Vanguard Materials ETF (VAW)
$225.12+0.55%close of Oct 16, 2026
Vanguard Materials ETF (VAW) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies that make basic materials. It charges 0.09% a year. From January 2004 to October 2026 it returned about 8.9% a year, and its worst drop was −62.2%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.09%
- about $9 on $10,000
- 1-year return
- 12.7%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 8.9%
- since January 2004
- Worst drop
- −62.2%
- since 2004
- Below its high
- −6.8%
- now
- Volatility
- 23.5%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Tracks
- MSCI US Investable Market Materials 25/50 Index
- Started trading
- January 26, 2004
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 110 holdings as of September 30, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.09% a year
How has VAW done since 2004?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VAW returned about 8.9% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 10.8% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $68,699 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | VAW | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 0.5% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | −3.3% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 9.6% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 12.7% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 11.4% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 5.9% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 10.0% | 15.4% |
| Since 2004 per year | 8.9% | 10.8% |
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.
VAW returns by month and year#
VAW rose in 160 of its 273 months (59%). Its best month was October 2011, at 17.9%. Its worst was October 2008, at −23.5%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9.6% | 8.4 | 8.5 | −7.4 | 3.1 | 0.1 | −1.3 | −2.6 | 6.1 | −7.4 | 3.2 | ||
| 2025 | 12.3% | 5.1 | −0.4 | −3.5 | −1.8 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 7.0 | −1.3 | −4.7 | 4.1 | 2.6 |
| 2024 | 0.5% | −4.1 | 5.9 | 6.3 | −4.9 | 3.9 | −4.2 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 2.9 | −2.7 | 3.2 | −11.2 |
| 2023 | 13.7% | 9.7 | −2.9 | −1.6 | −0.8 | −6.6 | 11.0 | 4.0 | −3.5 | −5.0 | −3.8 | 8.8 | 5.8 |
| 2022 | −11.8% | −7.0 | 0.6 | 5.7 | −4.1 | 1.1 | −14.3 | 7.1 | −3.1 | −10.2 | 9.6 | 11.1 | −5.3 |
| 2021 | 27.4% | −2.4 | 4.5 | 8.4 | 5.0 | 5.4 | −5.2 | 1.6 | 1.9 | −7.0 | 7.3 | −0.8 | 7.3 |
| 2020 | 19.4% | −6.5 | −9.0 | −15.2 | 15.3 | 7.2 | 2.0 | 6.9 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 12.7 | 3.7 |
| 2019 | 23.5% | 7.5 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 3.1 | −9.3 | 11.9 | −0.5 | −3.8 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | −17.5% | 3.6 | −5.2 | −3.7 | 0.5 | 2.4 | −0.3 | 3.0 | −0.9 | −1.9 | −10.7 | 3.5 | −7.9 |
| 2017 | 23.8% | 4.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | −0.7 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | 21.5% | −10.0 | 6.5 | 9.2 | 5.4 | −0.3 | −0.3 | 5.5 | 0.1 | −0.7 | −2.5 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
| 2015 | −10.2% | −2.7 | 7.8 | −3.6 | 2.3 | 0.5 | −3.6 | −5.2 | −5.5 | −7.9 | 12.9 | 0.8 | −4.6 |
| 2014 | 4.0% | −4.3 | 6.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 2.3 | −2.5 | 4.2 | −2.9 | −1.6 | 1.1 | −2.0 |
| 2013 | 24.9% | 3.9 | −1.4 | 2.8 | −0.2 | 2.3 | −4.5 | 5.8 | −0.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 4.6 |
| 2012 | 17.3% | 11.9 | −0.1 | 0.6 | −0.9 | −8.6 | 4.4 | −0.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | −1.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 |
| 2011 | −9.5% | 0.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.6 | −2.8 | −1.2 | −2.5 | −7.6 | −16.9 | 18.0 | 0.5 | −2.3 |
| 2010 | 24.5% | −8.1 | 5.1 | 8.1 | 1.0 | −8.9 | −7.8 | 11.9 | −2.7 | 8.4 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 9.7 |
| 2009 | 51.4% | −7.4 | −8.7 | 14.4 | 16.1 | 6.7 | −4.4 | 12.6 | 2.9 | 5.6 | −5.5 | 11.2 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | −46.5% | −4.7 | 3.4 | −1.9 | 5.9 | 5.8 | −5.4 | −3.8 | −2.7 | −19.0 | −23.5 | −11.4 | 1.6 |
| 2007 | 26.5% | 5.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 5.7 | −0.4 | −2.7 | 0.1 | 7.1 | 4.5 | −4.6 | 1.8 |
| 2006 | 19.5% | 6.1 | −1.5 | 5.2 | 2.9 | −4.6 | −0.4 | −3.8 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 0.6 |
| 2005 | 3.4% | −3.2 | 8.4 | −3.6 | −7.5 | 0.0 | −1.1 | 6.1 | −3.6 | 0.7 | −0.9 | 7.3 | 2.1 |
| 2004 | 21.6% | 4.9 | −1.5 | −4.2 | 1.7 | 5.8 | −2.2 | 1.6 | 5.0 | −1.3 | 9.7 | 1.2 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is VAW compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 0.90. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VAW tended to move about 0.90%.
- Correlation 0.78. VAW moved with the S&P 500 some of the time.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, VAW rose 90% as much on average. In months it fell, VAW fell 117% as much.
| Measure | VAW | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 5.9% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 19.8% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −25.5% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.39 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.56 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.23 | 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 VAW above its 200-day average?#
VAW closed 1.3% below its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VAW only above that average would be out of it today.
- vs 200-day average
- −1.3%
- below it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +0.2%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −6.8%
- high of $241.56
A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as the 10-month moving average strategy hold a fund only while it is above one. You can build that rule for VAW and backtest it in a minute.
What was VAW’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VAW’s worst fall was −62.2%, from May 16, 2008 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on January 9, 2013. On October 16, 2026 it was 6.8% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −62.2% | May 16, 2008 | Mar 9, 200910 months | Jan 9, 20133.8 years |
| −41.1% | Jan 26, 2018 | Mar 23, 20202.2 years | Sep 1, 20205 months |
| −27.2% | Feb 24, 2015 | Jan 25, 201611 months | Nov 15, 201610 months |
| −25.5% | Apr 20, 2022 | Sep 26, 20225 months | Feb 29, 202417 months |
| −23.2% | Oct 18, 2024 | Apr 8, 20256 months | Dec 26, 20259 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does VAW hold?#
This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies that make basic materials. These include chemicals, metals, mining, building materials, and paper and packaging. Their prices often rise and fall with the economy and with prices of raw materials.
It tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Materials 25/50 Index. It had 110 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.
What is the VAW expense ratio?#
VAW charges 0.09% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.09% fee comes to about $9 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 52% 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 VAW?#
No classic strategy holds VAW yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.
How does VAW compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for VAW:
- XLB: State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- XLI: State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- VIS: Vanguard Industrials ETF, 0.09% a year
- XLE: State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
See all 5 VAW alternatives, compared on the same dates as VAW.
Test VAW 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, add VAW, 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 VAW 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 and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.
Common questions#
What is the expense ratio of VAW?#
VAW charges 0.09% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 17, 2026. That is about $9 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did VAW start trading?#
VAW started trading on January 26, 2004. It is run by Vanguard.
What does VAW track?#
VAW tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Materials 25/50 Index. This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies that make basic materials.
How much has VAW returned per year?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VAW returned about 8.9% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −62.2%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is VAW above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, VAW closed 1.3% below its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use VAW?#
None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VAW yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.