GUSTX vs. DFFGX

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about GMO U.S. Treasury Fund (GUSTX) and DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio (DFFGX).

GUSTX is managed by GMO. It was launched on Mar 16, 2009. DFFGX is managed by Dimensional. It was launched on May 31, 1987.

Performance

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in GMO U.S. Treasury Fund (GUSTX) and DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio (DFFGX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GUSTX GMO U.S. Treasury Fund	0.51%	4.45%	2.21%	2.52%	-0.73%	-0.06%	0.89%	0.14%	-79.59%	0.43%
DFFGX DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio	0.87%	3.12%	5.29%	5.01%	-4.41%	-1.27%	0.39%	2.52%	1.17%	0.51%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GUSTX achieves a 0.51% return, which is significantly lower than DFFGX's 0.87% return. Over the past 10 years, GUSTX has underperformed DFFGX with an annualized return of -13.82%, while DFFGX has yielded a comparatively higher 1.18% annualized return.

GUSTX

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.00%
• YTD: 0.51%
• 6M: 1.51%
• 1Y: 3.69%
• 3Y*: 3.15%
• 5Y*: 1.76%
• 10Y*: -13.82%

DFFGX

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.26%
• YTD: 0.87%
• 6M: 1.92%
• 1Y: 2.99%
• 3Y*: 4.36%
• 5Y*: 1.81%
• 10Y*: 1.18%

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

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Expense Ratio Comparison

GUSTX has a 0.01% expense ratio, which is lower than DFFGX's 0.18% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

DFFGX

DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio

GUSTX

GMO U.S. Treasury Fund

Return for Risk

GUSTX vs. DFFGX — Risk / Return Rank

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

GUSTX

GUSTX Risk / Return Rank: 99
GUSTX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
GUSTX Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
GUSTX Omega Ratio Rank: 100
GUSTX Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
GUSTX Martin Ratio Rank: 100

DFFGX

DFFGX Risk / Return Rank: 93
DFFGX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
DFFGX Sortino Ratio Rank: 93
DFFGX Omega Ratio Rank: 100
DFFGX Calmar Ratio Rank: 93
DFFGX Martin Ratio Rank: 83

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.

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for GMO U.S. Treasury Fund (GUSTX) and DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio (DFFGX). 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.

	GUSTX	DFFGX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	3.18	2.60	+0.59
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	10.74	2.99	+7.76
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	7.08	3.97	+3.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	20.50	3.09	+17.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	58.55	9.14	+49.40
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GUSTX Sharpe Ratio is 3.18, which is comparable to the DFFGX Sharpe Ratio of 2.60. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GUSTX and DFFGX, 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

	GUSTX	DFFGX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.18	2.60	+0.59
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.03	0.98	+0.05
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.55	0.76	-1.31
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.44	0.49	-0.93

Correlation

The correlation between GUSTX and DFFGX is 0.06, 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

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Dividend Comparison

GUSTX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.62%, more than DFFGX's 2.86% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GUSTX GMO U.S. Treasury Fund	3.62%	4.15%	1.98%	2.28%	0.26%	0.14%	0.09%	0.14%	8.96%	0.50%	0.05%	0.04%
DFFGX DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio	2.86%	2.98%	4.87%	3.57%	1.85%	0.15%	0.29%	1.83%	1.53%	1.18%	0.99%	1.27%

Drawdowns

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GUSTX drawdown since its inception was -79.98%, which is greater than DFFGX's maximum drawdown of -10.09%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GUSTX and DFFGX.

Drawdown Indicators

	GUSTX	DFFGX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-79.98%	-10.09%	-69.89%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.20%	-1.00%	+0.80%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-1.19%	-6.49%	+5.30%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-79.98%	-6.49%	-73.49%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-77.89%	0.00%	-77.89%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-35.61%	-0.86%	-34.75%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.07%	0.34%	-0.27%

Volatility

GUSTX vs. DFFGX - Volatility Comparison

GMO U.S. Treasury Fund (GUSTX) has a higher volatility of 0.29% compared to DFA Short-Term Government Portfolio (DFFGX) at 0.15%. This indicates that GUSTX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFFGX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GUSTX	DFFGX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.29%	0.15%	+0.14%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.83%	0.40%	+0.43%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.27%	1.42%	-0.15%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	1.73%	1.85%	-0.12%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	25.44%	1.57%	+23.87%