Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR)
$375.83−1.02%close of Oct 16, 2026
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 280 US companies that sell things like cars, clothes, travel, and meals out. It charges 0.09% a year. From January 2004 to October 2026 it returned about 10.6% a year, and its worst drop was −61.5%.
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
- −1.4%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 10.6%
- since January 2004
- Worst drop
- −61.5%
- since 2004
- Below its high
- −8.4%
- now
- Volatility
- 21.7%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Tracks
- MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index
- Started trading
- January 26, 2004
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 277 holdings as of September 30, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.09% a year
How has VCR done since 2004?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VCR returned about 10.6% 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 $99,113 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | VCR | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | −5.3% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | −3.0% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | −4.0% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | −1.4% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 12.6% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 3.9% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 13.0% | 15.4% |
| Since 2004 per year | 10.6% | 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.
VCR returns by month and year#
VCR rose in 162 of its 273 months (59%). Its best month was April 2020, at 21.9%. Its worst was October 2008, at −20.7%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | −4.0% | 1.3 | −3.7 | −6.4 | 9.6 | 2.1 | −1.1 | −1.3 | 0.0 | −6.6 | 3.1 | ||
| 2025 | 5.8% | 4.0 | −8.1 | −9.0 | 0.0 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 2.9 | −0.2 | −1.2 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 24.3% | −4.0 | 8.0 | 0.8 | −5.3 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 3.2 | −0.5 | 6.5 | −2.2 | 12.9 | 0.0 |
| 2023 | 40.4% | 15.5 | −2.2 | 2.4 | −0.7 | 1.0 | 12.1 | 3.4 | −2.0 | −5.9 | −5.2 | 11.4 | 7.2 |
| 2022 | −35.1% | −9.7 | −3.6 | 3.1 | −11.5 | −5.1 | −11.1 | 18.1 | −4.2 | −8.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | −10.9 |
| 2021 | 24.9% | 3.0 | 0.1 | 4.2 | 6.3 | −2.9 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 1.9 | −2.9 | 9.3 | 0.8 | −0.1 |
| 2020 | 48.4% | 1.2 | −7.6 | −17.8 | 21.9 | 7.3 | 5.5 | 9.2 | 13.0 | −3.3 | −2.3 | 14.1 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 27.5% | 10.1 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 5.1 | −7.9 | 7.8 | 1.2 | −1.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | −2.3% | 8.4 | −3.7 | −2.3 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 5.1 | 0.1 | −10.2 | 2.3 | −8.9 |
| 2017 | 22.8% | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 0.7 | −0.4 | 1.5 | −1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 5.0 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 6.7% | −5.8 | 1.0 | 6.8 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −1.1 | 4.8 | −1.1 | −0.2 | −2.4 | 5.3 | 0.2 |
| 2015 | 6.3% | −3.1 | 8.2 | −0.1 | −0.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 3.9 | −6.4 | −1.6 | 7.8 | −0.5 | −2.7 |
| 2014 | 8.2% | −5.7 | 6.6 | −2.5 | −1.7 | 2.4 | 2.5 | −1.9 | 4.4 | −2.9 | 2.5 | 5.6 | −0.5 |
| 2013 | 43.7% | 6.1 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 5.4 | −2.7 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| 2012 | 24.6% | 6.5 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 0.7 | −5.9 | 1.4 | −0.1 | 5.0 | 3.1 | −0.8 | 2.8 | 0.8 |
| 2011 | 3.6% | −1.0 | 5.6 | −0.1 | 4.0 | −0.3 | −0.1 | −1.8 | −6.1 | −7.5 | 13.0 | −1.4 | 0.9 |
| 2010 | 30.6% | −2.5 | 5.9 | 8.4 | 6.3 | −7.2 | −10.0 | 8.0 | −4.8 | 12.4 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
| 2009 | 46.4% | −10.2 | −7.5 | 12.5 | 19.5 | −0.3 | 0.6 | 10.1 | 4.2 | 5.7 | −3.1 | 6.3 | 4.9 |
| 2008 | −37.9% | −2.2 | −4.7 | −1.1 | 4.4 | 0.9 | −12.6 | 0.5 | 6.9 | −8.9 | −20.7 | −11.7 | 7.0 |
| 2007 | −11.8% | 3.2 | −2.3 | −0.3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | −1.7 | −5.7 | 0.3 | −0.2 | 0.3 | −6.0 | −5.0 |
| 2006 | 16.5% | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | −2.6 | −0.4 | −4.2 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| 2005 | −4.1% | −3.9 | −0.1 | −0.8 | −6.7 | 7.2 | 0.9 | 5.3 | −4.5 | −2.0 | −2.5 | 4.3 | −0.3 |
| 2004 | 14.4% | 2.6 | 0.1 | −1.7 | −0.2 | 0.4 | −4.5 | −0.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is VCR compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 1.25. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VCR tended to move about 1.25%.
- Correlation 0.88. VCR mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, VCR rose 101% as much on average. In months it fell, VCR fell 148% as much.
| Measure | VCR | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 3.7% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 24.3% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −39.2% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.27 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.39 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.09 | 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 VCR above its 200-day average?#
VCR closed 2.4% below its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VCR only above that average would be out of it today.
- vs 200-day average
- −2.4%
- below it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- −0.8%
- trend falling
- vs 52-week high
- −8.4%
- high of $410.24
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 VCR and backtest it in a minute.
What was VCR’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VCR’s worst fall was −61.5%, from June 4, 2007 to November 20, 2008. It got back to that high on February 7, 2011. On October 16, 2026 it was 8.4% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −61.5% | Jun 4, 2007 | Nov 20, 200818 months | Feb 7, 20112.2 years |
| −39.2% | Nov 19, 2021 | Dec 28, 202213 months | Nov 6, 202422 months |
| −37.7% | Feb 20, 2020 | Mar 18, 202027 days | Jun 8, 20203 months |
| −27.4% | Dec 17, 2024 | Apr 8, 20254 months | Sep 15, 20255 months |
| −22.6% | Sep 4, 2018 | Dec 24, 20184 months | Apr 16, 20194 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does VCR hold?#
This fund owns shares of about 280 US companies that sell things like cars, clothes, travel, and meals out. Two very large companies make up more than a third of the fund. Its value often falls when people cut back on spending.
It tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index. It had 277 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.
What is the VCR expense ratio?#
VCR 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 VCR?#
No classic strategy holds VCR yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.
How does VCR compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for VCR:
- XLY: State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- VUG: Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, 0.03% a year
- SCHG: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF, 0.04% a year
- SPYG: State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF, 0.04% a year
See all 8 VCR alternatives, compared on the same dates as VCR.
Test VCR 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 VCR, 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 VCR 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 VCR?#
VCR 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 VCR start trading?#
VCR started trading on January 26, 2004. It is run by Vanguard.
What does VCR track?#
VCR tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index. This fund owns shares of about 280 US companies that sell things like cars, clothes, travel, and meals out.
How much has VCR returned per year?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VCR returned about 10.6% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −61.5%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is VCR above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, VCR closed 2.4% below its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use VCR?#
None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VCR yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.