DFAX vs IXUS: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Dimensional World ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF

DFAXBNYSE Arca

iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

IXUSANasdaq

Overlap

53.8%by weight

Expense ratio

IXUS −0.21pt a year

DFAX0.28%IXUS0.07%

Avg volume · 30D

IXUS 2.8×the volume

DFAX721KIXUS2M

5Y return · a year

DFAX +1.5pt

DFAX+9.6%IXUS+8.1%

DFAX vs IXUS Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+58.0%DFAX+47.5%IXUS

Expense ratio: DFAX 0.28%; IXUS 0.07%, better
Fund size: DFAX $12.1B; IXUS $56.8B
1Y total return: DFAX +15.7%, better; IXUS +13.5%
Yield (12M): DFAX 2.50%; IXUS 3.04%, better
Holdings: DFAX 10528; IXUS 4596
Avg volume (30D): DFAX 721K sh; IXUS 2M sh, better
NAV per share: DFAX $35.90; IXUS $92.10
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for DFAX, IXUS, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	DFAX	IXUS
Cost30% weight	C45	A70Higher
Mission25% weight	A100	A100
Risk15% weight	C53	B55Higher
Tradability15% weight	C50	A78Higher
Holdings10% weight	A85Higher	A76
Durability5% weight	C51	B67Higher

Rank among Total International Market funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. DFAX and IXUS are both graded against the same 8 Total International Market funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Total International Market⁠

Category · 8 funds

See all 8 ›

IXUS ranks 3rd and DFAX 4th of 8 funds in the Total International Market Category.

Rank 1AVXUSVanguard Total International Stock ETFScore 80
Rank 2AVEUVanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETFScore 79
Rank 3AIXUSiShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETFScore 76
Rank 4BDFAXDimensional World ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETFScore 64
Rank 5BACWXiShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETFScore 58

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFAXBDimensional World ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF

IXUSAiShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

In short

DFAX No data

IXUS One ticker for the stock market outside the US: developed and emerging, mega caps down to small caps, roughly 4,300 stocks, for 0.07% a year. The whole rest of the world in a single line item.

Stated mandate

DFAX No data

IXUS The Fund seeks to track an index of large-, mid-, and small-capitalization non-U.S. equities. It uses an indexing approach and generally invests at least 80% of assets in the Underlying Index’s component securities or substantially identical investments.

Why people hold it

DFAX No data

IXUS Seven basis points a year (0.07%), against a peer-group median near 0.28%. Global diversification priced close to a rounding error.
Tracks the MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI: non-US developed and emerging markets, large, mid and small caps, roughly 4,300 stocks, with at least 80% of assets in index components.ishares.com
Running since 2012, a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, and one of the strongest implementations in its peer group.

Worth knowing

DFAX No data

IXUS Cheaper tickets exist in the aisle: VEU charges 0.04%. It follows a FTSE index rather than MSCI, so the holdings are not the same basket.
Small caps and emerging markets ride rougher than developed large caps, and everything inside is priced in foreign currencies.
Distributions land annually or semiannually rather than quarterly, so income shows up in lumps.

Full DFAX profile⁠

Full IXUS profile⁠

DFAX vs IXUS Holdings

How DFAX and IXUS differ

Overlap by weight

53.8%

Shared holdings make up 89.2% of IXUS and 76.5% of DFAX.

Level by level

Holdings3,382 in both53.8%
Countryby domicile87.3%
Sector11 Sectors92.9%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in DFAX and IXUS, widest gap first
Sector	More in DFAXMore in IXUS	DFAX	IXUS
Materials	DFAX +3.3 points	10.7%	7.4%
Financials	IXUS +3.2 points	19.9%	23.1%
Energy	DFAX +1.9 points	7.0%	5.1%
Technology	IXUS +1.9 points	18.2%	20.1%
Industrials	DFAX +1.4 points	16.0%	14.6%
Health Care	IXUS +1.0 points	6.2%	7.2%
Consumer Discretionary	DFAX +0.6 points	8.5%	7.9%
Real Estate	IXUS +0.5 points	1.6%	2.1%
Communication	IXUS +0.2 points	3.9%	4.1%
Consumer Staples	IXUS +0.2 points	5.0%	5.2%
Utilities	IXUS +0.2 points	2.9%	3.1%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in DFAX and IXUS, widest gap first
Country	More in DFAXMore in IXUS	DFAX	IXUS
United Kingdom	IXUS +2.9 points	6.6%	9.5%
Canada	IXUS +2.3 points	7.2%	9.5%
Taiwan	DFAX +1.8 points	11.8%	10.0%
France	IXUS +1.6 points	4.0%	5.6%
South Africa	DFAX +1.4 points	1.4%	0.0%
Israel	DFAX +1.1 points	1.1%	0.0%
United States	DFAX +1.0 points	1.0%	0.0%
Netherlands	IXUS +1.0 points	2.4%	3.4%
Other countries (31)	DFAX +2.4 points	64.5%	62.1%

Outside the US: DFAX 64% developed, 36% emerging. IXUS 71% developed, 29% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

DFAX8.9%
IXUS13.6%

Securities held

DFAX10,488
IXUS4,560

Asset class

DFAX: Equity
IXUS: Equity

Holdings

Only in DFAX7,106
In both3,382
Only in IXUS1,178

Only in DFAX

7,106 securities, 23.4% of DFAX by weight

Taiwan Semiconductor Manu1.05%
Asml Holding NV0.76%
Novartis AG Adr0.69%
Shell PLC0.55%
Samsung Electronics Co Lt0.31%
Bp PLC0.28%
Royal Bank of Canada0.25%
Canadian Natural Resource0.24%
Suncor Energy Inc.0.23%
Hsbc Holdings PLC0.22%
Astrazeneca PLC0.20%
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Arge0.19%
Tesco PLC0.17%
Commerzbank Ag-Tend0.16%
Bhp Group Ltd0.15%
Barrick Mining Corp0.15%
Cenovus Energy Inc0.15%
Ubs Group AG0.15%
Helvetia Baloise Holding0.14%
Icici Bank Ltd0.14%
Deutsche Bank AG0.13%
Toronto-Dominion Bank0.13%
Kinross Gold Corp0.13%
Bank of Nova Scotia/The0.12%
Teck Resources Ltd0.11%
Gsk PLC0.11%
Unilever PLC0.10%
Bank of Montreal0.10%
Manulife Financial Corp0.10%
Nutrien Ltd0.09%
Sun Life Financial Inc0.09%
Barclays PLC0.09%
Rio Tinto PLC Adr0.09%
Bharat Electronics Ltd0.09%
Tc Energy Corp0.08%
Sunbelt Rentals Holdings0.08%
Bharti Airtel Ltd0.08%
Gold Fields Ltd0.08%
Stmicroelectronics NV0.08%
Imperial Oil Ltd0.08%
Pembina Pipeline Corp0.07%
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd0.07%
Reliance Industries Ltd0.07%
Upm-Kymmene Oyj0.07%
Axis Bank Ltd0.07%
Tata Steel Ltd0.07%
Canadian National Railway0.07%
Magna International Inc0.07%
Endeavour Mining PLC0.07%
Alcon Inc0.07%

Only in IXUS

1,178 securities, 10.4% of IXUS by weight

Softbank Group Corp0.26%
Samsung Electronics Non Voting Pre0.25%
Spotify Technology0.21%
Hdfc Bank0.20%
Icici Bank0.19%
Investor Class B0.18%
Reliance Industries Ltd0.17%
Tc Energy0.16%
Sk Square0.15%
Bharti Airtel Ltd0.14%
Compass Group PLC0.14%
Ferrari0.12%
Tesco PLC0.11%
Orix0.10%
Goodman Group Units0.09%
Infosys0.09%
Power Corporation of Canada0.09%
Alcon AG0.08%
Japan Post Bank Ltd0.08%
Cameco0.08%
Nutrien Ltd0.08%
3I Group Fund PLC0.08%
Stmicroelectronics0.07%
Axis Bank0.07%
Ferrovial NV0.07%
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd0.06%
Kyocera0.06%
Bajaj Finance Ltd0.06%
Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC0.06%
First Abu Dhabi Bank0.06%
Helvetia Baloise Holding N AG0.05%
Emirates Telecommunications Group0.05%
Baidu0.05%
Samsung C&T Corp0.05%
Delta Electronics (Thailand) Non-V0.05%
Nippon Yusen0.04%
Eternal0.04%
Dassault Systemes0.04%
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries0.04%
Southern Copper Corp0.04%
Titan Company Ltd0.04%
Kia Corporation0.04%
Brookfield Asset Management Voting0.04%
Segro Reit PLC0.04%
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd0.04%
Hyundai Mobis Ltd0.04%
Bharat Electronics Ltd0.03%
Link Real Estate Investment Trust0.03%
Hindustan Unilever Ltd0.03%
Itausa Investimentos Itau Pref SA0.03%

Weight gaps

The 100 widest of 3,382 Holdings in both funds.

Holding weights in DFAX and IXUS, widest gap first
Holding	More in DFAXMore in IXUS	DFAX	IXUS
Taiwan Semiconductor Manu	IXUS +1.90 points	2.43%	4.33%
Asml Holding NV	IXUS +1.46 points	0.02%	1.48%
Novartis AG	IXUS +0.71 points	0.01%	0.72%
Astrazeneca PLCAZN.L	IXUS +0.68 points	<0.01%	0.68%
Samsung Electronics Co	IXUS +0.66 points	1.25%	1.91%
Sk Hynix Inc	IXUS +0.63 points	0.79%	1.42%
Hsbc Holdings PLCHSBA.L	IXUS +0.60 points	0.12%	0.72%
Sap SE	IXUS +0.51 points	0.07%	0.58%
Shell PLCSHEL.L	IXUS +0.47 points	0.28%	0.75%
Shopify Inc	IXUS +0.46 points	<0.01%	0.46%
Roche Holding AG	IXUS +0.40 points	0.43%	0.83%
Toronto-Dominion Bank/The	IXUS +0.38 points	0.12%	0.50%
Siemens AG	IXUS +0.36 points	0.16%	0.52%
Ubs Group AG	IXUS +0.36 points	<0.01%	0.36%
Tencent Holdings Ltd	IXUS +0.33 points	0.39%	0.72%
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd	IXUS +0.34 points	0.16%	0.50%
Royal Bank of Canada	IXUS +0.33 points	0.35%	0.68%
Commonwealth Bank of Aust	IXUS +0.32 points	0.15%	0.47%
Unilever PLCULVR.L	IXUS +0.32 points	0.02%	0.34%
Mitsubishi Ufj Financial	IXUS +0.30 points	0.26%	0.56%
Canadian Natural Resource	IXUS +0.28 points	<0.01%	0.28%
Novo Nordisk A/S	IXUS +0.27 points	0.04%	0.31%
Iberdrola SA	IXUS +0.26 points	0.11%	0.37%
Schneider Electric SE	IXUS +0.26 points	0.09%	0.35%
Nestle SA	IXUS +0.26 points	0.38%	0.64%
Bhp Group Ltd	IXUS +0.26 points	0.24%	0.50%
Bp PLCBP.L	IXUS +0.25 points	0.07%	0.32%
Enbridge Inc	IXUS +0.24 points	0.02%	0.26%
Bank of Nova Scotia/The	IXUS +0.23 points	0.05%	0.28%
Banco Santander SA	IXUS +0.23 points	0.16%	0.39%
Air Liquide SA	IXUS +0.22 points	0.08%	0.30%
Gsk PLCGSK.L	IXUS +0.22 points	0.02%	0.24%
Bank of Montreal	IXUS +0.23 points	0.06%	0.29%
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial	IXUS +0.22 points	0.14%	0.36%
British American TobaccoBATS.L	IXUS +0.21 points	0.09%	0.30%
Kioxia Holdings Corp	IXUS +0.21 points	0.03%	0.24%
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Arge	IXUS +0.20 points	0.12%	0.32%
L'oreal SA	IXUS +0.20 points	0.08%	0.28%
Keyence Corp	IXUS +0.19 points	0.04%	0.23%
Airbus SE	IXUS +0.19 points	0.12%	0.31%
Rio Tinto PLCRIO.L	IXUS +0.19 points	0.02%	0.21%
Mediatek Inc	IXUS +0.18 points	0.24%	0.42%
Recruit Holdings Co Ltd	IXUS +0.18 points	0.21%	0.39%
Tokyo Electron Ltd	IXUS +0.19 points	0.14%	0.33%
National Grid PLCNG.L	IXUS +0.18 points	0.02%	0.20%
Brookfield Corp	IXUS +0.18 points	<0.01%	0.19%
Cie Financiere Richemont	IXUS +0.18 points	0.08%	0.26%
Canadian Pacific Kansas C	IXUS +0.18 points	0.01%	0.19%
Suncor Energy Inc	IXUS +0.17 points	0.06%	0.23%
Manulife Financial Corp	IXUS +0.17 points	0.01%	0.18%
Lvmh Moet Hennessy Louis	IXUS +0.17 points	0.09%	0.26%
Mizuho Financial Group In	IXUS +0.17 points	0.11%	0.28%
Relx PLCREL.L	IXUS +0.16 points	0.01%	0.17%
Sanofi	IXUS +0.16 points	0.07%	0.23%
Zurich Insurance Group AG	IXUS +0.16 points	0.11%	0.27%
Barclays PLCBARC.L	IXUS +0.15 points	0.03%	0.18%
Abb Ltd	IXUS +0.15 points	0.17%	0.32%
Canadian National Railway	IXUS +0.15 points	<0.01%	0.15%
Safran SA	IXUS +0.15 points	0.11%	0.26%
Barrick Mining Corp	IXUS +0.15 points	0.00%	0.15%
Ing Groep NV	IXUS +0.15 points	0.07%	0.22%
Canadian Imperial Bank of	IXUS +0.15 points	0.11%	0.26%
Mitsui & Co Ltd	IXUS +0.14 points	0.04%	0.18%
Fast Retailing Co Ltd	IXUS +0.14 points	0.07%	0.21%
Dbs Group Holdings Ltd	IXUS +0.15 points	0.14%	0.29%
Allianz SE	IXUS +0.14 points	0.31%	0.45%
Anz Group Holdings	IXUS +0.13 points	0.08%	0.21%
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLCRR.L	IXUS +0.13 points	0.20%	0.33%
Deutsche Bank AG	IXUS +0.13 points	<0.01%	0.14%
Intesa Sanpaolo Spa	IXUS +0.14 points	0.09%	0.23%
Csl Ltd	IXUS +0.13 points	0.03%	0.16%
Totalenergies SE	DFAX +0.13 points	0.58%	0.45%
Bnp Paribas SA	IXUS +0.13 points	0.10%	0.23%
Argenx SE	IXUS +0.13 points	<0.01%	0.14%
Delta Electronics Inc	IXUS +0.13 points	0.07%	0.20%
Unimicron Technology Corp	DFAX +0.13 points	0.23%	0.10%
Mitsubishi Corp	IXUS +0.13 points	0.10%	0.23%
Wheaton Precious Metals C	IXUS +0.13 points	<0.01%	0.13%
Aia Group Ltd	IXUS +0.12 points	0.12%	0.24%
Celestica Inc	DFAX +0.12 points	0.20%	0.08%
Westpac Banking Corp	IXUS +0.13 points	0.09%	0.22%
Hitachi Ltd	IXUS +0.13 points	0.22%	0.35%
Diageo PLCDGE.L	IXUS +0.13 points	<0.01%	0.13%
Oversea-Chinese Banking C	IXUS +0.12 points	0.06%	0.18%
Siemens Energy AG	IXUS +0.12 points	0.15%	0.27%
National Australia Bank L	IXUS +0.12 points	0.10%	0.22%
Essilorluxottica SA	IXUS +0.12 points	0.03%	0.15%
Axa SA	IXUS +0.11 points	0.07%	0.18%
Macquarie Group Ltd	IXUS +0.11 points	0.05%	0.16%
Banco Bpm Spa	DFAX +0.11 points	0.15%	0.04%
Bayer AG	DFAX +0.11 points	0.24%	0.13%
Lenovo Group Ltd	DFAX +0.10 points	0.15%	0.05%
Nintendo Co Ltd	IXUS +0.11 points	0.03%	0.14%
Prosus NV	IXUS +0.10 points	<0.01%	0.11%
Sony Group Corp	IXUS +0.10 points	0.25%	0.35%
Franco-Nevada Corp	IXUS +0.10 points	<0.01%	0.10%
Murata Manufacturing Co L	IXUS +0.10 points	0.06%	0.16%
Tokio Marine Holdings Inc	IXUS +0.10 points	0.14%	0.24%
London Stock Exchange GroLSEG.L	IXUS +0.10 points	0.04%	0.14%
Advantest Corp	IXUS +0.09 points	0.30%	0.39%

All 10,279 DFAX holdings⁠All 4,580 IXUS holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

DFAX vs IXUS Cost

Overpaying DFAX vs IXUS

$4,275

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

DFAX 0.28%
$5,755
IXUS 0.07%
$1,480

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

DFAX 0.28%
IXUS 0.07%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	DFAX	IXUS	Overpaying
10	$509	$128	$381
20	$1,976	$503	$1,473
30	$5,755	$1,480	$4,275

Expense ratio

0.28%DFAX
0.07%IXUS, cheaper

IXUS0.07%DFAX0.28%

0.04%0.55%

Middle half of Total International Market funds
Median 0.23%

IXUS 3rd cheapest of 8 funds

DFAX 5th cheapest of 8 funds

DFAX vs IXUS Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): DFAX 2.50%; IXUS 3.04%, better
Payout (12M): DFAX $0.89; IXUS $2.80
Last payment: DFAX $0.22; IXUS $1.23
Ex-dividend: DFAX Sep 22, 2026; IXUS Jun 15, 2026
Paid on: DFAX Sep 24, 2026; IXUS Jun 18, 2026
Frequency: DFAX Quarterly; IXUS Twice a year

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

DFAXQuarterly · 21 paymentsAll DFAX payments⁠

IXUSTwice a year · 20 paymentsAll IXUS payments⁠

DFAX vs IXUS Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

DFAX
IXUS

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: DFAX 12.3%IXUS 11.9%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: DFAX 1.30, betterIXUS 1.28
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: DFAX −27.8%, betterIXUS −29.4%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: DFAX 0.97IXUS 0.92; Market = 1

DFAX and IXUS in the news

All news⁠

New ETFs
Avantis lists an international stock ETF with Vanguard on top
Oct 5, 2026DFAXIXUS
Best ETFs
Best international ETFs: one cheap fund, then the Korea choice
Updated Nov 2, 2026IXUS
New ETFs
Avantis Investors' Avantis U.S. Core Equity ETF AVUC overlaps a fund it already runs
Oct 16, 2026IXUS
Best ETFs
Vanguard's total international fund is the one-fund pick, and Korea splits the rest
Updated Oct 2, 2026IXUS

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DFAX vs IXUS

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it