Dimensional International Small Cap Value ETF

DISV

Market cap $3.61B

Dimensional International Small Cap Value ETF is an actively managed fund holding about 1,500 international small caps. DISV is diversified across sectors and holdings, with a focus on Japan. The fund has outperformed international benchmarks and the S&P 500 since its inception.

U.S. stocks are trading at high valuations relative to historical averages, pointing to a long period of weak performance.

It's true that it's been a challenging year for U.S. small-cap ETFs. Using the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) as a benchmark for the category, we immediately see that 2025 has been marked by red ink.

Dimensional International Small Cap Value ETF's market-cap weighted approach focuses on small, non-U.S. companies in developed markets, aiming for long-term capital appreciation but not ideal for income seekers. Here I compare DISV with other ETFs, both International and U.S.-only reveals sector allocation differences that can impact performance. I rate DISV a Hold; while it diversifies, U.S. equities remain the superior long-term choice for most investors due to better risk-return.

Little-known China AI startup DeepSeek sent fear rippling throughout the markets this week by announcing major strides in its large language model technology at just a fraction of the cost of what many experts thought possible. That sparked a mini-collapse among big-cap tech stocks like Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia, which tumbled 20% at its low.