Fund Evaluator:

DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl Overview

DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl (DAADX) is an actively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 2021.

The investment seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in emerging markets equity investments that are defined in the Prospectus as Approved Market securities. In determining which countries are eligible Approved Markets for the Portfolio, the Advisor may consider various factors, including, without limitation, the data, analysis, and classification of countries published or disseminated by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly known as the World Bank), the International Finance Corporation, FTSE International, and MSCI.

About DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl (DAADX)

There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.79 years: Jed Fogdall (2021), Allen Pu (2021), Mary Phillips (2021), William Collins-Dean (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI EM ex China NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has 3861 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 30.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has 96.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.7%. There is 96.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.1% 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). DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has 2.1% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $992 million average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts 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.

DAADX 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 DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has an expense ratio of 0.43%, which is 63% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 27%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 68% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.

Recently, in the month of August 2026, DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl returned 7.2%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of 3.9%. 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 funds in that category.

DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl has a trailing yield of 1.89%, which is above the 1.65% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.

DFA Emerging Mkts ex China Cr Eq Instl Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 32.7%, 9.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 49.2% over the past year (grade of A) and 24.3% over the past three years (grade of B).

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