DFIC vs SSXU: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Dimensional International Core Equity 2 ETF

DFICACboe

Day Hagan Smart Sector International ETF

SSXUDNYSE Arca

Overlap

0.4%by weight

Expense ratio

DFIC −0.97pt a year

DFIC0.22%SSXU1.19%

Avg volume · 30D

DFIC 343.7×the volume

DFIC1.85MSSXU5.39K

3Y return · a year

DFIC +9.1pt

DFIC+21.7%SSXU+12.6%

DFIC vs SSXU Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+16.8%DFIC+1.7%SSXU

Expense ratio: DFIC 0.22%, better; SSXU 1.19%
Fund size: DFIC $15.3B; SSXU $44M
1Y total return: DFIC +16.8%, better; SSXU +1.7%
Yield (12M): DFIC 2.55%; SSXU 2.68%, better
Holdings: DFIC 4152; SSXU 18
Avg volume (30D): DFIC 1.85M sh, better; SSXU 5.39K sh
NAV per share: DFIC $37.56; SSXU $34.71
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for DFIC, SSXU, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	DFIC	SSXU
Cost30% weight	A98Higher	F2
Mission25% weight	A100Higher	B61
Risk15% weight	B69Higher	C52
Tradability15% weight	A81Higher	B62
Holdings10% weight	A91Higher	D35
Durability5% weight	A91Higher	C53

Rank among International Active Equity funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. DFIC and SSXU are both graded against the same 55 International Active Equity funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

International Active Equity⁠

Category · 55 funds

See all 55 ›

DFIC ranks 1st and SSXU 46th of 55 funds in the International Active Equity Category.

Rank 1AAVDEAvantis International Equity ETFScore 87
Rank 1ADFICDimensional International Core Equity 2 ETFScore 87
Rank 3AJIREJPMorgan International Research Enhanced Equity ETFScore 79
Rank 46DJIDEJPMorgan International Dynamic ETFScore 31
Rank 46DSSXUDay Hagan Smart Sector International ETFScore 31
Rank 48DIVSXApplied Finance IVS International SMID ETFScore 30

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFICADimensional International Core Equity 2 ETF

SSXUDDay Hagan Smart Sector International ETF

In short

DFIC No data

SSXU An international stock fund with a brake pedal: it owns other managers' overseas ETFs and, when its models read reward-to-risk as poor, can shift up to half the portfolio into cash or Treasuries. The machinery costs 1.19% a year.

Stated mandate

DFIC No data

SSXU The Fund seeks total return through income and capital appreciation. It actively invests mainly in unaffiliated international equity ETFs and adjusts geographic exposures relative to the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index.

Why people hold it

DFIC No data

SSXU Built-in brake: when the models co-developed with Ned Davis Research flag a low reward-to-risk setup, the fund can hold up to 50% in cash, Treasuries or money market funds, or hedge with derivatives.sec.gov
One ticker, a world map: it holds unaffiliated international equity ETFs and tilts regions over- and underweight against the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index, developed and emerging markets alike.
Rules over hunches: region-specific quantitative models set the allocation, the same Smart Sector framework Day Hagan has run in this ETF since its 2022 launch.dayhagan.com

Worth knowing

DFIC No data

SSXU Cost is the trade-off: 1.19% a year, above the median for its international peer group and well above DFIC (0.22%), AVDE (0.23%) and TACN (0%, net of a waiver through January 30, 2027).
Small and thinly traded, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on giant index ETFs, and payouts arrive once or twice a year rather than monthly.
The defense cuts both ways: parking up to half in cash or hedges can soften a slide, and it can also leave the fund trailing when overseas markets run hot.sec.gov

Full DFIC profile⁠

Full SSXU profile⁠

DFIC vs SSXU Holdings

How DFIC and SSXU differ

Overlap by weight

0.4%

Shared holdings make up 0.9% of SSXU and 0.4% of DFIC.

Level by level

Holdings0 in both0.4%
Countryby domicile60.2%
Sector11 Sectors83.6%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in DFIC and SSXU, widest gap first
Sector	More in DFICMore in SSXU	DFIC	SSXU
Technology	SSXU +12.9 points	8.4%	21.3%
Industrials	DFIC +6.0 points	19.3%	13.3%
Materials	DFIC +4.7 points	11.0%	6.3%
Energy	DFIC +3.4 points	7.8%	4.4%
Communication	SSXU +2.3 points	4.1%	6.4%
Consumer Staples	DFIC +1.4 points	6.3%	4.9%
Health Care	DFIC +1.0 points	7.2%	6.2%
Financials	SSXU +0.7 points	21.8%	22.5%
Real Estate	SSXU +0.4 points	1.6%	2.0%
Consumer Discretionary	SSXU +0.2 points	9.4%	9.6%
Utilities	DFIC +0.1 points	3.2%	3.1%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in DFIC and SSXU, widest gap first
Country	More in DFICMore in SSXU	DFIC	SSXU
Taiwan	SSXU +12.5 points	0.0%	12.5%
South Korea	SSXU +8.2 points	0.0%	8.2%
Canada	DFIC +7.5 points	11.6%	4.1%
China	SSXU +6.8 points	0.2%	7.0%
Germany	DFIC +4.8 points	7.3%	2.5%
Australia	DFIC +3.9 points	5.9%	2.0%
France	DFIC +3.6 points	6.1%	2.5%
Japan	DFIC +3.6 points	24.4%	20.8%
Other countries (26)	DFIC +4.0 points	44.5%	40.5%

Outside the US: DFIC 98% developed, 2% emerging. SSXU 61% developed, 39% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

DFIC7.1%
SSXU81.5%

Securities held

DFIC4,131
SSXU17

Asset class

DFIC: Equity
SSXU: Equity

Holdings

Only in DFIC4,131
In both0
Only in SSXU17

Only in DFIC

4,131 securities, 99.5% of DFIC by weight

Shell PLC1.15%
Asml Holding NV1.09%
Totalenergies SE0.76%
Novartis AG Adr0.76%
Roche Holding AG0.70%
Nestle SA0.64%
Royal Bank of Canada0.64%
Allianz SE0.49%
Toyota Motor Corp0.46%
Bp PLC0.44%
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Arge0.41%
Suncor Energy Inc.0.41%
Bhp Group Ltd0.39%
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC0.39%
Hsbc Holdings PLC0.39%
Deutsche Telekom AG0.38%
Canadian Natural Resource0.37%
Toronto-Dominion Bank0.37%
Bayer AG0.36%
Mitsubishi Ufj Financial0.36%
Unicredit Spa0.34%
Sony Group Corp0.33%
Basf SE0.33%
Astrazeneca PLC0.33%
Advantest Corp0.33%
Hitachi Ltd0.31%
Tesco PLC0.31%
Infineon Technologies AG0.31%
Dhl AG0.30%
Recruit Holdings Co Ltd0.30%
Eni Spa0.30%
E.on SE0.29%
Rio Tinto PLC0.29%
Engie SA0.28%
Cenovus Energy Inc0.27%
Repsol SA0.27%
Siemens AG0.26%
Orange SA0.26%
National Bank of Canada0.25%
Muenchener Rueckversicher0.25%
Bhp Group Ltd0.25%
Tokyo Electron Ltd0.24%
Siemens Energy AG0.24%
Intact Financial Corp0.24%
Dbs Group Holdings Ltd0.23%
Standard Chartered PLC0.23%
Zurich Insurance Group AG0.23%
Barrick Mining Corp0.23%
Vinci SA0.22%
Barclays PLC0.22%

Only in SSXU

17 securities, 99.1% of SSXU by weight

Franklin FTSE Japan ETF20.69%
Ishares Msci Taiwan Capped E12.53%
Franklin Ftse United King9.77%
Ishares Msci South Korea Cap8.15%
Ishares Msci Switzerland Cap8.14%
Ishares Msci China Etf7.25%
Ishares Msci Netherlands Etf4.99%
Franklin Ftse Canada Etf4.11%
Ishares Msci Mexico Capped3.01%
Ishares Msci Philippines Etf2.87%
Ishares Msci Italy Capped Et2.83%
Ishares Msci Spain Capped Et2.82%
Ishares Msci Thailand Capped2.81%
Ishares Msci France Etf2.72%
Ishares Msci Germany Etf2.51%
Franklin Ftse India Etf1.95%
Ishares Msci Australia Etf1.92%

Weight gaps

DFIC and SSXU share no securities.

All 4,139 DFIC holdings⁠All SSXU 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.

DFIC vs SSXU Cost

Overpaying SSXU vs DFIC

$17,139

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

DFIC 0.22%
$4,558
SSXU 1.19%
$21,697

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

DFIC 0.22%
SSXU 1.19%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	DFIC	SSXU	Overpaying
10	$401	$2,081	$1,680
20	$1,561	$7,756	$6,195
30	$4,558	$21,697	$17,139

Expense ratio

0.22%DFIC, cheaper
1.19%SSXU

DFIC0.22%SSXU1.19%

0.00%1.49%

Middle half of International Active Equity funds
Median 0.55%

DFIC 2nd cheapest of 55 funds

SSXU 54th cheapest of 55 funds

DFIC vs SSXU Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): DFIC 2.55%; SSXU 2.68%, better
Payout (12M): DFIC $0.96; SSXU $0.91
Last payment: DFIC $0.19; SSXU $0.91
Ex-dividend: DFIC Sep 22, 2026; SSXU Dec 29, 2025
Paid on: DFIC Sep 24, 2026; SSXU Dec 30, 2025
Frequency: DFIC Quarterly; SSXU Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2022 to 2026, same scale for both

DFICQuarterly · 18 paymentsAll DFIC payments⁠

SSXUAnnual · 4 paymentsAll SSXU payments⁠

DFIC vs SSXU Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: DFIC 11.9%SSXU 10.5%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: DFIC 1.35, betterSSXU 0.76
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: DFIC −24.4%since Mar 2022SSXU −13.9%since Jul 2022
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: DFIC 0.92SSXU 0.69; Market = 1

DFIC and SSXU in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
Causeway files its first ETFs into a 0.22% to 0.39% category, its own fee blank
Sep 18, 2026DFIC

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DFIC vs SSXU

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it

Worth knowing

How DFIC and SSXU differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in DFIC

Only in SSXU

Weight gaps

Cost over time

Year by year

Distribution history

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

Causeway files its first ETFs into a 0.22% to 0.39% category, its own fee blank

How DFIC and SSXU differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in DFIC

Only in SSXU

Weight gaps