatives and movements in the securities or index underlying the derivatives or movements in the prices of an underlying ETF's investments that are the subject of such hedge. The prices of futures contracts may not correlate perfectly with movements in the securities or index underlying them.
GAP RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest are subject to gap risk which is the risk that a commodity price will change from one level to another between periods of trading. Usually such movements occur when there are adverse news announcements, which can cause a commodity price to drop substantially from the previous day’s closing price.
INDEX CONCENTRATION RISK. The Fund will be concentrated in an industry or a group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. To the extent that the Fund invests a percentage of its assets in the securities of issuers within the same country, state, region, industry or sector, an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. A significant exposure makes the Fund more susceptible to any single occurrence and may subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that is more broadly diversified.
INDEX PROVIDER RISK. There is no assurance that the Index Provider, or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Index Provider and its agents do not provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the Index, and do not guarantee that the Index will be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. The Advisor’s mandate as described in this prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Index provided by the Index Provider. The Advisor relies upon the Index provider and its agents to accurately compile, maintain, construct, reconstitute, rebalance, compose, calculate and disseminate the Index accurately. Therefore, losses or costs associated with any Index Provider or agent errors generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. To correct any such error, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out an unscheduled rebalance of the Index or other modification of Index constituents or weightings. When the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the Index is less commonly used as a benchmark by funds or advisors. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund tracking the Index would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively impact the Fund and its shareholders. The Index Provider and its agents rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor the Advisor can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The postponement of a scheduled rebalance in a time of market volatility could mean that constituents that would otherwise be removed at rebalance due to changes in market capitalizations, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index due to unusual market conditions or in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents.
INDEX REBALANCE RISK. Pursuant to the methodology that the Index Provider uses to calculate and maintain the Index, the Fund may own a significant number of the outstanding shares of underlying ETFs included in the Fund. Any such underlying ETF may be removed from the Index in the event that it does not comply with the eligibility requirements of the Index. As a result, the Fund may be forced to sell shares of certain underlying ETFs at inopportune times or for prices other than at current market values or may elect not to sell such shares on the day that they are removed from the Index, due to market conditions or otherwise. Due to these factors, the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index may increase significantly. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index to, for example, correct an error in the selection of constituents. When the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider may increase the Fund’s costs and market exposure.
LARGE CAPITALIZATION COMPANIES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold the securities of large capitalization companies. Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate and be less able to adapt to changing market conditions than smaller capitalization companies. Thus, the return on investment in securities of large capitalization companies may be less than the return on investment in securities of small and/or mid capitalization companies. The performance of large capitalization companies also tends to trail the overall market during different market cycles.
LEVERAGE RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest utilize leverage. Leverage may result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rates of losses. Leverage tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in an underlying ETF’s exposure to an asset or class of assets and may cause the value of the underlying ETF’s shares to be volatile and sensitive to market swings.
LIQUIDITY RISK. The Fund, and certain underlying ETFs, may hold certain investments that may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund, and certain underlying ETFs, may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at the prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value and the bid/ask spread on the Fund's shares may widen.
MARKET MAKER RISK. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares due to a limited number of market markers. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. The Fund may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s net asset value and the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund’s shares. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares trading at a discount to net asset value and also in greater than normal intraday bid-ask spreads for Fund shares.
MARKET RISK. Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or shares of the Fund in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. For example, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks have caused and may continue to cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects. While vaccines have been developed, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against future variants of the disease. As this global pandemic illustrated, such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Recent and potential future bank failures could result in disruption to the broader banking industry or markets generally and reduce confidence in financial institutions and the economy as a whole, which may also heighten market volatility and reduce liquidity. These events also adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund’s shares and result in increased market volatility. During any such events, the Fund’s shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their net asset value and the bid/ask spread on the Fund’s shares may widen.
MOMENTUM INVESTING RISK. The Fund employs a “momentum” style of investing that emphasizes selecting stocks that have had higher recent price performance compared to other stocks. Momentum can change quickly and stocks that previously exhibited high momentum characteristics may not experience positive momentum or may experience more volatility than the market as a whole. In addition, there may be periods when the momentum style of investing is out of favor and the investment performance of the Fund may suffer.
NON-CORRELATION RISK. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. The Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and may incur costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s portfolio holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the Fund’s portfolio holdings may not exactly replicate the securities included in the Index or the ratios between the securities included in the Index. Additionally, in order to comply with its investment strategies and policies, the Fund portfolio may deviate from the composition of the Index. Accordingly, the Fund's return may underperform the return of the Index.
NON-U.S. SECURITIES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold non-U.S. securities. Non-U.S. securities are subject to higher volatility than securities of domestic issuers due to possible adverse political, social or economic developments, restrictions on foreign investment or exchange of securities, capital controls, lack of liquidity, currency exchange rates, excessive taxation, government seizure of assets, the imposition of sanctions by foreign governments, different legal or accounting standards, and less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges in foreign countries.
OPERATIONAL RISK. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund and the Fund's investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
PASSIVE INVESTMENT RISK. The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in or representative of the Index regardless of investment merit. The Fund generally will not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In the event that the Index is no longer calculated, the Index license is terminated or the identity or character of the Index is materially changed, the Fund will seek to engage a replacement index.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RISK. High portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and may generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT RISK. The market price of the Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s net asset value as well as the relative supply of and demand for shares on the Exchange. The Fund’s investment advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value because the shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at net asset value. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares will be closely related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that shares can only be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their net asset value), the Fund’s investment advisor believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of shares should not be sustained. During stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which could in turn lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and their net asset value and the bid/ask spread on the Fund’s shares may widen.
SMALLER COMPANIES RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold the securities of small and/or mid capitalization companies. Small or mid capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments, and their securities may be less liquid and may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies as a result of several factors, including limited trading volumes, fewer products or financial resources, management inexperience and less publicly available information. Accordingly, such companies are generally subject to greater market risk than larger, more established companies.
SUBSIDIARY INVESTMENT RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest through a wholly owned Subsidiary. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the ETF to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Thus, the underlying ETF, as an investor in the Subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
TRADING ISSUES RISK. Trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small, the Fund does not have enough shareholders, or if the Fund is unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders.
VALUATION RISK. The Fund may hold securities or other assets that may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur because the asset or security does not trade on a centralized exchange, or in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” assets or securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
VOLATILITY RISK. Certain ETFs in which the Fund may invest hold securities that subject them to volatility risk. Volatility is the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. An underlying ETF may invest in securities or financial instruments that exhibit more volatility than the market as a whole. Such exposures could cause an underlying ETF’s net asset value to experience significant increases or declines in value over short periods of time.
Annual Total Return
The bar chart and table below illustrate the annual calendar year returns of the Fund based on net asset value as well as the average annual Fund and Index returns. The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns based on net asset value compared to those of the Index and two broad-based market indices. See “Total Return Information” for additional performance information regarding the Fund. The Fund’s performance information is accessible on the Fund’s website at www.ftportfolios.com.
First Trust Dorsey Wright DALI 1 ETF
Calendar Year Total Returns as of 12/31
 
During the periods shown in the chart above: 
Best Quarter
 
Worst Quarter
 
20.09%
December 31, 2020
-21.74%
March 31, 2020
The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Returns after taxes on distributions reflect the taxed return on the payment of dividends and capital gains. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of shares assume you sold your shares at period end, and, therefore, are also adjusted for any capital gains or losses incurred. Returns for the market indices do not include expenses, which are deducted from Fund returns, or taxes.
Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2022 
 
1 Year
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Return Before Taxes
-8.31%
4.92%
5/14/2018
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-8.54%
4.66%
 
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-4.94%
3.69%
 
Nasdaq Dorsey Wright DALI 1TM Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes)
-7.90%
5.25%
 
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
-18.11%
9.55%
 
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes)
-13.01%
0.54%
 
Management
Investment Advisor
First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust” or the “Advisor”)
Portfolio Managers
The Fund’s portfolio is managed by a team (the “Investment Committee”) consisting of:
•
Daniel J. Lindquist, Chairman of the Investment Committee and Managing Director of First Trust
•
David G. McGarel, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of First Trust
•
Jon C. Erickson, Senior Vice President of First Trust
•
Roger F. Testin, Senior Vice President of First Trust
•
Stan Ueland, Senior Vice President of First Trust
•
Chris A. Peterson, Senior Vice President of First Trust
•
Erik Russo, Vice President of First Trust
The Investment Committee members are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Investment Committee member has served as a part of the portfolio management team of the Fund since 2018, except Erik Russo who has served as a part of the portfolio management team since 2020.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis, at net asset value, only in large blocks of shares called “Creation Units.” Individual shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at their market price rather than their net asset value, the Fund’s shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s net asset value. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, bid-ask spreads and the median bid-ask spread for the Fund’s most recent fiscal year, is available online at https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/etf/home.aspx.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions on shares held in a tax-deferred account, while not immediately taxable, will be subject to tax when the shares are no longer held in a tax-deferred account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, bank or other financial intermediary (collectively, “intermediaries”), First Trust and First Trust Portfolios L.P., the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
You can find the Fund’s statutory prospectus and other information about the Fund, including the statement of additional information and most recent reports to shareholders, online at www.ftportfolios.com/retail/ETF/ETFfundnews.aspx?Ticker=DALI.
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