DIEM vs. DFAI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (DIEM) and Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF (DFAI).

DIEM and DFAI are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. DIEM is a passively managed fund by Franklin Templeton that tracks the performance of the Morningstar Emerging Markets Dividend Enhanced Select Index. It was launched on Jun 1, 2016. DFAI is an actively managed fund by Dimensional. It was launched on Nov 17, 2020.

Performance

DIEM vs. DFAI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (DIEM) and Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF (DFAI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DIEM vs. DFAI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
DIEM Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF	5.34%	30.81%	12.29%	15.41%	-20.61%	6.92%	6.29%
DFAI Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF	2.50%	34.04%	4.68%	17.60%	-12.95%	13.86%	6.13%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DIEM achieves a 5.34% return, which is significantly higher than DFAI's 2.50% return.

DIEM

• 1D: 3.69%
• 1M: -8.22%
• YTD: 5.34%
• 6M: 11.28%
• 1Y: 34.56%
• 3Y*: 19.05%
• 5Y*: 7.59%
• 10Y*: —

DFAI

• 1D: 2.96%
• 1M: -7.52%
• YTD: 2.50%
• 6M: 8.18%
• 1Y: 28.07%
• 3Y*: 16.13%
• 5Y*: 9.44%
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

DIEM vs. DFAI - Expense Ratio Comparison

DIEM has a 0.19% expense ratio, which is higher than DFAI's 0.18% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

DIEM

Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF

DFAI

Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF

Return for Risk

DIEM vs. DFAI — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

DIEM

DIEM Risk / Return Rank: 89
DIEM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
DIEM Sortino Ratio Rank: 89
DIEM Omega Ratio Rank: 90
DIEM Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
DIEM Martin Ratio Rank: 89

DFAI

DFAI Risk / Return Rank: 87
DFAI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 86
DFAI Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
DFAI Omega Ratio Rank: 88
DFAI Calmar Ratio Rank: 86
DFAI Martin Ratio Rank: 86

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.

DIEM vs. DFAI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (DIEM) and Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF (DFAI). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	DIEM	DFAI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.88	1.69	+0.19
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.51	2.32	+0.20
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.38	1.35	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.79	2.46	+0.33
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.28	9.75	+1.52
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DIEM vs. DFAI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DIEM Sharpe Ratio is 1.88, which is comparable to the DFAI Sharpe Ratio of 1.69. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DIEM and DFAI, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	DIEM	DFAI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.88	1.69	+0.19
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.47	0.60	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.42	0.73	-0.31

Correlation

The correlation between DIEM and DFAI is 0.77, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

DIEM vs. DFAI - Dividend Comparison

DIEM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.90%, more than DFAI's 2.41% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
DIEM Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF	2.90%	2.99%	4.92%	4.45%	6.31%	4.06%	2.75%	5.98%	3.87%	2.61%	0.35%
DFAI Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF	2.41%	2.45%	2.72%	2.64%	2.72%	2.06%	0.09%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

DIEM vs. DFAI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DIEM drawdown since its inception was -38.61%, which is greater than DFAI's maximum drawdown of -27.44%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DIEM and DFAI.

Drawdown Indicators

	DIEM	DFAI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-38.61%	-27.44%	-11.17%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.33%	-10.95%	-1.38%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-33.34%	-27.44%	-5.90%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-9.09%	-7.61%	-1.48%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-9.86%	-5.21%	-4.65%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.05%	2.76%	+0.29%

Volatility

DIEM vs. DFAI - Volatility Comparison

Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (DIEM) has a higher volatility of 9.47% compared to Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF (DFAI) at 7.35%. This indicates that DIEM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFAI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DIEM	DFAI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.47%	7.35%	+2.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.43%	10.56%	+2.87%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.43%	16.70%	+1.73%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.38%	15.81%	+0.57%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.41%	15.66%	+1.75%