DFTT vs VFMO

DFTTCDF Tactical 30 ETF

VFMOAVanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF

In short

DFTT Most momentum funds smear the factor across hundreds of stocks. DFTT goes the other way: a formulaic index ranks the 100 largest U.S. companies on price momentum and keeps just 30. Concentrated, rules-driven, and brand new (it launched in November 2025).

VFMO Vanguard doing active. A quant team buys the strongest recent performers across the entire US market, roughly 600 names deep, at 0.13% a year for a job that usually costs several times more.

Stated mandate

DFTT The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by tracking a formulaic index that allocates to 30 of the largest 100 U.S. stocks using price momentum.

VFMO The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in U.S. stocks with strong recent performance selected through the advisor’s quantitative process.

Why people hold it

• DFTT Concentration by design: the index ranks the 100 largest U.S. stocks on price momentum and holds 30 of them, so the leaders carry real weight instead of being diluted.
• The process is written down. A published benchmark, the DF Risk-Managed Tactical 30 Index, does the selecting, so the portfolio doesn't hinge on a manager's gut call.
• Large-cap universe only: momentum is applied inside the 100 biggest U.S. companies, so the names are familiar blue chips rather than small-cap flyers.

• VFMO Costs 0.13% a year, sitting with the cheapest systematic momentum funds (JMOM 0.12%, SPMO 0.13%, MTUM 0.15%) and well under the group's typical fee.
• Hunts winners across the full Russell 3000, small and mid caps included, and spreads the bet over about 600 stocks rather than a short list of mega caps.vanguard.com
• Actively run through Vanguard's quantitative process: the Russell 3000 is the yardstick, not a rulebook the fund has to copy on index-review day.vanguard.com
• A multi-billion-dollar fund paying quarterly, and one of the stronger implementations in the US momentum group on cost and portfolio construction.

Worth knowing

• DFTT At 0.70% the fee sits near the middle of the active momentum crowd, while index rivals SPMO, MTUM and VFMO run 0.12% to 0.15%. The tactical rules carry a price tag.
• It launched in November 2025, so the public record is short and the fund is still small and lightly traded, which usually means wider bid/ask spreads than category giants.
• Thirty names means each one matters: a single stock's move lands harder here than in a momentum index spread across hundreds of holdings.

• VFMO Momentum by design owns what has already run. When market leadership flips, this style tends to take the turn harder than a plain total-market fund.
• No index to hide behind. Results ride on Vanguard's model, and the portfolio can look very different from the Russell 3000 in either direction.
• Trading activity is moderate rather than category-leading, which shows up in spreads on large orders more than small ones.

Full DFTT profile⁠

Full VFMO profile⁠