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DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio (DFSMX)
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

Fund Info

ISIN
US2332034394
Inception Date
Aug 19, 2002
Min. Investment
$0
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Bond

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio (DFSMX) has returned 0.55% so far this year and 2.45% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, DFSMX has returned 1.23% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio

1D
0.04%
1M
-0.05%
YTD
0.55%
6M
1.10%
1Y
2.45%
3Y*
2.60%
5Y*
1.63%
10Y*
1.23%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Aug 22, 2002, DFSMX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.13%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 44.5 years.

Historically, 68% of months were positive and 32% were negative. The best month was Sep 2003 with a return of +1.4%, while the worst month was Jul 2003 at -1.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 23 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, DFSMX closed higher 17% of trading days. The best single day was Aug 6, 2004 with a return of +0.5%, while the worst single day was May 7, 2004 at -0.5%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20260.31%0.29%-0.05%0.55%
20250.20%0.30%-0.10%0.04%0.33%0.10%0.44%0.30%0.12%0.03%0.29%0.22%2.30%
20240.15%0.19%0.14%0.15%0.24%0.43%0.39%0.39%0.22%0.06%0.32%0.14%2.84%
20230.62%-0.31%0.56%-0.08%0.05%0.33%0.26%0.19%-0.03%0.21%0.77%0.38%2.98%
2022-0.30%-0.10%-0.38%-0.29%0.53%0.04%0.46%-0.73%-0.70%0.20%1.00%-0.08%-0.36%
20210.12%-0.08%-0.04%0.02%0.03%0.02%0.01%-0.10%0.00%0.00%0.00%-0.10%-0.11%

Benchmark Metrics

DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 1.65%, beta of -0.00, and R² of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since August 23, 2002.

  • This fund captured 3.75% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -4.05%) — a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
  • Beta of -0.00 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.00 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 0.00 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
1.65%
Beta
-0.00
0.00
Upside Capture
3.75%
Downside Capture
-4.05%

Expense Ratio

DFSMX has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is considered low.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

DFSMX 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.


DFSMX Risk / Return Rank: 9999
Overall Rank
DFSMX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 9999
Sharpe Ratio Rank
DFSMX Sortino Ratio Rank: 9999
Sortino Ratio Rank
DFSMX Omega Ratio Rank: 9999
Omega Ratio Rank
DFSMX Calmar Ratio Rank: 9898
Calmar Ratio Rank
DFSMX Martin Ratio Rank: 9898
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

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio (DFSMX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


DFSMXBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

3.68

0.90

+2.78

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

6.50

1.39

+5.11

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

3.20

1.21

+1.99

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

4.59

1.40

+3.19

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

21.83

6.61

+15.23

Explore DFSMX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio provided a 2.43% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.25 per share.


0.00%0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%2.50%$0.00$0.05$0.10$0.15$0.20$0.25$0.3020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$0.25$0.21$0.28$0.20$0.06$0.02$0.08$0.12$0.11$0.10$0.10$0.10

Dividend yield

2.43%2.08%2.80%1.94%0.63%0.19%0.83%1.22%1.11%0.95%0.94%0.95%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.01$0.02$0.02$0.06
2025$0.00$0.02$0.00$0.02$0.02$0.00$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.21
2024$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.02$0.03$0.28
2023$0.01$0.01$0.02$0.01$0.02$0.01$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.02$0.03$0.20
2022$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.01$0.01$0.01$0.01$0.01$0.01$0.06
2021$0.00$0.00$0.01$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.02

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 Term Municipal Bond 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 Term Municipal Bond Portfolio was 2.66%, occurring on May 13, 2004. Recovery took 110 trading sessions.

The current DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio drawdown is 0.06%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-2.66%Mar 18, 200440May 13, 2004110Oct 20, 2004150
-1.83%Jun 17, 200335Aug 5, 2003107Jan 7, 2004142
-1.69%Feb 23, 2021404Sep 28, 202277Jan 19, 2023481
-1.66%Aug 3, 201685Dec 1, 2016116May 19, 2017201
-1.57%Sep 26, 200219Oct 22, 200240Dec 18, 200259

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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