Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF
Performance
Total return to 23 Oct 2026, distributions reinvested, before franking. ASX figures are to 30 Sept 2026 and gross of franking, so they run higher for franked Australian funds.
What it costs to hold
Management fee plus trading costs, compared with similar funds.
A typical fund among Global ex-Australia equity funds would cost $296 (0.59% a year), so DGSM is $4 dearer.
Spread is the average gap between buying and selling prices on the ASX. Fees are shown on a flat balance, not compounded on growth. Excludes tax and any adviser or platform fees.
Calendar-year returns
Where the money is
The issuer does not publish machine-readable holdings for this fund, so exposures and holdings overlap are not available. Return correlations still are.
Monthly returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | −0.0 | 1.6 | −4.3 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 5.1 | −2.0 | −0.2 | −0.8 | −0.6 | 6.6YTD | ||
| 2025 | 3.3 | −4.7 | −3.9 | −1.8 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | −0.3 | −0.1 | 2.3 | −0.1 | 8.2 |
| 2024 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 7.0 | −1.4 | 10.0 |
Total return each month in %, distributions reinvested, before franking. The latest month runs to the last price date. The first year starts from listing.
Most similar funds
Overlap is the share of the portfolio held in common, look-through. Correlation is of daily returns. High overlap means close substitutes.
DGSM questions answered
Written from the latest data on this page. General information only, not financial advice.
How diversified is Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF?
The issuer of Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF doesn't publish its holdings in a form we can read, so we can't measure how diversified it is. It is classed as equity with a Global ex-Australia focus; the product disclosure statement (PDS) and the issuer's fact sheet list what it owns.
Which ETFs does DGSM double up with most?
We can't compare holdings for DGSM, as the issuer doesn't publish them in a form we can read, but its returns move most closely with Vanguard MSCI International Small Companies Index ETF (VISM) (correlation 0.85), iShares S&P Midcap ETF (IJH) (correlation 0.83) and iShares S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) (correlation 0.83). A correlation near 1 means the two funds tend to rise and fall together, so holding both adds little diversification.
How is Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF managed – active or passive?
Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF is actively managed. Rather than tracking an index, a fund manager at DFA decides what to buy and sell, aiming to do better than the market after fees.
Among Global ex-Australia equity funds, active funds charge a median 0.75% a year and index funds 0.45%.
What will I pay in fees for DGSM?
DGSM charges a management fee of 0.55% a year, about $55 for every $10,000 invested. Only 36% of the 471 ASX ETFs we track charge more, and the median fee is 0.44%. Among Global ex-Australia equity funds, the median is 0.55%.
Lower-cost funds with a similar focus include Vanguard MSCI International Small Companies Index ETF (VISM) at 0.32%, Global X MSCI International Small and Mid Cap ETF (ISMD) at 0.45% and Macquarie Global Small Companies Active ETF (MQXS) at 0.45%.
The fee is taken from the fund's assets and is already reflected in its returns. You'll also pay brokerage when you buy or sell, and the bid-ask spread, which has averaged 0.25% for DGSM.
Does Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF follow a theme?
Not a theme as such, but it follows a small-company investment style: it focuses on companies below the largest by market size.
Other ASX funds using a small-company approach include Vanguard MSCI Australian Small Companies Index ETF (VSO), Vanguard MSCI International Small Companies Index ETF (VISM), iShares S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) and Firetrail Australian Small Companies Fund - Active ETF (FSML).
What is under the hood of DGSM?
The issuer doesn't publish DGSM's holdings in a form we can read. Its website and fact sheet list the full portfolio.
As an active fund it has no index rule: the manager decides which investments to hold and how much of each, within the limits set out in the PDS.
How well has Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF performed?
Based on its category, Dimensional Global Small Company - Active ETF aims to grow your capital faster than its market after fees.
To 23 Oct 2026, with distributions reinvested, it returned 7.5% over 1 year (median 6.3%; ranked 54 of 121). The medians and rankings compare it with Global ex-Australia equity funds. Since listing in 2024 it has returned 13.1% a year.
As an active fund, DGSM has no index to track. The fairer test is whether it beats similar funds and its market after fees, over several years.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.