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David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility
Diversification

Asset Allocation


S&P 500 Index

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.


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The earliest data available for this chart is Jul 26, 2007, corresponding to the inception date of VEA

Returns By Period

As of Apr 2, 2026, the David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio returned 0.32% Year-To-Date and 9.42% of annualized return in the last 10 years.


1D1MYTD6M1Y3Y*5Y*10Y*
Benchmark
S&P 500 Index
0.11%-3.43%-3.84%-1.98%16.08%16.86%10.37%12.29%
Portfolio
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio
0.01%-2.73%0.32%2.14%17.17%13.53%7.16%9.42%
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
1.36%-4.43%3.06%1.04%2.95%7.33%3.14%4.85%
EEM
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
-1.12%-3.13%3.44%6.16%32.02%15.51%3.38%7.67%
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
0.16%-3.26%-3.13%-1.24%17.86%18.10%10.66%13.75%
TIP
iShares TIPS Bond ETF
0.41%-0.62%0.82%0.60%3.34%3.06%1.33%2.52%
VEA
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
-0.77%-2.79%3.65%8.84%30.37%16.09%8.76%9.49%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jul 27, 2007, David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.65%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 8.9 years.

Historically, 65% of months were positive and 35% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +11.2%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -18.6%. The longest winning streak lasted 15 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.

On a daily basis, David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +10.5%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -9.6%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20262.99%2.45%-5.65%0.76%0.32%
20252.75%0.61%-2.28%0.29%3.92%3.74%0.72%2.76%2.69%1.41%0.40%0.51%18.79%
2024-0.66%3.08%2.66%-3.58%3.82%1.50%2.59%2.24%2.23%-2.34%3.08%-3.27%11.53%
20236.94%-3.30%2.29%0.92%-1.45%4.54%2.91%-2.75%-4.10%-2.57%8.05%5.07%16.74%
2022-4.45%-2.12%1.26%-6.46%-0.40%-6.97%6.48%-3.95%-9.42%4.88%7.09%-3.82%-17.85%
20210.10%1.82%2.43%3.82%1.34%1.32%1.13%1.75%-3.57%4.35%-1.96%3.59%17.01%

Benchmark Metrics

David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 0.34%, beta of 0.80, and R² of 0.93 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since July 27, 2007.

  • This portfolio participated in 85.58% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 80.89% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.

Alpha
0.34%
Beta
0.80
0.93
Upside Capture
80.89%
Downside Capture
85.58%

Expense Ratio

David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.14%, 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

David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio ranks 54 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.


David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Risk / Return Rank: 5454
Overall Rank
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Sharpe Ratio Rank: 5555
Sharpe Ratio Rank
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Sortino Ratio Rank: 5555
Sortino Ratio Rank
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Omega Ratio Rank: 5858
Omega Ratio Rank
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Calmar Ratio Rank: 4848
Calmar Ratio Rank
David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Martin Ratio Rank: 5454
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics


PortfolioBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

1.25

0.88

+0.37

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

1.83

1.37

+0.46

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.27

1.21

+0.07

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

1.80

1.39

+0.41

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

8.08

6.43

+1.65


How much return does each position deliver for the risk it carries? Higher values mean better reward for the risk taken.

Risk / Return RankSharpe ratioSortino ratioOmega ratioCalmar ratioMartin ratio
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
160.180.361.050.291.11
EEM
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
771.592.161.322.388.92
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
540.941.471.221.537.16
TIP
iShares TIPS Bond ETF
350.801.111.141.163.36
VEA
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
831.732.361.352.6410.14

Sharpe Ratio

The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk.

David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio Sharpe ratios as of Apr 2, 2026 (values are recalculated daily):

  • 1-Year: 1.25
  • 5-Year: 0.55
  • 10-Year: 0.69
  • All Time: 0.44

These values reflect how efficiently the investment has delivered returns relative to its volatility over different time periods. All figures are annualized and based on daily total returns (including price changes and dividends).

Compared to the broad market, where average Sharpe ratios range from 1.01 to 1.70, this portfolio's current Sharpe ratio falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles. This indicates that its risk-adjusted performance is in line with the majority of portfolios, suggesting a balanced approach to risk and return—likely suitable for a wide range of investors.

The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio compared to the selected benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time.


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Dividends

Dividend yield

David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio provided a 2.21% dividend yield over the last twelve months.


TTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Portfolio2.21%2.40%2.31%2.41%3.28%2.43%1.75%2.28%2.73%2.26%2.34%2.08%
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
3.86%3.92%3.85%3.95%3.91%2.56%3.93%3.39%4.74%4.23%4.82%3.92%
EEM
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
2.15%2.22%2.43%2.63%2.50%1.99%1.45%2.76%2.24%1.89%1.89%2.49%
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
1.16%1.12%1.27%1.44%1.66%1.21%1.42%1.78%2.04%1.71%1.92%1.98%
TIP
iShares TIPS Bond ETF
2.79%3.46%2.52%2.73%6.96%4.28%1.17%1.75%2.71%2.07%1.48%0.34%
VEA
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
2.90%3.22%3.35%3.15%2.91%3.16%2.04%3.04%3.35%2.77%3.05%2.92%

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 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 49.73%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 493 trading sessions.

The current David Swensen Yale Endowment Portfolio drawdown is 5.23%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-49.73%Nov 1, 2007339Mar 9, 2009493Feb 18, 2011832
-28.33%Feb 13, 202027Mar 23, 2020102Aug 17, 2020129
-24.6%Jan 4, 2022197Oct 14, 2022359Mar 21, 2024556
-17.5%May 2, 2011108Oct 3, 201199Feb 24, 2012207
-14.89%Apr 27, 2015202Feb 11, 2016116Jul 28, 2016318

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 5 assets, with an effective number of assets of 3.85, 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

The table below displays the correlation coefficients between the individual components of the portfolio, the entire portfolio, and the chosen benchmark.

BenchmarkTIPVNQEEMVEAVTIPortfolio
Benchmark1.00-0.120.670.750.830.990.95
TIP-0.121.000.03-0.06-0.04-0.110.01
VNQ0.670.031.000.520.590.680.74
EEM0.75-0.060.521.000.820.750.85
VEA0.83-0.040.590.821.000.830.92
VTI0.99-0.110.680.750.831.000.95
Portfolio0.950.010.740.850.920.951.00
The correlation results are calculated based on daily price changes starting from Jul 27, 2007