Which returned more over the last year, DFSD or GVI?

In the year to Nov 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFSD returned +1.1% and GVI −0.2%.

Which is cheaper, DFSD or GVI?

DFSD is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 12, 2026.

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DFSD vs GVI: Differences, Returns & Fees

Return, fees and overlap, side by side.

Return gap

+1.3 pts

1 year to Nov 12, 2026: DFSD ahead, total return

Fee gap

0.04 pts

A year: DFSD 0.16%, GVI 0.20%, per filings dated Feb 27, 2026 and Jun 18, 2026

Overlap

Share of the two books held in common, holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026

Net flow

–

Needs daily flows for both funds

Risk and return

Nov 26, 2021 to Nov 6, 2026 · 258 weekly returns

DFSD GVI

Return

Total return edge DFSD +12.6% +6.0%

Annualized edge DFSD +2.4% +1.2%

Price return edge DFSD −6.2% −8.5%

Risk

Volatility edge DFSD 2.4% 3.8%

Max drawdown edge DFSD −8.3% −10.8%

Downside capture 32.6% 64.2%

Beta 0.36 0.61

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge DFSD −0.65 −0.72

Sortino edge DFSD −0.82 −0.97

Treynor −0.044 −0.002

Calmar edge DFSD 0.29 0.11

Against the benchmark

Alpha −0.2% a year −0.2% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.30 −0.71

Information ratio 0.58 −0.13

Tracking error 4.0% 2.3%

Each against its own benchmark: DFSD against AGG, Nov 26, 2021 to Nov 5, 2026; GVI against IUSB, Jun 20, 2014 to Nov 6, 2026.

Reading

From Nov 2021 to Nov 2026, DFSD returned more: +12.6% to +6.0%. DFSD swung less: 2.4% to 3.8%. DFSD fell less at its worst: −8.3% to −10.8%.

Full scorecard

19 measures Open ↓

Risk and return: DFSD vs GVI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	DFSD	GVI	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+12.6%	+6.0%	DFSD	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+2.4%	+1.2%	DFSD	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−6.2%	−8.5%	DFSD	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	2.4%	3.8%	DFSD	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	1.9%	2.8%	DFSD	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−8.3%	−10.8%	DFSD	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	39.4%	63.3%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	32.6%	64.2%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.36	0.61	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.72	0.87	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	−0.65	−0.72	DFSD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	−0.82	−0.97	DFSD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	−0.044	−0.002		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.29	0.11	DFSD	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	AGG	IUSB		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−0.2% a year	−0.2% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.30	−0.71	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−1.3% to +1.0%	−0.9% to +0.4%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.58	−0.13		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	4.0%	2.3%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 258 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Pair scorecard

DFSD costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points.

DFSD vs GVI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	DFSD	GVI
Return
Measure	DFSD	GVI
Total return, 1 year	+1.1%	−0.2%
Benchmark
Measure	DFSD	GVI
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index
Cost and size
Measure	DFSD	GVI
Expense ratio	0.16%	0.20%
Net assets, DFSD as of Jul 31, 2026 and GVI as of Nov 12, 2026	$7.1bn	$3.8bn
Holdings
Measure	DFSD	GVI
Holdings in common	8%

Method

Key numbers

+1.1%

DFSD total return, 1 year

−0.2%

GVI total return, 1 year

0.16%

DFSD expense ratio

0.20%

GVI expense ratio

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, DFSD and GVI hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

8% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first DFSD GVI

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Jan 31, 2028 1.07% 0.60%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due May 31, 2029 0.34% 0.47%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Feb 28, 2029 0.32% 0.45%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Aug 31, 2030 0.27% 0.48%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Feb 29, 2028 0.69% 0.27%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Jan 15, 2028 1.12% 0.26%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Feb 15, 2028 0.59% 0.23%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Jan 31, 2028 0.57% 0.23%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Sep 30, 2028 0.71% 0.22%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Sep 30, 2030 0.22% 0.55%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Jul 31, 2029 0.21% 0.33%

U S TREASURY NOTE, due Dec 31, 2030 0.18% 0.51%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in DFSD

NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT BOND, due May 15, 2030 2.35%

The DFA Short Term Investment Fund 1.85%

CDP FINANCIAL INC, due Jan 24, 2030 0.51%

AKER BP ASA, due Jan 15, 2030 0.42%

NTT FINANCE CORP, due Jul 16, 2030 0.39%

NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE CO, due Apr 2, 2031 0.36%

CDP FINANCIAL INC, due Jun 5, 2029 0.35%

BLACKROCK FUNDING INC, due Mar 14, 2029 0.34%

Only in GVI

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2034 0.74%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2035 0.74%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2034 0.73%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2035 0.73%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2036 0.72%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2035 0.72%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Aug 15, 2034 0.71%

U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2036 0.69%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

DFSD Dimensional Short-Duration Fixed Income ETF GVI iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer Dimensional iShares

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year +1.1% −0.2%

Its benchmark over the same days −1.3% (AGG) −1.0% (IUSB)

Gap to its benchmark +2.4 pts vs AGG +0.8 pts vs IUSB

Expense ratio 0.16% 0.20%

Holdings 1589 6351

Net assets, DFSD as of Jul 31, 2026 and GVI as of Nov 12, 2026 $7.1bn $3.8bn

DFSD and GVI on the fields both publish, as of Nov 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund

DFSD

DFSD is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Nov 12, 2026 it returned +1.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year.

GVI

GVI tracks an index. Over the year to Nov 12, 2026 it returned −0.2% with distributions reinvested, against −1.0% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, DFSD or GVI?: In the year to Nov 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFSD returned +1.1% and GVI −0.2%.
Which is cheaper, DFSD or GVI?: DFSD is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

DFSD vs IBDU DFSD vs IBDT DFSD vs IBDV DFSD vs NEAR GVI vs ISTB GVI vs NEAR GVI vs SPSB GVI vs SPIB

Where to next

DFSD on its own →GVI on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →DFSD dividend history →DFSD holdings →GVI dividend history →GVI holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

DFSD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

DFSD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Dimensional website ↗

GVI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

GVI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for GVI ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, DFSD against GVI, data as of Nov 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfsd-vs-gvi

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.

Net assets: $7.1bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional Short-Duration Fixed Income ETF, and $3.8bn on Nov 12, 2026 for iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF.

DFSD on its own →GVI on its own →

Growth of 100

DFSD and GVI

Total return, distributions reinvested, 1 year.

DFSD +1.1%GVI −0.2%

Nov 12, 2025Nov 12, 2026

DFSD +1.1%, GVI −0.2%: DFSD +1.3 pts ahead, 1 year, Nov 12, 2025 to Nov 12, 2026.