DSU vs. PDI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) and PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (PDI).

DSU is managed by BlackRock. It was launched on Nov 6, 1998.

Performance

DSU vs. PDI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) and PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (PDI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DSU vs. PDI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DSU BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.	-2.96%	5.97%	11.13%	30.34%	-15.51%	19.36%	1.60%	23.84%	-10.04%	10.68%
PDI PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund	0.17%	11.03%	17.18%	11.99%	-16.99%	7.81%	-9.96%	22.23%	7.35%	18.59%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DSU achieves a -2.96% return, which is significantly lower than PDI's 0.17% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with DSU having a 8.10% annualized return and PDI not far ahead at 8.14%.

DSU

• 1D: 1.91%
• 1M: -2.04%
• YTD: -2.96%
• 6M: -4.26%
• 1Y: 3.08%
• 3Y*: 12.06%
• 5Y*: 7.09%
• 10Y*: 8.10%

PDI

• 1D: 3.13%
• 1M: -3.71%
• YTD: 0.17%
• 6M: -7.15%
• 1Y: -0.44%
• 3Y*: 13.14%
• 5Y*: 3.57%
• 10Y*: 8.14%

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

Return for Risk

DSU vs. PDI — Risk / Return Rank

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

DSU

DSU Risk / Return Rank: 11
DSU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 10
DSU Sortino Ratio Rank: 9
DSU Omega Ratio Rank: 12
DSU Calmar Ratio Rank: 10
DSU Martin Ratio Rank: 12

PDI

PDI Risk / Return Rank: 38
PDI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 41
PDI Sortino Ratio Rank: 33
PDI Omega Ratio Rank: 34
PDI Calmar Ratio Rank: 42
PDI Martin Ratio Rank: 42

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.

DSU vs. PDI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) and PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (PDI). 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.

	DSU	PDI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.23	-0.02	+0.26
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.39	0.09	+0.30
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	1.02	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.18	-0.01	+0.19
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.01	-0.03	+1.03
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DSU vs. PDI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DSU Sharpe Ratio is 0.23, which is higher than the PDI Sharpe Ratio of -0.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DSU and PDI, 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

	DSU	PDI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.23	-0.02	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.61	0.23	+0.38
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.51	0.43	+0.08
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.23	0.59	-0.36

Correlation

The correlation between DSU and PDI is 0.34, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

DSU vs. PDI - Dividend Comparison

DSU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 12.35%, less than PDI's 15.46% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
DSU BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.	12.35%	11.64%	11.01%	9.70%	7.56%	6.21%	7.96%	7.43%	8.41%	6.98%	6.60%	8.07%
PDI PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund	15.46%	14.94%	14.43%	14.74%	17.84%	10.21%	10.01%	9.45%	10.78%	8.81%	14.79%	18.70%

Drawdowns

DSU vs. PDI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DSU drawdown since its inception was -72.03%, which is greater than PDI's maximum drawdown of -46.47%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DSU and PDI.

Drawdown Indicators

	DSU	PDI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-72.03%	-46.47%	-25.56%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.55%	-14.34%	+1.79%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-24.23%	-27.23%	+3.00%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-45.36%	-46.47%	+1.11%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.83%	-7.66%	+2.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-11.67%	-6.22%	-5.45%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.28%	5.03%	-2.75%

Volatility

DSU vs. PDI - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) is 4.16%, while PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (PDI) has a volatility of 5.71%. This indicates that DSU experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PDI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DSU	PDI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.16%	5.71%	-1.55%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.52%	9.96%	-3.44%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	13.36%	18.36%	-5.00%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	11.74%	15.66%	-3.92%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.90%	19.06%	-3.16%