Understanding the First Trust Dow 30 Equal Weight ETF: A Comprehensive Guide

The First Trust Dow 30 Equal Weight ETF (EDOW) is a smart beta ETF that tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average Equal Weight Index. It provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category and has a 0.50% expense ratio. The ETF has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.41% and is managed by First Trust Advisors. Its heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary.

The First Trust Dow 30 Equal Weight ETF (EDOW) is a smart beta exchange traded fund (ETF) that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category. Launched on August 8, 2017, EDOW tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average Equal Weight Index and is managed by First Trust Advisors. With an expense ratio of 0.50%, the ETF has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.41% [1].

EDOW's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary. The fund's top 10 holdings include companies such as AMGEN Inc., Salesforce Inc., Chevron Corp., and Cisco Systems, Inc. [1]. EDOW has a beta of 0.90 and a standard deviation of 14.37% for the trailing three-year period, indicating a relatively low-risk profile compared to other large-cap ETFs [2].

The ETF has shown strong performance, adding roughly 6.75% this year and 16.88% in the last one year as of August 12, 2025. Over the past 52 weeks, the fund has traded between $32.19 and $39.21 [2]. EDOW's equal-weighting strategy aims to provide more balanced exposure to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is composed of 30 securities issued by blue-chip U.S. companies covering all industries, with the exception of transportation and utilities [1].

Investors looking for alternatives to traditional market cap-weighted ETFs may find EDOW appealing. However, it is essential to consider the ETF's higher expense ratio compared to some market cap-weighted peers, such as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which have expense ratios of 0.09% and 0.03%, respectively [2].

References:
[1] https://money.usnews.com/funds/etfs/large-value/first-trust-dow-30-equal-weight-etf/edow
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-trust-dow-30-equal-102002016.html