Vanguard Small Cap Growth ETF

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) tracks the CRSP US Small Cap Growth Index, holding about 545 small US growth stocks as of June 30, 2026. It is cheap and spread out: its yearly fee (expense ratio) of 0.05% is below the 0.08% average of similar funds, and its top 10 holdings totaled 9.29%. The trade-offs: sharp swings, like a 28.4% loss in 2022, and a slim 0.42% yield as of October 27, 2026.

• Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, VBK returned +10.3%, 7th of 9 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +2.8%.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-28.4%); its best was 2023 (+21.4%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 38.4% (Nov 8, 2021 to Jun 16, 2022), recovered by Nov 25, 2024.

As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 545 securities; the ten largest made up 9.29% of assets, and 2.79% sat in cash and money-market holdings.

• Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors added a net $194.3M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +10.83%, +6.10%, +3.00%.

VBK is the exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund, so it shares one portfolio with the fund's other share classes. The fund's net assets, across all share classes, were about $47 billion as of June 30, 2026. Rather than picking stocks, the fund tries to match the CRSP US Small Cap Growth Index. The index provider, CRSP, decides which small US companies count as growth stocks: businesses expected to grow faster than average, which often reinvest profits instead of paying large dividends.

The fund aims to own all, or nearly all, of the index's stocks, each in about the same proportion as in the index, and normally keeps at least 80% of net assets in them. As of June 30, 2026, that meant about 545 stocks. The largest, Credo Technology, was 1.27% of assets, and the top 10, including Revolution Medicines, Astera Labs and Natera, totaled 9.29%.

Holdings shift as the index changes; companies can drop out when they grow too large or no longer fit the growth label. Turnover, the share of the portfolio replaced in a year, was 24% in the prospectus filed April 28, 2026. The fund uses no leverage or options strategy. Its shares trade on NYSE Arca at market prices, which can differ slightly from the value of its holdings.

• VBK charges 0.05% a year, versus an average of 0.08% for the similar funds below (4th of 9, cheapest first).
• Of that, 0.04% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $5 in the first year and $64 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It covers one narrow, volatile corner of the stock market and pays little income, so it fits better as a smaller slice beside broader holdings.

VBK can add small, growth-oriented US companies, but the ride has been rough. Comparable figures for the 2008 crisis aren't available here. In the 2020 COVID crash, the fund lost 24.21% in the quarter ended March 31, 2020, then finished the year up 35.29%. In 2022 it lost 28.4%, its worst year of 2018–2025. Its deepest drop since mid-2020 was 38.4%, from November 8, 2021 to June 16, 2022, and it took about 29 months, until November 25, 2024, to recover. Withdrawals near that low would have meant selling at a deep loss.

Income is slim: the yield was 0.42% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. Costs are low: on $10,000 earning 5% a year, the SEC's standard example shows $5 in costs after one year and $64 after 10. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.