# MGK ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What MGK holds, its 0.05% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 50 very large US companies that are growing fast. It charges 0.05% a year. From December 2007 to October 2026 it returned about 13.5% a year, and its worst drop was −48.0%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.05% a year (about $5 on $10,000).
- Started trading on December 17, 2007.
- Last close: $90.00 on October 16, 2026.
- Return over the last year: 12.8%.
- Worst drop since 2007: −48.0%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## How has MGK done since 2007?

From December 2007 to October 2026, MGK returned about 13.5% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 11.1% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $107,839 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Period | MGK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 9.9% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 9.2% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 12.8% | 16.8% |
| 3 years, per year | 24.6% | 22.0% |
| 5 years, per year | 13.6% | 12.8% |
| 10 years, per year | 18.8% | 15.4% |
| Since 2007, per year | 13.5% | 11.1% |

Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## MGK returns by month and year

MGK rose in 140 of its 227 months (62%). Its best month was April 2020, at 15.0%. Its worst was October 2008, at −16.7%.

| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Full year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 (part) | −1.7% | −4.7% | −5.0% | 14.3% | 8.6% | −3.6% | −1.8% | 4.1% | 3.1% | −2.9% |  |  | 9.2% |
| 2025 | 1.4% | −2.8% | −8.6% | 2.1% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 3.9% | 0.9% | 4.9% | 4.5% | −1.5% | −0.3% | 20.7% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | 6.8% | 1.0% | −4.6% | 7.0% | 7.5% | −2.3% | 2.5% | 2.4% | −0.6% | 6.3% | 1.1% | 32.9% |
| 2023 | 10.7% | −1.5% | 9.1% | 1.8% | 6.1% | 6.7% | 3.2% | −0.7% | −5.8% | −1.1% | 11.6% | 3.8% | 51.7% |
| 2022 | −8.6% | −5.3% | 4.4% | −13.2% | −2.5% | −8.6% | 13.5% | −5.3% | −10.5% | 3.8% | 4.5% | −8.8% | −33.6% |
| 2021 | −1.0% | 0.2% | 2.6% | 7.2% | −1.5% | 6.0% | 3.5% | 3.8% | −5.5% | 8.2% | 0.9% | 1.8% | 28.6% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | −6.3% | −9.9% | 15.0% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 7.7% | 11.4% | −5.3% | −3.4% | 9.7% | 4.0% | 41.0% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 4.7% | −6.6% | 6.8% | 2.4% | −0.4% | 0.4% | 2.6% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 37.4% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | −2.8% | −3.2% | 0.4% | 4.7% | 1.2% | 2.6% | 4.7% | 0.6% | −8.8% | −0.1% | −8.3% | −2.9% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | 4.7% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 3.0% | −0.5% | 2.6% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 3.0% | 2.5% | 1.1% | 29.5% |
| 2016 | −5.6% | −0.6% | 7.0% | −0.8% | 2.2% | −0.6% | 4.7% | −0.3% | 0.8% | −2.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 6.6% |
| 2015 | −1.4% | 6.3% | −1.8% | 0.1% | 1.6% | −1.7% | 3.5% | −6.5% | −2.7% | 9.8% | 0.1% | −2.5% | 3.6% |
| 2014 | −3.4% | 5.3% | −1.5% | 0.5% | 3.6% | 2.2% | −1.3% | 4.5% | −1.5% | 2.8% | 3.1% | −1.4% | 13.2% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | 0.8% | 3.6% | 1.8% | 1.7% | −2.4% | 5.5% | −1.6% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 2.6% | 3.4% | 32.6% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | 4.8% | 3.8% | −0.3% | −6.2% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 2.0% | −3.3% | 2.0% | −0.5% | 17.2% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | 2.4% | −0.1% | 3.1% | −0.8% | −1.3% | −0.3% | −5.1% | −6.8% | 11.4% | −0.1% | −0.3% | 3.1% |
| 2010 | −4.6% | 3.5% | 5.5% | 1.2% | −8.7% | −5.5% | 7.6% | −5.0% | 10.6% | 5.4% | 0.2% | 5.3% | 14.5% |
| 2009 | −4.9% | −7.3% | 7.8% | 9.1% | 4.9% | 1.3% | 7.0% | 1.8% | 4.1% | −1.0% | 6.3% | 2.7% | 35.0% |
| 2008 | −7.6% | −1.4% | −0.2% | 5.3% | 3.2% | −6.9% | −0.9% | 1.4% | −10.4% | −16.7% | −8.5% | 0.9% | −36.3% |
| 2007 (part) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | −1.1% | −1.1% |

Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.

## How risky is MGK compared with the S&P 500?

Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.

- **Beta 1.28.** When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, MGK tended to move about 1.28%.
- **Correlation 0.95.** MGK mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- **Up and down months.** In months the S&P 500 rose, MGK rose 114% as much on average. In months it fell, MGK fell 117% as much.

| Measure | MGK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Return per year | 13.4% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 23.0% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −36.0% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.66 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.96 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.37 | 0.52 |

Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.

## Is MGK above its 200-day average?

MGK closed 6.0% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds MGK only above that average would hold it today.

- Its 50-day average is 7.4% above its 200-day average.
- It closed 5.4% below its highest close of the last 52 weeks.

A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as [the 10-month moving average strategy](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-10-month-moving-average.md) hold a fund only while it is above one. You can [build that rule for MGK](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and backtest it in a minute.

## What was MGK's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. MGK's worst fall was −48.0%, from December 27, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on January 14, 2011. On October 16, 2026 it was 5.4% below its highest close.

| Drop | Started | Bottom | Back to the high | Fall took | Recovery took |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −48.0% | Dec 27, 2007 | Mar 9, 2009 | Jan 14, 2011 | 14 months | 22 months |
| −36.0% | Dec 27, 2021 | Nov 3, 2022 | Jan 12, 2024 | 10 months | 14 months |
| −31.2% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | Jun 8, 2020 | 33 days | 3 months |
| −23.4% | Feb 19, 2025 | Apr 8, 2025 | Jun 24, 2025 | 2 months | 3 months |
| −22.6% | Oct 1, 2018 | Dec 24, 2018 | Apr 22, 2019 | 3 months | 4 months |

Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## What does MGK hold?

This fund owns shares of about 50 very large US companies that are growing fast. Because it holds so few stocks, a handful of tech giants make up much of its value. It can swing more than a fund that owns the whole market.

It tracks the Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index. It had 52 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.

| Fact | MGK |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF |
| Issuer | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.05% a year |
| Started trading | December 17, 2007 |
| Tracks | Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 52 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [Vanguard fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/mgk) |

## What is the MGK expense ratio?

MGK charges 0.05% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.05% fee comes to about $5 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 77% charge more.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold MGK?

No classic strategy holds MGK yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does MGK compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for MGK:

- [VUG](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VUG.md): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, 0.03% a year
- [SCHG](https://tactfolio.com/etf/SCHG.md): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF, 0.04% a year
- [SPYG](https://tactfolio.com/etf/SPYG.md): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF, 0.04% a year
- [VONG](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VONG.md): Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF, 0.06% a year

See [all 8 MGK alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/MGK.md), compared on the same dates as MGK.

## Test MGK in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add MGK, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for MGK and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.

Fund facts come from Vanguard. We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [S&P 500 index](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index): The S&P 500 tracks about 500 large US companies. Learn how stocks get in, how the index is weighted, how to invest in it, and how far it has fallen before.
- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of MGK?

MGK charges 0.05% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 17, 2026. That is about $5 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did MGK start trading?

MGK started trading on December 17, 2007. It is run by Vanguard.

### What does MGK track?

MGK tracks the Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index. This fund owns shares of about 50 very large US companies that are growing fast.

### How much has MGK returned per year?

From December 2007 to October 2026, MGK returned about 13.5% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −48.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Is MGK above its 200-day moving average?

On October 16, 2026, MGK closed 6.0% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

### Which strategies use MGK?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold MGK yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [Vanguard: Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/mgk)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.