First Trust Advisors L.P. Announces Distribution for First Trust Income Opportunities ETF

First Trust Advisors L.P. ("FTA") announces the declaration of the monthly distribution for First Trust Income Opportunities ETF, advised by FTA.

FTA is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the Fund's 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 $218 billion as of April 30, 2024 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 https://www.ftportfolios.com. A prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Principal Risk Factors: Risks are inherent in all investing. Certain risks applicable to the fund are identified below. The material risks of investing in the fund are spelled out in its prospectus, statement of additional information and other regulatory filings. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

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.

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.

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 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.

Market risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of a fund in general may fall in value. Investments held by the Fund are subject to market fluctuations caused by real or perceived adverse economic conditions, political events, regulatory factors 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. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, regulatory actions, political changes, diplomatic developments, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, spread of infectious disease or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters or other events could have significant negative impact on a fund and its investments.

Current market conditions risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of the fund in general, may fall in value due to current market conditions. As a means to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have raised interest rates and expect to continue to do so, and the Federal Reserve has announced that it intends to reverse previously implemented quantitative easing. 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. 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 have and could continue to have a significant impact on certain fund investments as well as fund performance and liquidity. The COVID-19 global pandemic, or any future public health crisis, 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.

In managing a fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not have the desired result.

All or a portion of a fund's otherwise exempt-interest dividends may be taxable to those shareholders subject to the federal and state alternative minimum tax.

Asset-backed securities are a type of debt security and are generally not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are subject to the risk of default on the underlying asset or loan, particularly during periods of economic downturn.

A fund that effects all or a portion of its creations and redemptions for cash rather than in-kind may be less tax-efficient.

Because the shares of CEFs cannot be redeemed upon demand, shares of many CEFs will trade on exchanges at market prices rather than net asset value, which may cause the shares to trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). A fund may invest in the shares of CEFs which involves additional expenses that would not be present in a direct investment in the underlying funds. In addition, a fund’s investment performance and risks may be related to the investment performance and risks of the underlying funds.

Commodity prices can have significant volatility, and exposure to commodities can cause the value of a fund’s shares to decline or fluctuate in a rapid and unpredictable manner.

A convertible security is exposed to risks associated with both equity and debt securities. The value of convertibles may rise and fall with the market value of the underlying stock or vary with changes in interest rates and credit quality of the issuer.

A fund may be subject to the risk that a counterparty will not fulfill its obligations which may result in significant financial loss to a fund.

Covenant-lite loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than traditional loans and may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the financial performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. This may hinder a fund’s ability to mitigate problems and increase a fund’s exposure to losses on such investments.

A fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events could cause a fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss.

Investments in debt securities subject a fund to call risk, credit risk, extension risk, income risk, inflation risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, prepayment risk, valuation risk and zero coupon risk. These risks could result in a decline in a security’s value and/or income, increased volatility as interest rates rise or fall and have an adverse impact on a fund’s performance.

The use of derivatives instruments involves different and possibly greater risks than investing directly in securities including counterparty risk, valuation risk, volatility risk, and liquidity risk. Further, losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives.

A fund that expects to make distributions on a regular basis normally distributes income it earns. A fund may be required to reduce its distributions if it has insufficient income. Distributions in excess of a fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. There may be other circumstances when all or a portion of a fund’s distribution is treated as a return of capital, for example, there are times when fund securities are sold to cover a derivative position that generated all or a portion of the distribution that could lead to a return of capital.

Distressed securities are speculative and often illiquid or trade in low volumes and thus may be more difficult to value and pose a substantial risk of default.

Companies that issue dividend-paying securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. Therefore, there is a possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future.

A fund may invest in the shares of other ETFs, which involves additional expenses that would not be present in a direct investment in the underlying funds. In addition, a fund’s investment performance and risks may be related to the investment performance and risks of the underlying funds.

Floating rate securities are structured so that the security’s coupon rate fluctuates based upon the level of a reference rate. As a result, the coupon on floating rate securities will generally decline in a falling interest rate environment, causing a fund to experience a reduction in the income it receives from the security. A floating rate security’s coupon rate resets periodically according to the terms of the security. Consequently, in a rising interest rate environment, floating rate securities with coupon rates that reset infrequently may lag behind the changes in market interest rates.

High yield securities, or “junk” bonds, are less liquid and are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and therefore, are considered to be highly speculative.

As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions may decline.

An underlying fund may invest in inverse floating rate securities which create effective leverage and thus, the value of the inverse floater will increase and decrease to a significantly greater extent. Custodial receipt trusts may issue inverse floater securities and if an underlying fund were to hold inverse floaters issued by custodial receipt trusts, the underlying fund would be subject to the risks of inverse floaters.

A fund’s investment in other investment companies is restricted by federal securities laws which limits the size of the position a fund can take in another investment company. These limitations may prevent a fund from purchasing shares of an investment company that it may have otherwise purchased.

Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.

Leverage may result in losses that exceed the mount originally invested and may accelerate the rates of losses. Leverage tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in a fund’s exposure to an asset or class of assets and may cause the value of a fund’s shares to be volatile and sensitive to market swings.

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. LIBOR has ceased to be made available as a reference rate and there is no assurance that any alternative reference rate, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), will be similar to or produce the same value or economic equivalence as LIBOR. 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 a fund or on certain instruments in which a fund invests is difficult to predict and could result in losses to the fund.

Certain fund investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.

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 MLPs could be taxed as corporations, resulting in decreased returns from such MLPs.

Mortgage-related securities are more susceptible to adverse economic, political or regulatory events that affect the value of real estate. They are also subject to the risk that the rate of mortgage prepayments decreases, which extends the average life of a security and increases the interest rate exposure.

Participation interests in municipal leases pose special risks because many leases and contracts contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the governmental issuer has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for this purpose by the appropriate legislative body.

The values of municipal securities may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Income from municipal securities 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 an issuer.

Inventories of municipal securities have decreased in recent years and some municipal securities may have resale restrictions lessening the ability to make a market in these securities. This reduction in market making capacity has the potential to decrease a fund’s ability to buy or sell municipal securities and increase price volatility and trading costs.

There is no assurance that a fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the price established by a pricing service, which could result in a loss to a fund.

Securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, the lack of liquidity, the lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers.

A fund and a fund's advisor may seek to reduce various operational risks through controls and procedures, but it is not possible to completely protect against such risks. The fund also relies on third parties for a range of services, including custody, and any delay or failure related to those services may affect the fund’s ability to meet its objective.

Preferred securities combine some of the characteristics of both common stocks and bonds. Preferred stocks are typically subordinated to other debt instruments in terms of priority to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments.

The securities held in an escrow fund pledged to pay the principal and interest of a pre-refunded bond do not guarantee the price of the bond.

Private activity bonds can have a substantially different credit profile than the municipality or public authority that issued them and may be negatively impacted by conditions affecting the general credit of the private enterprise or the project itself.

REITs are subject to certain risks, including changes in the real estate market, vacancy rates and competition, volatile interest rates and economic recession.

Companies that issue loans tend to be highly leveraged and thus are more susceptible to the risks of interest deferral, default and/or bankruptcy. 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. The senior loan market has seen a significant increase in loans with weaker lender protections which may impact recovery values and/or trading levels in the future.

A fund with significant exposure to a single asset class, country, region, industry, or sector may be more affected by an adverse economic or political development than a broadly diversified fund.

Securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may experience greater price volatility and be less liquid than larger, more established companies.

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 or other government debt obligations.

Trading on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or other reasons. There can be no assurance that the requirements to maintain the listing of a fund on the exchange will continue to be met or be unchanged.

Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

A 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. 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. There is no assurance that a fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time.

The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary 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.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has adopted Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) which the funds must comply with in order to invest in shares of other investment companies (“acquired funds”) beyond the statutory limits of Section 12 of the 1940 Act. Rule 12d1-4 permits a fund to invest beyond the statutory limits subject to a set of new conditions, including limits on control and voting of acquired funds’ shares, evaluations and findings by the fund's investment adviser, fund investing agreements, and limits on most three-tier fund structures. Rule 12d1-4 replaces certain exemptive relief and no-action letters from the SEC which have been rescinded. These regulatory changes may adversely impact the fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective as the fund may not be able to invest in certain funds it would otherwise have invested in without the Rule 12d1-4 restrictions. Additionally, the limitations under Rule 12d1-4 may impact the Advisor’s ability to allocate shares of acquired funds among the fund and other funds in the Advisor’s complex, which could negatively impact the fund. Other funds may also use Rule 12d1-4 to limit or prohibit the fund from investing in them. These limitations could negatively impact fund performance. In order to comply with certain provisions of Rule 12d1-4, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in each fund's prospectus, summary prospectus, or statement of additional information, each fund generally intends to effect creations for cash rather than in-kind. As a result, an investment in the fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an exchange-traded fund that effects its creations only in-kind.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240513740128/en/