WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund
$27.00−0.19 (−0.69%)
- 0.45%
- $77M
- −14.8%
- 0M sh
- $26.90
- low $26.25high $34.74
The ETF.net WDEF Grade
C
Score 47 out of 100
- 12 of 26
Score 47 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.B66 out of 100Rank 8 of 26Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.F20 out of 100Rank 26 of 26Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C44 out of 100Rank 13 of 26Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D29 out of 100Rank 22 of 26Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B60 out of 100Rank 10 of 26
Our read on WDEF
CMost defense ETFs are a bet on US primes. WDEF goes the other way: a passive index of European-listed defense companies, weighted more heavily the more of their revenue actually comes from defense.
The Fund is designed to follow the pre-expense price and yield results of the WisdomTree Europe Defense Index. It uses passive indexing and generally applies representative sampling to pursue that objective.
Why people hold it
- Pure European exposure: the index only takes companies domiciled and listed in developed European markets that derive at least 10% of revenue from defense-related activities.wisdomtree.com
- Conviction weighting, not just size: over 50% defense revenue earns a 3x weight multiplier, 25-50% earns 2x. Pure-plays outrank sprawling conglomerates.wisdomtree.com
- Costs 0.45% a year, below the 0.50% median for the defense-theme funds we track.
- Built-in guardrails: $300M minimum free float and $2M median daily dollar volume to qualify, plus per-name weight caps so one runaway winner can't swallow the basket.wisdomtree.comdividend.com
Worth knowing
- Launched in July 2025, so any read on its risk profile rests on a short live record.
- A smaller fund that trades thinly. Spreads can widen, so limit orders do real work here.
- One theme, foreign-listed shares: currency moves feed into dollar returns, and broad US defense funds like XAR (0.35%) and ITA (0.37%) charge less.wisdomtree.com
WDEF Holdings
- Stocks
- 51
- 63%
- BA.L
Geography
- United Kingdom28.10%
- France23.85%
- Germany18.81%
- Italy7.74%
- Norway6.34%
- Netherlands4.78%
- Spain4.66%
- Czechia1.68%
- 4.03%
Developed 97% · Emerging 3%
WDEF Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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WDEF$8,518
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | WDEF |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −6.3% |
| 1 month | −5.5% |
| 3 months | −2.6% |
| 1 year | −14.8% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | WDEF |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −6.3% | |
| 2025 | −3.4% |
WDEF in the news
First-Year Review
JEDI crossed $200 million after taking a Shield AI stake
WDEF Dividends
- $0.02 per share
- Irregular
Distribution data unavailable.
Distribution history
WDEF Risk
- 32.2%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- −0.05
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −23.9%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.50
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
WDEF Cost
0.45%
WDEF0.45%
- The middle half of Defense & Aerospace funds
- Median 0.50%
6 of the 25 Defense & Aerospace funds charge less.
Other funds in Defense & Aerospace
- CEUADSelect STOXX Europe Aerospace & Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return −10.6%
- CWDAFWisdomTree Asia Defense FundExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return −7.0%
- CTSSDTruth Social American Security & Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.65%1 year return —
- CWARU.S. Global Technology and Aerospace & Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +31.8%
- CAVCorgi Etf Trust I - Corgi Aerospace & Commercial Aviation ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return —