Question 1

How much would I have if I DCA'd $100/week into FDS for 5 years?

Accepted Answer

Dollar cost averaging $100 per week into FDS for 5 years (261 purchases) would have resulted in a total investment of $26,100 and a current value of $20,017, a return of -23%. Using Enhanced DCA, which concentrates buys during dips, the same $100/week base deployed $36,903 and grew to $31,903 — a -14% return.

Question 2

What is the best DCA strategy for FDS?

Accepted Answer

Backtesting shows Enhanced DCA — which increases buy amounts during market dips and reduces or skips buys when FDS is overextended — outperformed standard weekly DCA by 10% over 5 years. The enhanced strategy achieved a -14% return vs -23% for standard DCA.

Question 3

What would $100/week into FDS be worth after 3 years?

Accepted Answer

Investing $100 per week into FDS for 3 years (157 purchases, $15,700 total) would have grown to $12,883 — a -18% return. Enhanced DCA over the same period returned -8%.

Question 4

Is DCA into FDS worth it?

Accepted Answer

Based on a 5-year backtest, DCA into FDS returned -23% with standard weekly purchases. An intelligent DCA strategy that buys more during dips returned -14% over the same period — a 10% gain in return, while deploying more capital.

Question 5

How many shares of FDS would I have after DCA for 5 years?

Accepted Answer

Dollar cost averaging $100/week into FDS for 5 years would result in approximately 70 shares with a standard DCA approach (avg entry $374). Enhanced DCA targeting dips results in 111 shares at an average entry of $332.

Question 6

How does FDS DCA compare to the S&P 500?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced DCA into FDS returned -14% over the past 5 years. The S&P 500 (SPY) returned approximately 53% over the same period. FDS's performance reflects its volatility as a financials asset. Enhanced DCA outperformed standard DCA by 10%, demonstrating the value of intelligent entry timing during market dips.

Question 7

What is the risk of dollar cost averaging into FDS?

Accepted Answer

Past backtest performance does not guarantee future results. FDS is a financials asset whose price can fall as well as rise. While DCA reduces timing risk by spreading purchases over time, losses are still possible if the price declines significantly. Always invest within your risk tolerance and consider your overall portfolio diversification.

Question 8

What is the FactSet dollar cost averaging strategy?

Accepted Answer

Standard DCA invests a fixed amount ($100/week or $433/month) into FDS at regular intervals. Enhanced DCA improves on this by using RSI (Relative Strength Index) signals to increase buy amounts during market dips (oversold conditions) and reduce or skip purchases when the stock is overextended. Over the 5-year backtest, this timing approach has delivered 10% higher returns than standard DCA while deploying more total capital into FDS.

Period	Standard DCA	Enhanced DCA	Alpha
1-Year	14%	22%	+8%
3-Year	-18%	-8%	+10%
5-Year	-23%	-14%	+10%

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