Is DGVA a good ETF?
DGVA is the Dimensional Global Value Trust - Active ETF. It tracks the MSCI World ex Australia Index. We classify it under Intl, Factor, and Value. With about $1.23 billion in assets it is a large, highly liquid fund. Listed on the ASX since 2024-08-19 (about 2 years ago).
On a total-return basis, DGVA has delivered 12.75% a year over 10 years (ranked 21st of 108 ETFs we track), 15.22% a year over 5 years (ranked 13th of 188 ETFs we track), 18.28% a year over 3 years (ranked 32nd of 226 ETFs we track), and 24.27% a year over 1 year (ranked 32nd of 308 ETFs we track). Its strongest showing is over 5 years, where it sits in the top 7% of all ETFs we track.
The management fee of 0.4% is reasonable. That's cheaper than the typical 0.49% for similar ETFs. If cost is your priority, VVLU (0.28%), IVLU (0.3%), and DGCE (0.3%) cover similar ground for less. It pays a healthy 3.75% yield, attractive if you want regular income. Bear in mind distributions are taxed each year at your marginal rate, so a high yield is less tax-efficient for higher earners and during the accumulation phase.
Over the past 5 years its volatility has been moderate (annualised standard deviation around 14.23%), meaning the kind of swings you'd expect from a diversified equity fund. Its 5-year Sharpe ratio of 0.85 is reasonable — that's the return it has earned per unit of risk taken (higher is better).
Portfolio turnover is moderate at about 30% a year — a fair chunk of the portfolio is bought and sold each year, so expect a little more in the way of realised capital gains and trading costs than a plain index fund.
Strengths
- Top-7% returns over 5 years (13th of 188 ETFs we track).
- Low-cost: a 0.4% management fee keeps more of the return in your pocket.
- Pays a useful 3.75% income yield.
Things to watch
- Cheaper alternatives exist: VVLU, IVLU, and DGCE.
What DGVA's categories mean for you
How each category this ETF belongs to tends to behave across market cycles.
Global and international shares from outside Australia — broadening you into thousands of companies and the sectors (tech, healthcare) the local market lacks.
- Market regime
- Essential diversification away from the bank-and-resources-heavy ASX. Unhedged versions carry currency risk; hedged versions remove it at a small cost.
- In a portfolio
- A core holding for almost every long-term Australian portfolio.
Tilts toward academically-backed drivers of return — value, quality, momentum, size or low volatility — aiming to beat plain market-cap weighting over a full cycle.
- Market regime
- Any single factor can underperform the broad market for years before rewarding patient holders. Multi-factor funds smooth this out somewhat.
- In a portfolio
- A long-term tilt that demands discipline: the edge only shows up if you hold through the inevitable lean stretches.
Stocks that look cheap relative to their fundamentals (earnings, book value, cash flow). One of the oldest and best-documented return premiums.
- Market regime
- Rewarded over the very long run and especially in rising-rate, reflation and early-recovery regimes — but endured a long, painful stretch of lagging growth through the 2010s.
- In a portfolio
- A long-term tilt that requires patience and a tolerance for extended underperformance versus the growth side of the market.
General information only, generated from the fund's published data — not personal financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Consider your own circumstances or seek licensed advice before investing.