Defensive ETFs: KXI Charges Lower Fees, While FTXG Provides More Income

2 hours ago 1

Jake Lerch, The Motley Fool

Sat, January 24, 2026 astatine 1:12 PM CST 5 min read

KXI is little costly to own, importantly larger, and much diversified
FTXG offers a higher dividend output but holds a overmuch narrower portfolio focused connected U.S. nutrient and beverage stocks
KXI provides broader planetary vulnerability crossed astir 100 holdings, which whitethorn trim hazard and concentration
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First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (NASDAQ:FTXG) and iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (NYSEMKT:KXI) disagree astir connected cost, performance, portfolio breadth, and assemblage concentration, with KXI offering broader planetary sum and a little disbursal ratio.

Both FTXG and KXI people the antiaircraft extremity of the equity market, but attack it from antithetic angles—FTXG zeroes successful connected U.S. nutrient and beverage companies, portion KXI casts a planetary nett crossed the full user staples sector. This examination highlights which ETF whitethorn entreaty much depending connected capitalist goals for income, diversification, and assemblage exposure.

Metric

FTXG

KXI

Issuer	First Trust	IShares
Expense ratio	0.60%	0.39%
1-yr instrumentality (as of 2026-01-09)	-3.5%	11.2%
Dividend yield	2.8%	2.2%
Beta	0.42	0.55
AUM	$17.6 million	$934.0 million

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year play returns. The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months.

KXI is much affordable to ain with a 0.2 percent constituent little disbursal ratio, and portion FTXG delivers a higher dividend yield, KXI’s little outgo whitethorn entreaty to those prioritizing full instrumentality implicit income.

Metric

FTXG

KXI

Max drawdown (5 y)	-21.71%	-17.43%
Growth of $1,000 implicit 5 years	$886	$1,136

KXI focuses connected planetary user staples, spanning 96 holdings and offering vulnerability to household names specified arsenic Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT), Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST), and Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE:PM). The money maintains a 97% tilt toward user antiaircraft stocks, with a insignificant allocation to user cyclicals, and has a agelong way grounds astatine implicit 19 years old. This breadth and planetary scope whitethorn assistance creaseless retired determination risks and sector-specific shocks.

FTXG, by contrast, is tightly concentrated with lone 31 holdings, astir wholly wrong the U.S. user antiaircraft assemblage and a notable nutrient and beverage bias. Top positions see Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM), PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP), and Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ). This gives the money a narrower absorption that could entreaty to investors seeking targeted vulnerability to American staples companies.