Asset Allocation
| Position | Category/Sector | Target Weight |
|---|---|---|
IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Small Cap Blend Equities | 25% |
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | S&P 500 | 25% |
VBR Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF | Small Cap Value Equities | 25% |
VTV Vanguard Value ETF | Large Cap Value Equities | 25% |
Performance
Performance Chart
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Merriman 4 Fund, 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.
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The earliest data available for this chart is Jan 30, 2004, corresponding to the inception date of VBR
Returns By Period
As of Apr 16, 2026, the Merriman 4 Fund returned 6.92% Year-To-Date and 12.11% of annualized return in the last 10 years.
| 1D | 1M | YTD | 6M | 1Y | 3Y* | 5Y* | 10Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benchmark S&P 500 Index | 0.80% | 4.83% | 2.59% | 5.27% | 30.14% | 19.29% | 10.91% | 12.94% |
Portfolio Merriman 4 Fund | -0.01% | 5.14% | 6.92% | 9.35% | 32.88% | 16.47% | 9.30% | 12.11% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||||
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 0.79% | 4.91% | 2.92% | 5.83% | 31.69% | 20.82% | 12.43% | 14.77% |
IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | -0.13% | 7.74% | 10.23% | 11.51% | 39.33% | 13.35% | 5.25% | 10.44% |
VBR Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF | -0.27% | 5.52% | 7.94% | 10.38% | 33.82% | 15.58% | 8.15% | 10.46% |
VTV Vanguard Value ETF | -0.45% | 2.21% | 6.37% | 9.41% | 26.42% | 15.58% | 10.97% | 12.06% |
Monthly Returns
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 2, 2004, Merriman 4 Fund's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +0.90%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.4 years.
Historically, 65% of months were positive and 35% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +14.9%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -18.6%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, Merriman 4 Fund closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +10.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -11.7%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.27% | 2.04% | -4.66% | 5.41% | 6.92% | ||||||||
| 2025 | 3.36% | -2.43% | -4.82% | -3.03% | 4.87% | 4.16% | 1.26% | 4.46% | 1.82% | 0.02% | 1.95% | 0.33% | 12.03% |
| 2024 | -0.98% | 3.97% | 4.33% | -4.88% | 4.32% | -0.22% | 6.41% | 0.87% | 1.51% | -1.46% | 7.84% | -6.19% | 15.51% |
| 2023 | 6.91% | -2.29% | -1.99% | -0.10% | -2.18% | 7.56% | 4.42% | -2.90% | -4.69% | -3.85% | 8.18% | 8.03% | 16.85% |
| 2022 | -4.49% | -0.29% | 2.24% | -6.94% | 1.60% | -8.74% | 8.50% | -3.46% | -9.22% | 11.05% | 5.27% | -5.35% | -11.59% |
| 2021 | 1.59% | 6.11% | 4.99% | 3.65% | 1.97% | 0.08% | -0.15% | 2.27% | -3.41% | 5.14% | -2.32% | 5.24% | 27.65% |
Benchmark Metrics
Merriman 4 Fund has an annualized alpha of 1.19%, beta of 1.03, and R² of 0.92 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 02, 2004.
- This portfolio captured 109.60% of S&P 500 Index gains and 103.56% of its losses — amplifying both gains and losses, but participating more in upside than downside.
- With beta of 1.03 and R² of 0.92, this portfolio moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index — much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.
- Alpha
- 1.19%
- Beta
- 1.03
- R²
- 0.92
- Upside Capture
- 109.60%
- Downside Capture
- 103.56%
Expense Ratio
Merriman 4 Fund has an expense ratio of 0.07%, 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.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
Merriman 4 Fund ranks 50 for risk / return — on par with similar portfolios. You're getting a typical balance of risk and reward. Not a standout, but not a red flag either — a reasonable choice if other factors align with your goals.
Return / Risk — by metrics
| Portfolio | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 2.38 | 2.30 | +0.08 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 3.40 | 3.18 | +0.22 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.43 | 1.43 | 0.00 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 4.41 | 3.40 | +1.01 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 16.81 | 15.35 | +1.45 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
How much return does each position deliver for the risk it carries? Higher values mean better reward for the risk taken.
| Risk / Return Rank | Sharpe ratio | Sortino ratio | Omega ratio | Calmar ratio | Martin ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 67 | 2.41 | 3.33 | 1.45 | 3.67 | 16.64 |
IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | 62 | 2.15 | 3.09 | 1.37 | 4.67 | 15.44 |
VBR Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF | 58 | 2.10 | 3.07 | 1.37 | 3.99 | 13.96 |
VTV Vanguard Value ETF | 69 | 2.43 | 3.49 | 1.43 | 4.33 | 16.15 |
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Dividends
Dividend yield
Merriman 4 Fund provided a 1.51% dividend yield over the last twelve months.
| TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1.51% | 1.63% | 1.89% | 1.82% | 1.90% | 1.66% | 1.72% | 1.94% | 2.17% | 1.77% | 1.86% | 2.03% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||||||||
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 1.05% | 1.07% | 1.21% | 1.40% | 1.65% | 1.20% | 1.52% | 1.75% | 2.04% | 1.80% | 2.03% | 2.06% |
IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | 1.21% | 1.44% | 2.05% | 1.31% | 1.41% | 1.53% | 1.11% | 1.44% | 1.58% | 1.20% | 1.22% | 1.48% |
VBR Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF | 1.82% | 1.95% | 1.98% | 2.12% | 2.03% | 1.75% | 1.68% | 2.06% | 2.35% | 1.79% | 1.77% | 1.99% |
VTV Vanguard Value ETF | 1.97% | 2.05% | 2.31% | 2.46% | 2.52% | 2.15% | 2.56% | 2.50% | 2.73% | 2.29% | 2.44% | 2.60% |
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.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Merriman 4 Fund. 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 Merriman 4 Fund was 58.28%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 760 trading sessions.
The current Merriman 4 Fund drawdown is 0.36%.
Depth | Start | To Bottom | Bottom | To Recover | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -58.28% | Jul 16, 2007 | 416 | Mar 9, 2009 | 760 | Mar 13, 2012 | 1176 |
| -39.18% | Jan 21, 2020 | 44 | Mar 23, 2020 | 166 | Nov 16, 2020 | 210 |
| -21.49% | Sep 21, 2018 | 65 | Dec 24, 2018 | 217 | Nov 4, 2019 | 282 |
| -21.3% | Jan 5, 2022 | 186 | Sep 30, 2022 | 303 | Dec 14, 2023 | 489 |
| -20.83% | Nov 26, 2024 | 90 | Apr 8, 2025 | 87 | Aug 13, 2025 | 177 |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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Diversification
Diversification Metrics
Number of Effective Assets
The portfolio contains 4 assets, with an effective number of assets of 4.00, reflecting the diversification based on asset allocation. This number of effective assets suggests a highly concentrated portfolio, where a few assets dominate the allocation, potentially increasing the portfolio's risk due to lack of diversification.
Asset Correlations Table
| Benchmark | IJR | VTV | SPY | VBR | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | 1.00 | 0.84 | 0.91 | 0.99 | 0.85 | 0.93 |
| IJR | 0.84 | 1.00 | 0.84 | 0.84 | 0.96 | 0.97 |
| VTV | 0.91 | 0.84 | 1.00 | 0.91 | 0.89 | 0.94 |
| SPY | 0.99 | 0.84 | 0.91 | 1.00 | 0.85 | 0.93 |
| VBR | 0.85 | 0.96 | 0.89 | 0.85 | 1.00 | 0.98 |
| Portfolio | 0.93 | 0.97 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.98 | 1.00 |