GSWO vs OEFA

GSWOAGoldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Equity ETF

OEFADALPS O'Shares International Developed Quality Dividend ETF

In short

GSWO Four factor tilts (value, momentum, quality, low volatility) on developed markets outside the US, for 15 basis points. Goldman's ActiveBeta rules at a price closer to an index fund than an active one.

OEFA A tight, opinionated take on foreign dividends: roughly 50 developed-market large and mid caps that clear a quality screen first, income second. Running since 2015, and it sticks closely to the index on the label.

Stated mandate

GSWO The fund is an ActiveBeta World Equity ETF designed to track an ActiveBeta Index and provide exposure to value, momentum, quality, and low-volatility characteristics.

OEFA OEFA seeks to track the O'Shares International Developed Quality Dividend Index, providing access to high-quality, dividend-paying large- and mid-cap companies in developed ex-US markets.

Why people hold it

• GSWO 0.15% a year against a 0.69% median for its global active-equity peers, and cheaper than fellow top-graded names DFAW (0.24%) and AVGE (0.25%).
• Value, momentum, quality and low volatility come from one published ActiveBeta index methodology, not a manager's discretionary call.gsam.com
• Stands among the strongest implementations in its global equity peer group: a multi-billion-dollar fund in the standard 1940 Act ETF wrapper that pays quarterly.

• OEFA Roughly 50 names, not hundreds. A quality screen does the filtering, then dividend-paying large and mid caps from developed markets outside the US fill the book.
• Sticks closely to the O'Shares International Developed Quality Dividend Index it advertises, so the name on the tin matches what is actually inside.
• Trading since 2015, with a real record through several market moods, and it pays on a quarterly schedule.

Worth knowing

• GSWO Despite the "World" name, the reference index is MSCI World ex USA, so US stocks sit outside the mandate.
• Launched in 2022, so the live record is short, and factor blends can trail plain cap-weighted benchmarks for long stretches.
• Four factors in one basket can pull against each other; the net tilt is milder than a single-factor fund.

• OEFA At 0.48% a year it costs more than the typical international multifactor fund (0.38% median), and well above cheap peers like INTF at 0.16% or GSIE at 0.25%.
• A small fund that trades thinly, so bid-ask spreads and order size matter more here than with the category's giants.
• Roughly 50 stocks cuts both ways: individual names, sectors and currencies move this portfolio more than they would a broad developed-markets index.

Full GSWO profile⁠

Full OEFA profile⁠