MOTO vs. DFAU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF (MOTO) and Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF (DFAU).

MOTO and DFAU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. MOTO is an actively managed fund by Guinness Atkinson Asset Management. It was launched on Nov 15, 2019. DFAU is an actively managed fund by Dimensional. It was launched on Nov 17, 2020.

Performance

MOTO vs. DFAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF (MOTO) and Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF (DFAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MOTO vs. DFAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
MOTO SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF	4.90%	27.38%	2.01%	27.10%	-27.20%	17.22%	13.51%
DFAU Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF	-2.67%	16.78%	23.17%	24.79%	-16.99%	26.89%	6.48%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MOTO achieves a 4.90% return, which is significantly higher than DFAU's -2.67% return.

MOTO

• 1D: 1.36%
• 1M: -5.90%
• YTD: 4.90%
• 6M: 9.17%
• 1Y: 42.44%
• 3Y*: 13.31%
• 5Y*: 6.24%
• 10Y*: —

DFAU

• 1D: 0.71%
• 1M: -4.35%
• YTD: -2.67%
• 6M: -0.51%
• 1Y: 19.02%
• 3Y*: 17.82%
• 5Y*: 11.15%
• 10Y*: —

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

MOTO vs. DFAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

MOTO has a 0.68% expense ratio, which is higher than DFAU's 0.12% expense ratio.

MOTO

SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF

DFAU

Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF

Return for Risk

MOTO vs. DFAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

MOTO

MOTO Risk / Return Rank: 83
MOTO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
MOTO Sortino Ratio Rank: 84
MOTO Omega Ratio Rank: 80
MOTO Calmar Ratio Rank: 85
MOTO Martin Ratio Rank: 84

DFAU

DFAU Risk / Return Rank: 61
DFAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
DFAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
DFAU Omega Ratio Rank: 62
DFAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 59
DFAU Martin Ratio Rank: 70

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.

MOTO vs. DFAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF (MOTO) and Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF (DFAU). 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.

	MOTO	DFAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.66	1.03	+0.62
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.34	1.56	+0.78
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.32	1.24	+0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.76	1.56	+1.19
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	10.40	7.42	+2.98
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MOTO vs. DFAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MOTO Sharpe Ratio is 1.66, which is higher than the DFAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MOTO and DFAU, 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

	MOTO	DFAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.66	1.03	+0.62
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.27	0.66	-0.39
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.58	0.80	-0.21

Correlation

The correlation between MOTO and DFAU is 0.86, 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

MOTO vs. DFAU - Dividend Comparison

MOTO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.01%, less than DFAU's 1.03% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
MOTO SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF	1.01%	1.06%	1.07%	2.73%	2.33%	0.55%	2.71%
DFAU Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF	1.03%	0.95%	1.10%	1.29%	1.40%	1.00%	0.13%

Drawdowns

MOTO vs. DFAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MOTO drawdown since its inception was -38.24%, which is greater than DFAU's maximum drawdown of -23.61%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MOTO and DFAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	MOTO	DFAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-38.24%	-23.61%	-14.63%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-15.57%	-12.45%	-3.12%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-37.34%	-23.61%	-13.73%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.89%	-5.36%	-3.53%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.19%	-5.12%	-5.07%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.12%	2.62%	+1.50%

Volatility

MOTO vs. DFAU - Volatility Comparison

SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Technology ETF (MOTO) has a higher volatility of 8.61% compared to Dimensional US Core Equity Market ETF (DFAU) at 5.39%. This indicates that MOTO's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFAU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MOTO	DFAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.61%	5.39%	+3.22%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.06%	9.67%	+6.39%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	25.76%	18.52%	+7.24%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	23.35%	17.03%	+6.32%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	26.30%	16.87%	+9.43%