
Xtrackers Europe Defense Technologies ETF
$20.35−0.10 (−0.50%)
- 0.35%
- $4M
- 0M sh
- $20.14
- low $20.00high $2905.00
The ETF.net XDEF Grade
Score 40 out of 100
- 16 of 26
Score 40 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.
Very small fund, grade capped at C.
The cap holds the Score at 40 or below, so B and A are out of reach.
- The pillars earned
- 50
- This cap took
- −10
- Published Score
- 40
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A92 out of 100Rank 1 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.D28 out of 100Rank 22 of 26Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.F6 out of 100Rank 26 of 26Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D28 out of 100Rank 23 of 26Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C43 out of 100Rank 18 of 26
Our read on XDEF
CEurope is rearming, and XDEF is a US-listed way to own that build-out: roughly 40 European defense, space and cybersecurity names, screened on revenue and patents, at a below-average thematic fee.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the STOXX Europe Total Market Defence, Space and Cybersecurity Innovation 50-25 Index through a passive indexing approach.
Why people hold it
- Costs 0.35% a year, under the 0.50% typical for defense thematics and level with the cheapest large US aerospace-and-defense funds (XAR).
- The index takes companies with real theme revenue or strong patent portfolios, so satellite builders and cyber software sit beside traditional arms suppliers.stoxx.comstoxx.com
- Straight Europe exposure. The heavyweights of the category (ITA, XAR, PPA) are built on American contractors, so this covers the other side of the map.sec.gov
Worth knowing
- Launched in 2026 and thinly traded off a small asset base, which can mean wider spreads than the long-established defense funds.
- One theme, roughly 40 stocks. The prospectus flags geographic focus and single-industry concentration among the fund's risks.sec.gov
- Holdings trade in European currencies, and the prospectus lists exchange-rate moves as a risk to what US shareholders receive.sec.govetf.dws.com
XDEF Holdings
- Stocks
- 35
- 63%
- RR.L
Geography
- United Kingdom30.27%
- Germany19.63%
- France17.52%
- Netherlands7.96%
- Sweden5.45%
- Italy5.13%
- Norway5.07%
- Spain4.32%
- 4.65%
Developed 98% · Emerging 2%
XDEF Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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 | XDEF |
|---|---|
| Year to date | — |
| 1 month | −5.9% |
| 3 months | −4.2% |
| 1 year | — |
| 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 | XDEF |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −17.0% |
XDEF in the news
XDEF Dividends
- $0.03 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution data unavailable.
Distribution history
XDEF Risk
- —
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.
- —
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.
- —
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.
- 0.58
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
XDEF Cost
- The middle half of Defense & Aerospace funds
- Median 0.50%
No Defense & Aerospace fund charges less.
Other funds in Defense & Aerospace
- CDUTYU.S. Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return —
- CWRCorgi U.S. War Machine ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return —
- DGCADGabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.90%1 year return +10.1%
- DJEDIDrone and Modern Warfare ETFExpense ratio 0.69%1 year return −13.8%
- DAMMOVistaShares Defense Supercycle ETFExpense ratio 0.75%1 year return —




