David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio
The Yale Endowment Portfolio is the investment strategy used by the Yale University endowment fund, managed by David Swensen. It is known for its long-term, risk-averse approach to investing and has achieved strong returns over the years.
The Yale Endowment Portfolio is a globally diversified portfolio that includes a mix of stocks, bonds, private equity, real estate, and other asset classes. The specific investments within each category can vary, but the overall allocation is periodically adjusted based on the market environment and the endowment's long-term investment objectives.
One of the fundamental principles of the Yale Endowment Portfolio is the idea of "alternative investments," which refers to asset classes that are not typically included in a traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds. These asset classes can consist of private equity, real estate, hedge funds, and other types of investments that may offer the potential for higher returns or lower correlations with other asset classes. The goal is to balance risk and return that can produce solid and long-term results.
Asset Allocation
Performance
Performance Chart
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends. The portfolio is rebalanced every 3 months.
The earliest data available for this chart is Jul 26, 2007, corresponding to the inception date of VEA
Returns By Period
As of Apr 5, 2025, the David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio returned -3.77% Year-To-Date and 5.49% of annualized return in the last 10 years.
| YTD | 1M | 6M | 1Y | 5Y* | 10Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
^GSPC S&P 500 | -13.73% | -13.15% | -11.77% | -1.42% | 15.35% | 9.37% |
| David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio | -7.55% | -9.56% | -8.76% | 1.18% | 8.51% | 5.76% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||
VNQ Vanguard Real Estate ETF | -4.51% | -9.78% | -9.70% | 5.00% | 9.59% | 4.12% |
EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | -2.97% | -8.77% | -12.15% | 0.95% | 6.45% | 1.99% |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 7.42% | 2.74% | -0.76% | 4.36% | -8.85% | -0.89% |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | -13.96% | -13.23% | -11.53% | -1.10% | 16.80% | 10.61% |
TIP iShares TIPS Bond ETF | 4.47% | 1.48% | 2.17% | 6.54% | 1.66% | 2.26% |
VEA Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | -1.45% | -10.27% | -8.31% | -2.26% | 11.40% | 4.51% |
Monthly Returns
The table below presents the monthly returns of David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.52% | 0.52% | -3.61% | -6.93% | -7.55% | ||||||||
| 2024 | -0.86% | 3.04% | 2.56% | -4.79% | 4.19% | 2.08% | 3.20% | 2.64% | 2.22% | -2.23% | 4.51% | -4.25% | 12.39% |
| 2023 | 7.45% | -3.55% | 1.97% | 0.83% | -1.48% | 4.76% | 2.31% | -2.54% | -5.18% | -3.00% | 9.17% | 6.13% | 16.86% |
| 2022 | -5.57% | -2.31% | 1.79% | -7.10% | -1.40% | -6.68% | 7.15% | -4.34% | -9.74% | 4.23% | 6.09% | -4.44% | -21.53% |
| 2021 | -0.67% | 1.10% | 1.97% | 4.57% | 0.84% | 2.24% | 2.30% | 1.79% | -4.03% | 5.17% | -1.15% | 3.86% | 19.11% |
| 2020 | 1.23% | -4.19% | -10.02% | 7.78% | 2.58% | 1.99% | 4.49% | 2.46% | -2.02% | -2.30% | 8.42% | 3.06% | 12.67% |
| 2019 | 6.91% | 1.41% | 2.66% | 1.49% | -1.92% | 3.92% | 0.72% | 1.82% | 0.80% | 1.24% | 1.21% | 1.30% | 23.54% |
| 2018 | 1.16% | -4.33% | 0.55% | 0.01% | 1.88% | 0.98% | 1.43% | 1.84% | -0.99% | -5.28% | 2.30% | -4.95% | -5.68% |
| 2017 | 1.39% | 2.55% | -0.25% | 1.02% | 0.93% | 0.94% | 1.36% | 0.77% | 0.60% | 0.86% | 1.87% | 1.10% | 13.93% |
| 2016 | -2.12% | 0.38% | 5.80% | -0.22% | 1.00% | 3.23% | 3.29% | -1.02% | -0.34% | -3.19% | -1.02% | 1.89% | 7.58% |
| 2015 | 2.92% | 0.27% | -0.03% | -1.05% | -0.36% | -2.82% | 2.59% | -4.67% | -0.52% | 4.61% | -0.27% | -0.81% | -0.49% |
| 2014 | 0.18% | 3.52% | 0.41% | 1.45% | 2.29% | 1.29% | -0.75% | 3.01% | -3.44% | 3.58% | 1.73% | 0.32% | 14.25% |
Expense Ratio
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.13%, which is considered low. Below, you can find the expense ratios of the portfolio's funds side by side and easily compare their relative costs.
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank
The current rank of David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio is 23, meaning it’s performing worse than 77% of other portfolios on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.
Risk-Adjusted Performance Indicators
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for positions. Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.
| Sharpe ratio | Sortino ratio | Omega ratio | Calmar ratio | Martin ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VNQ Vanguard Real Estate ETF | 0.26 | 0.44 | 1.06 | 0.17 | 0.88 |
EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 0.03 | 0.16 | 1.02 | 0.02 | 0.11 |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 0.37 | 0.61 | 1.07 | 0.12 | 0.72 |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | -0.14 | -0.08 | 0.99 | -0.13 | -0.66 |
TIP iShares TIPS Bond ETF | 1.57 | 2.25 | 1.27 | 0.62 | 4.55 |
VEA Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | -0.20 | -0.17 | 0.98 | -0.27 | -0.72 |
Dividends
Dividend yield
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio provided a 3.00% dividend yield over the last twelve months.
| TTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 3.00% | 2.80% | 2.74% | 3.29% | 2.32% | 1.99% | 2.41% | 2.97% | 2.55% | 2.70% | 2.38% | 2.56% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||||||||
VNQ Vanguard Real Estate ETF | 4.31% | 3.85% | 3.95% | 3.91% | 2.56% | 3.93% | 3.39% | 4.74% | 4.23% | 4.82% | 3.92% | 3.60% |
EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 2.51% | 2.43% | 2.63% | 2.50% | 1.99% | 1.45% | 2.76% | 2.24% | 1.89% | 1.89% | 2.49% | 2.23% |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 4.06% | 4.30% | 3.38% | 2.67% | 1.50% | 1.50% | 2.27% | 2.63% | 2.43% | 2.60% | 2.61% | 2.67% |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 1.51% | 1.27% | 1.44% | 1.67% | 1.21% | 1.42% | 1.78% | 2.04% | 1.71% | 1.92% | 1.98% | 1.76% |
TIP iShares TIPS Bond ETF | 3.01% | 2.52% | 2.73% | 6.96% | 4.28% | 1.17% | 1.75% | 2.71% | 2.07% | 1.48% | 0.34% | 1.67% |
VEA Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | 3.33% | 3.36% | 3.16% | 2.91% | 3.16% | 2.04% | 3.04% | 3.35% | 2.77% | 3.05% | 2.92% | 3.68% |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio was 39.49%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 498 trading sessions.
The current David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio drawdown is 8.08%.
Depth | Start | To Bottom | Bottom | To Recover | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -39.49% | Oct 10, 2007 | 355 | Mar 9, 2009 | 498 | Feb 28, 2011 | 853 |
| -26.9% | Dec 31, 2021 | 199 | Oct 14, 2022 | 436 | Jul 12, 2024 | 635 |
| -24.92% | Feb 21, 2020 | 19 | Mar 18, 2020 | 110 | Aug 24, 2020 | 129 |
| -12.39% | Aug 30, 2018 | 80 | Dec 24, 2018 | 59 | Mar 21, 2019 | 139 |
| -11.62% | Dec 5, 2024 | 82 | Apr 4, 2025 | — | — | — |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The current David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio volatility is 6.69%, representing the average percentage change in the investments's value, either up or down over the past month. The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
Diversification
Asset Correlations Table
| TIP | TLT | VNQ | EEM | VEA | VTI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIP | 1.00 | 0.73 | 0.01 | -0.07 | -0.06 | -0.12 |
| TLT | 0.73 | 1.00 | -0.08 | -0.25 | -0.25 | -0.29 |
| VNQ | 0.01 | -0.08 | 1.00 | 0.53 | 0.59 | 0.69 |
| EEM | -0.07 | -0.25 | 0.53 | 1.00 | 0.83 | 0.75 |
| VEA | -0.06 | -0.25 | 0.59 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 0.83 |
| VTI | -0.12 | -0.29 | 0.69 | 0.75 | 0.83 | 1.00 |