ETF Evaluator:
Defiance Autism Impact ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Health Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
Defiance Autism Impact ETF Overview
Defiance Autism Impact ETF (ASD) is a passively managed Sector Equity Health exchange-traded fund (ETF). Defiance ETFs LLC launched the ETF in 2026.
The investment seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the VettaFi Autism Impact Index (the “Index”).
Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in Autism Impact Companies. The index is designed to measure the performance of publicly traded global companies in developed markets that provide products, services and/or research supporting the autism ecosystem comprised of individuals on the autism spectrum and within the broader neurodivergent community (“Autism Impact Companies”). It is non-diversified.
About Defiance Autism Impact ETF (ASD)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.16 years: Dustin Lewellyn (2026), Ernesto Tong (2026) and Christine Johanson (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: VettaFi Autism Impact TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Defiance Autism Impact ETF has 41 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 31.2% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Defiance Autism Impact ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Defiance Autism Impact ETF has 38.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 61.0% There is 38.8% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Defiance Autism Impact ETF has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Health category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
ASD Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Defiance Autism Impact ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Health category. Defiance Autism Impact ETF has an expense ratio of 0.79%, which is 53% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Defiance Autism Impact ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 45% for the Health category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Defiance Autism Impact ETF returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Health category had an average return of -0.1%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Defiance Autism Impact ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 1.10% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
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ASD Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| ASD Return (NAV) | -1.4% | na | na | na | na | na |
| ASD Return (Price) | 0.3% | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -1.778% | na | na | na | na | na |
| Health Avg | -0.1% | 11.2% | 36.9% | 9.9% | 1.6% | 8.7% |
| ASD Grade (NAV) | D | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -1.4% | na | na | na | na | na |
| ASD Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | na | na | na | na |
ASD Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ASD Return (NAV) | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| ASD Return (Price) | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Health Avg | 9.7% | 21.8% | 0.1% | 2.2% | -16.3% | 4.3% | 30.5% | 25.4% | -1.5% | 26.5% | -10.2% |
| ASD Grade (NAV) | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | -- |
| Total Assets: | $ 1 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1 Mil |
| Turnover: | na |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.79% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | VettaFi Autism Impact TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | Yes |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 0.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 0.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lewellyn Dustin (2026), Tong Ernesto (2026), Johanson Christine (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 41 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 31.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 38.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 61.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 38.8% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.1% |
| Cash: | 0.2% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Defiance ETFs LLC |
| Phone Number: | 800-617-0004 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | June 1, 2026 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.79% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
