- ISIN
- US25239Y5767
- Issuer
- Dimensional
- Inception Date
- Nov 5, 2013
- Category
- Short-Term Bond
- Min. Investment
- $0
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
Share Price Chart
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Performance
DFAIX Performance Chart
DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio (DFAIX) is up 2.6% since the beginning of the year. DFAIX is currently trading at $11 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of DFAIX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,206.
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Returns By Period
DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio (DFAIX) has returned 2.57% so far this year and 4.85% over the past 12 months.
DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio
- 1D
- 0.00%
- 1M
- 0.65%
- YTD
- 2.57%
- 6M
- 2.56%
- 1Y
- 4.85%
- 3Y*
- 5.79%
- 5Y*
- 3.82%
- 10Y*
- 3.33%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -2.64%
- 1M
- 0.25%
- YTD
- 7.86%
- 6M
- 7.47%
- 1Y
- —
- 3Y*
- —
- 5Y*
- —
- 10Y*
- —
DFAIX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jan 2, 2014, DFAIX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.23%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 25.1 years.
Historically, 71% of months were positive and 29% were negative. The best month was Jul 2022 with a return of +2.1%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -3.9%. The longest winning streak lasted 30 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, DFAIX closed higher 33% of trading days. The best single day was Dec 13, 2023 with a return of +3.7%, while the worst single day was Dec 14, 2023 at -3.1%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.67% | 0.28% | -0.09% | 1.13% | 0.56% | 0.00% | 2.57% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.57% | 0.76% | 0.66% | 0.37% | 0.19% | 0.37% | 0.56% | 0.65% | 0.27% | 0.18% | 0.18% | -0.01% | 4.86% |
| 2024 | 0.58% | 0.68% | 0.58% | 0.77% | 0.47% | 0.38% | 0.19% | 0.47% | 0.65% | 0.46% | 0.56% | 0.41% | 6.38% |
| 2023 | 0.89% | -0.00% | 0.98% | 0.29% | -0.19% | 0.29% | 0.68% | 0.39% | 0.48% | 0.48% | 0.67% | 0.55% | 5.64% |
| 2022 | -0.76% | 0.86% | -0.57% | -0.38% | 0.38% | -2.10% | 2.14% | -0.86% | -3.37% | 1.00% | 0.99% | -0.01% | -2.77% |
| 2021 | 0.30% | 0.30% | 0.39% | 0.69% | 0.78% | 0.29% | 1.25% | 0.19% | -0.00% | 0.57% | 0.09% | 0.42% | 5.40% |
Benchmark Metrics
DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 4.52%, beta of 0.02, and R2 of 0.05 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since January 03, 2014.
- This fund captured 13.30% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -3.33%) - a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
- Beta of 0.02 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.05 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
- R2 of 0.05 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 4.52%
- Beta
- 0.02
- R²
- 0.05
- Upside Capture
- 13.30%
- Downside Capture
- -3.33%
Expense Ratio
DFAIX has an expense ratio of 0.22%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
DFAIX ranks 99 for risk / return — in the top 99% of mutual funds on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio (DFAIX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
| DFAIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | — | — | |
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | — | — | |
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 2.45 | — | — |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 10.39 | — | — |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 48.50 | — | — |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
Dividends
Dividend History
DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio provided a 4.54% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.49 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 5 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.49 | $0.49 | $0.43 | $0.38 | $0.17 | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.25 | $0.26 | $0.17 | $0.14 | $0.12 |
Dividend yield | 4.54% | 4.65% | 4.14% | 3.66% | 1.68% | 0.98% | 0.82% | 2.53% | 2.72% | 1.71% | 1.41% | 1.29% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.49 | $0.49 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.43 | $0.43 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.38 | $0.38 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.17 | $0.17 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.10 | $0.10 |
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 DFA Short-Duration Real Return 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 DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio was 5.63%, occurring on Mar 20, 2020. Recovery took 84 trading sessions.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -5.63%Mar 2020 | 24d | 4mo 3d | 4mo 27dFeb 2020 - Jul 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -5.46%Sep 2022 | 7mo 2d | 11mo 17d | 1y 6moMar 2022 - Sep 2023 |
2015 pullback2015 | -4.06%Aug 2015 | 1y 1mo | 1y 1mo | 2y 3moJul 2014 - Sep 2016 |
2023 pullback2023 | -3.12%Dec 2023 | 0s | 5mo 18d | 5mo 18dDec 2023 - May 2024 |
Bear market2022 | -2.03%Feb 2022 | 2mo 23d | 19d | 3mo 12dNov 2021 - Mar 2022 |
Drawdown Indicators
| DFAIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -5.63% | -9.10% | +3.47% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -0.47% | — | — |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -3.12% | — | — |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -5.46% | — | — |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -5.63% | — | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | 0.00% | -2.97% | +2.97% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -0.94% | -1.13% | +0.19% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.10% | — | — |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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