First Trust Advisors L.P. Announces Distributions for Exchange-Traded Funds

WHEATON, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–First Trust Advisors L.P. (“FTA”) announces the declaration of distributions for 102 exchange-traded funds (each a “Fund,” collectively, the “Funds”) advised by FTA.

The following dates apply to today’s distribution declarations:

FTA is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the Funds’ investment advisor. FTA 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. FTA has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $179 billion as of February 28, 2021 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. FTA 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. FTA and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois.

You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund before investing. Prospectuses for the Funds contain this and other important information and are available free of charge by calling toll-free at 1-800-621-1675 or visiting www.ftportfolios.com. A prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Past performance is no assurance of future results. Investment return and market value of an investment in a Fund will fluctuate. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Principal Risk Factors: A Fund’s shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in a Fund. An investment in a 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 a Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved. An investment in a Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any portfolio of equity securities traded on exchanges. The risks of investing in each Fund are spelled out in its prospectus, shareholder report, and other regulatory filings.

Securities held by a fund, as well as shares of a fund itself, are subject to market fluctuations caused by factors such as general economic conditions, political events, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of a fund could decline in value or underperform other investments as a result of the risk of loss associated with these market fluctuations. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on a fund and its investments. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. 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 impact of this COVID-19 pandemic may last for an extended period of time and will continue to impact the economy for the foreseeable future.

An Index ETF seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an index. You should anticipate that the value of an Index Fund’s shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in the value of the index. An Index Fund’s return may not match the return of the index. Unlike a Fund, the indices do not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore do not incur the expenses incurred by a Fund.

Investors buying or selling Fund shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. 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 a Fund by authorized participants, in very large creation/redemption units. If a 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 a Fund’s net asset value and possibly face delisting.

One of the principal risks of investing in a Fund is market risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by a Fund, Fund shares or securities in general may fall in value.

An actively managed ETF is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing such a Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers, management teams, advisor or sub-advisor, will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not have the desired result.

A Fund that is concentrated in securities of companies in a certain sector or industry involves additional risks, including limited diversification. An investment in a Fund concentrated in a single country or region may be subject to greater risks of adverse events and may experience greater volatility than a Fund that is more broadly diversified geographically.

Certain Funds may invest in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. Such companies may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.

There is no guarantee that the issuers of the securities in any Fund will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.

An investment in a Fund containing securities of non-U.S. issuers is 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. These risks may be heightened for securities of companies located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. A Fund may invest in depositary receipts which may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

Investments in sovereign bonds involve special risks because the governmental authority that controls the repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due. In times of economic uncertainty, the prices of these securities may be more volatile than those of corporate debt obligations or of other government debt obligations.

A Fund that invests in the European region is subject to certain risks because member states in the European Union no longer control their own monetary policies, money supply and official interest rates for the Euro. Rather, such control is exercised by the European Central Bank.

The Swiss economy is dependent on the economies of other European nations as key trading partners. Any reduction in spending by other European countries could have a negative effect on the Swiss economy. The European sovereign-debt crisis has resulted in a weakened Euro and has put into question the future financial prospects of the surrounding region. The ongoing implementation of the European Union provisions and Euro conversion process may materially impact revenues, expenses or income and increase competition for other European companies, which could have an effect on the Swiss economy.

Certain securities held by certain of the Funds are subject to credit risk, call risk, income risk, inflation risk, interest rate risk, prepayment risk, and zero coupon risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and that the value of a security may decline as a result. Credit risk is heightened for floating-rate loans and high-yield securities. Call risk is the risk that if an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by a Fund, performance could be adversely impacted. Income risk is the risk that income from a Fund’s fixed-income investments could decline during periods of falling interest rates. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the fixed-income securities in a Fund will decline because of rising market interest rates. Prepayment risk is the risk that during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer may exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation earlier than expected. This may result in a decline in a Fund’s income. Zero coupon risk is the risk that zero coupon bonds may be highly volatile as interest rates rise or fall.

Senior floating-rate loans are usually rated below investment grade but may also be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with these loans are similar to the risks of high-yield fixed income instruments. High-yield securities, or “junk” bonds, are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and therefore, may be highly speculative. These securities are issued by companies that may have limited operating history, narrowly focused operations, and/or other impediments to the timely payment of periodic interest and principal at maturity. The market for high-yield securities is smaller and less liquid than that for investment grade securities.

To the extent a fund invests in floating or variable rate obligations that use the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a reference interest rate, it is subject to LIBOR Risk. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, will cease making LIBOR available as a reference rate over a phase-out period that will begin immediately after December 31, 2021. The unavailability or replacement of LIBOR may affect the value, liquidity or return on certain fund investments and may result in costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new trades. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the fund or on certain instruments in which the fund invests can be difficult to ascertain, and they may vary depending on a variety of factors, and they could result in losses to the fund.

Income from municipal bonds held by a Fund could be declared taxable because of, among other things, unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of a bond issuer. Income from municipal bonds held by a Fund may be subject to the federal alternative minimum income tax.

Convertible securities have characteristics of both equity and debt securities and, as a result, are exposed to certain additional risks. The values of certain synthetic convertible securities will respond differently to market fluctuations than a traditional convertible security because such synthetic convertibles are composed of two or more separate securities or instruments, each with its own market value. A Fund is subject to the credit risk associated with the counterparty creating the synthetic convertible instrument. Synthetic convertible securities may also be subject to the risks associated with derivatives.

Exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. The value of an ETN may be influenced by various factors.

Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”) are subject to certain risks, including changes in the real estate market, vacancy rates and competition, volatile interest rates and economic recession.

Master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) are subject to certain risks, including price and supply fluctuations caused by international politics, energy conservation, taxes, price controls, and other regulatory policies of various governments. In addition, there is the risk that an MLP could be taxed as a corporation, resulting in decreased returns from such MLP.

Blockchain technology is an entirely new and relatively untested technology and may never be implemented to a scale that provides identifiable economic benefit to the companies included in a blockchain index. Blockchain systems could be vulnerable to fraud. There is little regulation of blockchain technology and because blockchain technology systems may operate across many national boundaries and regulatory jurisdictions, it is possible that it may be subject to widespread and inconsistent regulation. The values of the companies included in a blockchain index may not be a reflection of their connection to blockchain technology, but may be based on other business operations. Currently, blockchain technology is primarily used for the recording of transactions in digital currency, which are extremely speculative, unregulated and volatile. Because digital assets registered in a blockchain do not have a standardized exchange, like a stock market, there is less liquidity for such assets and greater possibility of fraud or manipulation.

A Fund may invest in robotics and artificial intelligence companies, which may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel and are subject to the risks of changes in business cycles, world economic growth, technological progress, and government regulation. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights, and challenges to or misappropriation of such rights could have a material adverse effect on such companies. Securities of robotics and artificial intelligence companies tend to be more volatile than securities of companies that rely less heavily on technology. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and rapid changes to the field could have a material adverse effect on a company’s operating results.

The use of futures, options, and other derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. These risks are heightened when a Fund’s portfolio managers use derivatives to enhance a Fund’s return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by a Fund.

The stocks of companies that have recently conducted an initial public offering have exhibited above-average price appreciation in connection with the initial public offering prior to inclusion in a Fund, which may not continue, and these investments may be subject to additional risks, price volatility and speculative trading.

A Fund may effect a portion of creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in a Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an exchange-traded fund that effects its creations and redemptions for in-kind securities.

A Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements.

Contacts

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Broker Inquiries Sales Team 866-848-9727

Analyst Inquiries Stan Ueland 630-517-7633

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