


core defensive



For investors who want stable portfolio appreciation while building towards short-term financial goals.
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Invest in high-quality global bonds with a small allocation to equities for growth.
3.81
% p.a. returns (8Y). Designed for capital preservation with stable growth.
Compound returns with automatic dividend reinvesting and recurring transfer plans.


Our
Smart Beta
investment strategy
Portfolio aims to provide steady and consistent returns while minimising downside risk. Primarily investing in broadly diversified bond ETFs with a smaller allocation to global equity and gold ETFs.
learn moreComposition
Access diversified, institutional-grade solutions
in one portfolio.
Equities
20.06%
Bonds
67.15%
Commodities
12.79%
Treasuries
42.23%
Commodities
13.50%
Industrials
11.32%
Financials
7.12%
OTHERS
25.84%
Last update: 28th February 2025 14:30 SGT
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Past performance
Our Smart Beta strategy optimises your portfolio’s equity component to outperform the markets over time.
core defensive
avg ann return (8y)
3.81
S&P TARGET RISK conservative (SPTGCU)
avg ann return (8y)
4.09
Core Defensive
SPTGcu
Past returns are shown for illustrative purposes only. They are calculated before fees and in SGD terms unless otherwise specified. The past returns since inception (31 March 2021) are based on model portfolios returns which may not fully account for trading costs, tax implications and timing impacts. Past returns prior to portfolio inception date are based on our internal backtested data with information obtained from underlying fund managers. Past returns are not a guarantee for future performance.
Last update: 28th February 2025 14:30 SGT
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Stocks in US-listed technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Visa, Cisco, Intel etc
Projected returns
Versus S$40,000 when left uninvested
+ $500 monthly investment for 5 years
Core Defensive
Forecast range
To forecast future returns, we use sophisticated techniques such as the forward-looking Monte Carlo simulation to determine a realistic range of return for you.
2023
Optimistic
If the global financial environment is extremely positive then you might see this return. There is only a 5% likelihood your portfolio return will be at or above this number.
S$3,207,874
Median probability
If the global financial environment performs as expected then this is the median expected return. There is a 50% likelihood your portfolio return will be at or above this number.
S$3,207,874
Conservative
If the global financial environment is extremely negative then you might see this return. There is 95% likelihood your return would be at or above this number.
S$3,207,874
Featured ETFs in
your portfolio
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF
Exposure to attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages.
Dimensional US Targeted Value ETF
Exposure to small and mid cap U.S. value companies.
iShares US Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF
Exposure to the broad US Dollar denominated investment grade bond market.
iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
Exposure to U.S. dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds.
Comparing portfolios
Get started with or diversify your investments with a portfolio that best suits your needs.
core defensive
risk rating
Low
annualised returns (8Y)
asset allocation
recommended investment horizon
Short
(2+ years)
core equity100
core growth
core balanced
High
Moderately high
Moderately low
Long
(10+ years)
Medium-long
(5+ years)
Medium
(3+ years)
Why invest with Syfe?
Learn how our Core portfolios stack against other strategies like traditional ETF investing.
syfe core
diy etf investing
cdp and brokerage account
Not required
Required
expected returns
Per index
Dependent on
individual skill and experience
automatic dividend reinvestment
biannual rebalancing
management fees
All-inclusive fee at
0.25% to 0.65% p.a.
Commission and brokerage fees payable per trade
TIME REQUIRED
Low
Significant
Related articles
asset class
%
Equity
20.06
Bonds
67.15
Commodity
12.79
equities
Bonds
commodities
ETF
SYM
BOL
CLASS
%
iShares Core Global Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF
Global investment grade bonds
AGGU
23.74%
iShares US Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF
Government bonds and other investment-grade bonds
IUAA
16.72%
SPDR Gold Shares
Physical Gold as underlying to 100% of the ETF
GLD
12.79%
iShares US Treasury Bond ETF
US government bonds with 1 to 30 years maturity
GOVT
7.67%
iShares TIPS Bond ETF
US government bonds whose face value increases with inflation
TIP
6.76%
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF
US government bonds with more than 20 years maturity
TLT
5.49%
iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF
Stocks in the 500+ biggest US-listed companies (market capitalisation weighted) such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Berkshire Hathaway etc
CSPX
4.64%
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
US-dollar denominated high-yield corporate bonds
USHY
3.44%
iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
US-dollar denominated investment-grade corporate bonds
LQD
3.32%
Xtrackers S&P 500 Equal Weight UCITS ETF
Stocks in the 500+ biggest US-listed companies (equal weighted) such as Hewlett Packard, Estee Lauder, Intel Corporation etc
XDEW
3.11%
Invesco QQQ Trust Series1
Stocks in 100 of the largest non-financial companies (market capitalisation weighted) such as Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google etc
QQQ
3.10%
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF
Stocks in attractively-priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Salesforce, Autodesk etc
MOAT
2.85%
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF
Stocks in developed market equities, excluding the U.S. and Canada such as Nestle, Roche, Novartis, HSBC, BP etc
EFA
2.19%
Dimensional US Targeted Value ETF
Stocks in 1400+ small and midcap US-listed companies targeting profitability and attractive pricing such as Chesapeake Energy, Invesco, Sofi Technologies etc
DFAT
1.56%
iShares MSCI China ETF
Stocks in the 500+ smallcap to midcap China-listed companies such as JD.com, Ping An Insurance, China Construction Bank etc
MCHI
1.27%
iShares Core MSCI EM IMI UCITS ETF
Stocks in over 3000 large, mid and small-cap emerging markets companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor, Tencent, Samsung, Alibaba etc
EIMI
0.74%
KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF
Stocks in China-listed internet companies such as Tencent, Meituan, Alibaba etc
KWEB
0.61%
Stock
%
United States Treasury Note/Bond
32.01
Fannie Mae Pool
2.57
Japan Treasury Note/Bond
2.21
Ginnie Mae II Pool
1.6
Freddie Mac Pool
1.5
China Government Bond
1.25
Apple Inc
0.7
France Treasury Note/Bond
0.66
Italy Treasury Note/Bond
0.61
Microsoft Corp
0.59
sector
%
Treasuries
42.23
Commodities
13.5
Industrials
11.32
Financials
7.12
Information Technology
4.63
MBS Pass-Through
4.34
Consumer Discretionary
2.71
Health Care
2.4
Agency
2.15
Communication Services
2.05
Consumer Staples
1.56
Utilities
1.21
Materials
0.84
Supranational
0.82
Local Authority
0.77
Energy
0.63
Covered
0.5
Sovereign
0.49
Real Estate
0.45
Cash and/or Derivatives
0.25
CMBS
0.04
ABS
0
Countries
%
United States
63.26%
China
4.62%
Japan
2.98%
France
1.48%
Germany
1.38%
United Kingdom
1.64%
Italy
0.82%
Canada
1.17%
Spain
0.63%
Australia
0.59%
Switzerland
0.43%
Netherlands
0.42%
Taiwan
0.14%
Other
20.43%
Core DEfensive
Past returns
PERIOD
SYFE
Benchmark
SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

YTD
1.83
1.46
1 yr
11.01
9.18
3 yrs
1.44
2.87
5 yrs
2.38
3.26
8 yrs
3.81
4.09
10 yrs
3.93
4.06
Since Apr 2013
4.87
4.95
PERIOD
SYFE
Benchmark
SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

2025
1.83
1.46
2024
10.34
10.26
2023
6.4
9.35
2022
-15.12
-14.59
2021
4.72
7.13
2020
10.77
7.72
2019
13.29
12.56
2018
0.21
-0.76
2017
0.81
1.46
2016
8.59
7.19
2015
5.41
5.88
2014
12.15
9.11
2013
2.32
5.61
PERIOD
SYFE
Benchmark
SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

SP Target Risk Conservative
Index is designed to measure the performance of conservative stock-bond allocations to fixed income, seeking to produce a current income stream and avoid excessive volatility of returns

YTD
1.83
1.46
1 yr
11.01
9.18
3 yrs
4.38
8.85
5 yrs
12.49
17.41
8 yrs
34.89
37.83
10 yrs
46.99
48.81
Since Apr 2013
76.98
78.66
FAQs
How do the Core portfolios work?
The Core portfolios comprises stock, bond, and gold ETFs that aim to provide global diversification and better risk-adjusted returns.
The portfolios are constructed using an Asset Class Risk Budgeting approach to achieve a relatively stable asset allocation making them ideal for passive investing.
The equity component of the Core portfolios are further optimized using Smart Beta factors namely growth, large-cap and low-volatility factors. To improve risk-adjusted returns, the Core portfolio also holds an increased exposure to technology and Chinese stocks.
Clients can choose from three different Core portfolio types depending on their investment goals, time horizon and risk appetite: Core Defensive, Core Balanced, Core Growth