Desjardins Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF (DCU)
Important Information
WOWA.ca is an independent information website. We are not affiliated with Desjardins Investments or Desjardins Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF. This page is for general information only and is not investment advice, an offer or a solicitation. Past returns don’t guarantee future results.
- Investment focus:Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds
- Category:Canadian diversified bonds
- Management style:Index (passive)
- Managed by:Desjardins Investments
- Market data as of:October 30, 2026
With C$2.59 billion in assets, DCU is the 19th largest of the 42 bond ETFs WOWA tracks. Its management expense ratio (MER) is 0.08%, and over the past 12 months it paid out 3.35% of its unit price in distributions.
Jump to section: Overview • Index • Performance • Distributions • Risks • Fit • Ranking • Compare
AUM
C$2.59B
as of Oct 30, 2026
MER
0.08%
annual cost
Trailing yield
3.35%
past 12 months
5-year return
0.59%
annualized
About DCU
Desjardins Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF (DCU) is a bond ETF from Desjardins Investments, launched on April 3, 2017. It tracks a Solactive index of the broad Canadian investment-grade bond market, from governments, Crown corporations and companies.
What DCU tracks
| Fund detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Index | Solactive Canadian Bond Universe TR Index |
| Rebalancing | Quarterly, following the index |
Solactive’s index covers the broad investment-grade bond market in Canadian dollars: Ottawa, the provinces, cities, Crown corporations and companies. Federal and provincial bonds make up most of it, which keeps credit quality high. Interest payments are counted as reinvested.
DCU fund facts
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Fund detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Fund basics | |
| Ticker | DCU |
| Provider | Desjardins Investments |
| Inception date | April 3, 2017 |
| Legal structure | Mutual fund trust |
| Management style | Index (passive) |
| Portfolio | |
| Bond market | Canada |
| Bond sector | Aggregate |
| Maturity segment | Broad |
| Credit mandate | Investment grade |
| Currency treatment | Canadian-dollar bonds |
| Number of holdings | 1,696 (as of September 14, 2026) |
| Costs and distributions | |
| Management fee | 0.07% |
| MER | 0.08% |
| Distribution frequency | Monthly |
| Trailing distribution yield | 3.35% |
| Risk rating (issuer) | Low |
| Size and trading | |
| Assets under management | C$2.59 billion (as of October 30, 2026) |
| Average daily volume | 8,062 units a day (listing exchange) |
DCU performance
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Period | DCU | Canadian diversified median |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | -0.35% | -0.41% |
| 3 years, annualized | 4.80% | 4.86% |
| 5 years, annualized | 0.59% | 0.70% |
| 10 years, annualized | N/A | 1.44% |
Total returns with distributions reinvested, in CAD, as of October 30, 2026. Category median: the middle value among the funds in the Canadian diversified group with a return for that period (14 funds for one year, 13 for three and five years, 8 for ten years). N/A: no complete return record for the period. Past performance does not predict future results.
$10,000 invested in DCU five years ago would be worth about $10,300 as of October 30, 2026, with distributions reinvested and before taxes and trading costs.
Risk and return measures
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Measure | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatility | 5.01% | 5.99% | N/A |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.31 | -0.40 | N/A |
Volatility shows how much monthly returns have swung, as a yearly percentage. The Sharpe ratio compares the return above 3-month Government of Canada T-bills with that volatility. Higher means more return for each unit of risk, and below 0 means the fund earned less than T-bills.
DCU distributions
DCU pays distributions monthly. Over the 12 months to October 30, 2026, it paid 3.35% of its unit price, its trailing distribution yield. Amounts can change from one payment to the next.
What DCU’s 2025 distributions were made of
| Component | Share of total |
|---|---|
| Total distribution per unit | $0.5832 |
| Interest and other income | 92.70% |
| Foreign income | 1.20% |
| Capital gains | 6.00% |
| Return of capital | 0.10% |
- Interest and other income is taxed like employment income in a non-registered account.
- Foreign income is also taxed as regular income. For funds that hold foreign bonds, it is mostly interest from those bonds.
- Capital gains are taxed more lightly than interest.
- Return of capital is not taxed when you receive it, but it lowers your adjusted cost base, which raises the capital gain when you sell.
Inside a TFSA or RRSP, the type of income does not change your tax. Our guide to registered and non-registered accounts explains the trade-offs.
2025 tax-year breakdown reported for the fund. Shares of the total distribution per unit.
Risks to know
Desjardins Investments rates DCU’s risk as low on the standard Canadian fund scale, which runs from low to high. The rating reflects how much the fund’s returns have varied, not the chance that a borrower defaults.
Bond prices fall when interest rates rise. Close to half the fund is federal government debt, which keeps credit risk low.
- Credit: It holds mostly government and investment-grade company debt, so default risk is low.
Is DCU a good fit?
| Good fit if you | Think twice if you |
|---|---|
| want one core holding that covers the Canadian investment-grade bond market. | may need the money within a year or two: its price can fall noticeably when yields rise. |
| want a low-cost fund: its 0.08% MER is below the Canadian diversified median of 0.10%. | need a set amount back on a set date: a bond ETF has no maturity date, unlike a GIC. |
General pointers based on the fund’s category, structure and costs, not personal advice.
How DCU ranks
By assets
19th
of 42 bond ETFs
By lowest MER
1st (tied)
of 42 bond ETFs
By 5-year return
11th
of 13 Canadian diversified bond ETFs
DCU ranks 19th by assets among the 42 bond ETFs WOWA monitors, 1st (tied) by lowest MER, and 11th of 13 by five-year return in the Canadian diversified group, as of October 30, 2026. See the full list of Canadian bond ETFs.
Compare DCU with similar bond ETFs
DCU is in the Canadian diversified group on our Best Canadian Bond ETFs page. These are the largest other funds in that group.
ETF data as of October 30, 2026
Updated weekly| Ticker | Exposure and strategy | 5-year return | MER | Trailing yield | AUM (CAD B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCU | Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds | 0.59% | 0.08% | 3.35% | 2.59 |
| ZAG | Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds | 0.64% | 0.09% | 3.45% | 13.24 |
| XBB | Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds | 0.70% | 0.10% | 3.52% | 10.94 |
| VAB | Canadian investment-grade government and corporate bonds | 0.66% | 0.08% | 3.42% | 7.76 |
| FCCB | Canadian investment-grade bonds with a corporate tilt | 1.01% | 0.28% | 3.73% | 4.93 |
See all 14 funds in this group.
Other bond ETFs from Desjardins Investments
| Fund | Investment focus | AUM |
|---|---|---|
| Desjardins Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF (DCBC) | Canadian investment-grade corporate bonds | C$1.64B |
How to buy DCU
You can buy DCU through any Canadian brokerage account, including a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA, by searching for its ticker. When comparing Canadian trading platforms, look at commissions, account fees and currency-conversion costs.
Before you place the order, check the bid-ask spread and consider a limit order, which caps the price you pay but may not fill. If this is your first account, our brokerage account guide walks you through opening one. Buying inside a TFSA? Our guide to the best TFSA investment options covers the other choices for that account.
If you’re from Desjardins Investments and would like to add or update information on this page, please contact us.
Returns, volatility, Sharpe ratios, trailing yield and trading volume: WOWA calculations from Yahoo Finance prices adjusted for distributions, as of October 30, 2026. Assets under management: as of October 30, 2026. Fees, risk rating and inception date: Desjardins Investments fund documents. Distribution breakdown: 2025 tax year. Fund page: Desjardins Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF.
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and is not investment advice. WOWA does not recommend any specific fund. Figures come from issuer and third-party sources, may contain errors and can change after publication, so check the fund’s own documents before you invest.