- ISIN
- US2332037850
- Issuer
- Dimensional
- Inception Date
- Apr 24, 1994
- Category
- Emerging Markets Diversified
- Min. Investment
- $0
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Multi-Asset
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Blend
Share Price Chart
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Performance
DFEMX Performance Chart
DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio (DFEMX) is up 28.8% since the beginning of the year. DFEMX is currently trading at $48 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of DFEMX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,592.
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Returns By Period
DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio (DFEMX) has returned 28.81% so far this year and 54.49% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, DFEMX has returned 11.21% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.33% annually.
DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio
- 1D
- -1.22%
- 1M
- 4.21%
- YTD
- 28.81%
- 6M
- 31.20%
- 1Y
- 54.49%
- 3Y*
- 25.18%
- 5Y*
- 9.74%
- 10Y*
- 11.21%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -2.64%
- 1M
- 0.64%
- YTD
- 7.86%
- 6M
- 7.47%
- 1Y
- 23.05%
- 3Y*
- 19.90%
- 5Y*
- 11.79%
- 10Y*
- 13.33%
DFEMX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Apr 22, 1994, DFEMX's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.81%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 7.2 years.
Historically, 59% of months were positive and 41% were negative. The best month was Apr 1999 with a return of +17.8%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -26.4%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, DFEMX closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +13.2%, while the worst single day was Sep 17, 2001 at -11.5%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8.19% | 6.40% | -9.95% | 13.17% | 8.16% | 1.53% | 28.81% | ||||||
| 2025 | 1.44% | 0.17% | 1.19% | 0.51% | 4.68% | 6.59% | 1.41% | 2.18% | 6.12% | 3.99% | -1.62% | 2.97% | 33.57% |
| 2024 | -3.96% | 4.50% | 2.27% | 0.18% | 1.98% | 2.72% | 0.88% | 0.77% | 5.27% | -4.34% | -1.88% | -1.20% | 6.90% |
| 2023 | 8.37% | -5.89% | 3.23% | -0.41% | -1.70% | 4.34% | 5.85% | -5.84% | -2.09% | -3.71% | 7.62% | 4.00% | 13.08% |
| 2022 | 0.13% | -2.12% | -1.83% | -5.54% | 0.94% | -6.94% | 0.00% | -0.60% | -11.05% | -1.60% | 15.14% | -2.85% | -16.91% |
| 2021 | 1.99% | 2.28% | 0.34% | 2.05% | 2.27% | 0.63% | -5.55% | 2.34% | -3.60% | 0.43% | -3.63% | 3.43% | 2.53% |
Benchmark Metrics
DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 2.16%, beta of 0.67, and R2 of 0.44 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since April 25, 1994.
- This fund participated in 103.19% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 96.44% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.67 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.44 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 0.44 means the benchmark explains less than half of this fund's behavior - treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 2.16%
- Beta
- 0.67
- R²
- 0.44
- Upside Capture
- 96.44%
- Downside Capture
- 103.19%
Expense Ratio
DFEMX has an expense ratio of 0.36%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
DFEMX ranks 91 for risk / return — in the top 91% 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 Emerging Markets Portfolio (DFEMX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
| DFEMX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +1.37 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.62 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.63 | 1.36 | +0.27 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 4.42 | 2.69 | +1.74 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 17.80 | 12.34 | +5.45 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
Dividends
Dividend History
DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio provided a 1.98% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.94 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.94 | $0.95 | $0.90 | $0.92 | $0.98 | $1.93 | $0.47 | $0.68 | $0.55 | $0.53 | $0.44 | $0.43 |
Dividend yield | 1.98% | 2.55% | 3.14% | 3.34% | 3.90% | 6.13% | 1.45% | 2.33% | 2.14% | 1.74% | 1.92% | 2.08% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for DFA Emerging Markets 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 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.06 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.95 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.17 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.37 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.90 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.03 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.29 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.37 | $0.92 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.25 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.45 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.98 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.03 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.33 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.37 | $1.93 |
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 Emerging Markets 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 Emerging Markets Portfolio was 62.43%, occurring on Nov 20, 2008. Recovery took 532 trading sessions.
The current DFA Emerging Markets Portfolio drawdown is 1.89%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -62.43%Nov 2008 | 1y 20d | 2y 1mo | 3y 2moNov 2007 - Jan 2011 |
1998 bear market1998 | -55.47%Oct 1998 | 1y 2mo | 1y 2mo | 2y 5moJul 1997 - Dec 1999 |
Dot-com crash2000–2002 | -51.29%Oct 2001 | 1y 8mo | 2y 12mo | 4y 8moJan 2000 - Oct 2004 |
COVID crash2020 | -40.44%Mar 2020 | 2y 1mo | 8mo 16d | 2y 10moJan 2018 - Dec 2020 |
2016 bear market2016 | -34.80%Jan 2016 | 1y 4mo | 1y 5mo | 2y 10moSep 2014 - Jul 2017 |
Drawdown Indicators
| DFEMX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -62.43% | -56.78% | -5.65% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -12.85% | -9.10% | -3.75% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -16.12% | -18.90% | +2.78% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -31.61% | -25.43% | -6.18% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -40.44% | -33.92% | -6.52% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -1.89% | -2.97% | +1.08% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -15.34% | -10.72% | -4.62% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 3.17% | 1.97% | +1.20% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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