DFGX vs SDFI: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Dimensional International Core Fixed Income ETF

DFGXANasdaq

AB Short Duration Income ETF

SDFIBNYSE Arca

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

DFGX −0.10pt a year

DFGX0.20%SDFI0.30%

Avg volume · 30D

DFGX 9.3×the volume

DFGX218KSDFI23.5K

DFGX vs SDFI Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−0.7%DFGX+2.1%SDFI

Expense ratio: DFGX 0.20%, better; SDFI 0.30%
Fund size: DFGX $1.93B; SDFI $192M
1Y total return: DFGX −0.7%; SDFI +2.1%, better
Yield (12M): DFGX 4.93%, better; SDFI 4.56%
Holdings: DFGX 822; SDFI 592
Avg volume (30D): DFGX 218K sh, better; SDFI 23.5K sh
NAV per share: DFGX $51.64; SDFI $35.06
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for DFGX, SDFI, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	DFGX	SDFI
Cost30% weight	A95Higher	A80
Mission25% weight	A87Higher	A70
Risk15% weight	D33	A79Higher
Tradability15% weight	B64Higher	C49
Holdings10% weight	A79Higher	C43
Durability5% weight	B57Higher	F24

Rank among Global Aggregate Bond (Unhedged) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. DFGX and SDFI are both graded against the same 28 Global Aggregate Bond (Unhedged) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Global Aggregate Bond (Unhedged)⁠

Category · 28 funds

See all 28 ›

DFGX ranks 4th and SDFI 10th of 28 funds in the Global Aggregate Bond (Unhedged) Category.

Rank 1ADFGPDimensional Global Core Plus Fixed Income ETFScore 80
Rank 2ABNDWVanguard Total World Bond ETFScore 77
Rank 2AGRNBVanEck Green Bond ETFScore 77
Rank 4ADFGXDimensional International Core Fixed Income ETFScore 75
Rank 4ADFSBDimensional Global Sustainability Fixed Income ETFScore 75
Rank 10BFLXRTCW Flexible Income ETFScore 66
Rank 10BSDFIAB Short Duration Income ETFScore 66
Rank 10BSDSIAmerican Century Short Duration Strategic Income ETFScore 66

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFGXADimensional International Core Fixed Income ETF

SDFIBAB Short Duration Income ETF

In short

DFGX Dimensional's bond sleeve for everything outside the US: roughly 700 mostly developed-market issues at 0.20%, net of a waiver through February 28, 2027. Built to sit beside a US core, not re-buy it.

SDFI A converted mutual fund, not an index clone: AB's bond team roams corporate, securitized and government debt while keeping duration on a short leash. It costs less than the typical fund in its cohort and pays monthly.

Stated mandate

DFGX The fund seeks to maximize total returns through income and capital appreciation.

SDFI The fund is actively managed and invests across multiple bond sectors with a short-duration focus. It seeks attractive income while aiming to maximize risk-adjusted returns.

Why people hold it

DFGX Costs 0.20% net of a waiver through February 28, 2027 (0.21% gross), below the category median and under sibling DFGP at 0.22% net of a waiver through the same date.
Ex-US by design: roughly 700 bonds, mostly developed-market governments, agencies and corporates, with maturities inside 20 years from settlement.sec.gov
Run systematically, with exposure to duration, credit quality and currency of issuance adjusted from market prices rather than copied from an index bond for bond.dimensional.com
A billion-dollar-plus fund and one of the stronger implementations in its global bond peer group, paying income quarterly.

SDFI Active multi-sector mandate: managers pick across corporate, securitized and government bonds instead of copying one index.prnewswire.com
At 0.30% a year, it sits below the median fee in its bond cohort.
Average duration typically stays under three years, so rate swings move its price less than a core aggregate bond portfolio.alliancebernstein.com aaii.com
Pays monthly, spread across roughly 600 bond positions.

Worth knowing

DFGX Foreign bonds mean two moving parts: local interest rates and exchange rates. The ride can differ from a US core holding.sec.gov
Not a plain index tracker, so results can drift from a global ex-US bond benchmark in either direction.dimensional.com
A 2023 launch and moderate trading volume: a shorter record than long-standing global bond funds, and spreads can widen in fast markets.sec.gov

SDFI You pay for the active call. Index anchors in the same cohort (BND, SPAB, SCHZ) charge 0.03%.
Thinly traded and modest in size, so spreads can run wider than the category's volume leaders.
Listed in June 2024 as a mutual fund conversion, so the ETF-era track record is short.prnewswire.com

Full DFGX profile⁠

Full SDFI profile⁠

DFGX vs SDFI Holdings

How DFGX and SDFI differ

No overlap figure

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues.

Level by level

Countryby domicile29.4%
Asset classFixed Income100%

Sector

No Sector split for DFGX and SDFI.

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in DFGX and SDFI, widest gap first
Country	More in DFGXMore in SDFI	DFGX	SDFI
United States	SDFI +62.9 points	16.0%	78.9%
Japan	DFGX +18.1 points	19.2%	1.1%
Canada	DFGX +15.4 points	17.4%	2.0%
France	DFGX +7.7 points	8.9%	1.2%
Netherlands	DFGX +6.7 points	7.5%	0.8%
United Kingdom	DFGX +4.5 points	9.2%	4.7%
Cayman Islands	SDFI +3.9 points	0.0%	3.9%
New Zealand	DFGX +3.5 points	3.7%	0.2%
Other countries (18)	DFGX +10.9 points	18.0%	7.1%

Outside the US: DFGX 100% developed, 0% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

DFGX14.3%
SDFI33.2%

Securities held

DFGX721
SDFI586

Asset class

DFGX: Fixed Income
SDFI: Fixed Income

Holdings

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues, so this page lists no shared Holdings. DFGX holds 721 securities, SDFI 586.

All 666 DFGX holdings⁠All 588 SDFI 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.

DFGX vs SDFI Cost

Overpaying SDFI vs DFGX

$1,994

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

DFGX 0.20%
$4,155
SDFI 0.30%
$6,149

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

DFGX 0.20%
SDFI 0.30%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	DFGX	SDFI	Overpaying
10	$365	$545	$180
20	$1,421	$2,113	$692
30	$4,155	$6,149	$1,994

Expense ratio

0.20%DFGX, cheaper
0.30%SDFI

DFGX0.20%SDFI0.30%

0.05%1.15%

Middle half of Global Aggregate Bond (Unhedged) funds
Median 0.40%

DFGX 2nd cheapest of 28 funds

SDFI 6th cheapest of 28 funds

DFGX vs SDFI Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): DFGX 4.93%, better; SDFI 4.56%
Payout (12M): DFGX $2.55; SDFI $1.60
Last payment: DFGX $0.20; SDFI $0.13
Ex-dividend: DFGX Oct 20, 2026; SDFI Oct 1, 2026
Paid on: DFGX Oct 22, 2026; SDFI Oct 6, 2026
Frequency: DFGX Irregular; SDFI Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

DFGXIrregular · 15 paymentsAll DFGX payments⁠

SDFIMonthly · 28 paymentsAll SDFI payments⁠

DFGX vs SDFI Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: DFGX 4.1%since Dec 2023SDFI 2.1%since Jul 2024
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: DFGX −0.16since Dec 2023SDFI 0.19since Jul 2024
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: DFGX −3.4%since Nov 2023SDFI −1.6%since Jun 2024
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: DFGX 0.20SDFI 0.37; Market = 1

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