Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF

VBK

Market cap $23.8B

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF offers diversified small-cap growth exposure with over 500 holdings, emphasizing industrials and technology sectors. VBK has matched the performance of its parent index since 2013, with slightly higher volatility. While VBK suits tactical growth allocations, long-term outperformance is lacking; competitor FYC shows stronger 10-year returns despite higher volatility.

Small-cap stocks are beginning to outperform again, but ETF investors remain overwhelmingly focused on mega-cap technology and AI trades — a disconnect some strategists believe could create an opportunity in overlooked parts of the market.

There has been a visible disparity between the performance of U.S. small-caps and U.S. large-caps so far this year. What hasn't been too visible is a lot of investor interest in the action.

Launched on January 26, 2004, the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VBK) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

ISCG holds more stocks than VBK and has a much smaller asset base Both ETFs delivered strong 1-year returns and similar max drawdowns ISCG and VBK are closely matched on cost and yield, with only a minor difference in expense and payout rates

VBK charges a lower expense ratio than SLYG and has delivered a higher 1-year total return SLYG offers a higher dividend yield of 0.8% versus VBK's 0.5%, and experienced a shallower maximum drawdown of -29.18% over five years compared to -38.39% for VBK. VBK holds more stocks with a stronger tilt toward technology and industrials, while SLYG splits its largest sector weights more evenly

VBK offers a lower expense ratio and higher 1-year return than IJT. IJT delivers a higher dividend yield and shallower historical drawdown.

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF offers diversified small-cap growth exposure with a 0.07% expense ratio and ~$39B AUM. VBK tracks the CRSP US Small Cap Growth Index, emphasizing fundamental growth metrics over momentum, and rebalances quarterly. Tech, industrials, and healthcare dominate VBK's sector allocation, reflecting long-duration and cyclical growth exposure coupled with non-cyclical drivers.

The Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF offers a much lower expense ratio and larger assets under management than Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Pure Growth ETF. RZG edges out VBK on one-year total return but both showed nearly identical drawdowns and long-term growth.