Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK)
$87.29+0.09%close of Oct 16, 2026
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares in about 1,200 companies based in developed countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Switzerland. It charges 0.06% a year. From March 2005 to October 2026 it returned about 6.3% a year, and its worst drop was −63.6%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.06%
- about $6 on $10,000
- 1-year return
- 11.4%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 6.3%
- since March 2005
- Worst drop
- −63.6%
- since 2005
- Below its high
- −6.1%
- now
- Volatility
- 22.7%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Tracks
- FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index
- Started trading
- March 4, 2005
- Type
- International stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 1,243 holdings as of September 30, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.06% a year
How has VGK done since 2005?#
From March 2005 to October 2026, VGK returned about 6.3% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 10.9% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $37,202 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | VGK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −1.3% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | −1.4% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 1.1% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 6.6% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 11.4% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 18.1% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 8.5% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 9.8% | 15.4% |
| Since 2005 per year | 6.3% | 10.9% |
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.
VGK returns by month and year#
VGK rose in 155 of its 260 months (60%). Its best month was November 2020, at 16.4%. Its worst was October 2008, at −21.8%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.6% | 4.7 | 3.1 | −8.2 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | −5.1 | 0.6 | ||
| 2025 | 35.8% | 6.4 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 2.5 | −2.4 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | 1.9% | −1.2 | 2.4 | 3.8 | −2.5 | 6.5 | −2.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 0.5 | −5.5 | −1.8 | −2.7 |
| 2023 | 20.2% | 9.6 | −1.7 | 2.5 | 4.1 | −5.1 | 4.3 | 2.9 | −4.0 | −4.5 | −3.1 | 9.8 | 5.4 |
| 2022 | −16.0% | −3.6 | −5.3 | 0.2 | −6.2 | 2.4 | −9.9 | 5.0 | −7.5 | −9.7 | 8.4 | 13.5 | −1.7 |
| 2021 | 16.9% | −0.9 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | −1.4 | 1.9 | 1.8 | −5.4 | 5.0 | −4.9 | 5.2 |
| 2020 | 6.1% | −3.1 | −8.0 | −16.6 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 | −3.1 | −5.4 | 16.4 | 5.7 |
| 2019 | 24.9% | 6.7 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 3.9 | −5.7 | 6.4 | −2.6 | −1.6 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 4.5 |
| 2018 | −14.9% | 5.6 | −6.1 | −0.3 | 2.2 | −2.4 | −1.2 | 3.4 | −2.8 | 0.1 | −7.9 | −0.7 | −4.8 |
| 2017 | 27.0% | 3.0 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.9 | −0.5 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | −0.4% | −5.5 | −3.2 | 7.0 | 2.8 | −0.5 | −4.1 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | −3.5 | −2.3 | 4.9 |
| 2015 | −1.9% | 0.5 | 6.1 | −2.4 | 4.2 | 0.3 | −3.3 | 2.7 | −7.0 | −4.1 | 5.9 | −1.2 | −2.6 |
| 2014 | −7.1% | −4.6 | 7.3 | −0.6 | 2.7 | 0.8 | −0.1 | −4.3 | 0.7 | −4.0 | −1.9 | 2.1 | −4.7 |
| 2013 | 24.3% | 4.3 | −3.4 | 0.3 | 4.5 | 0.0 | −4.4 | 7.6 | −1.5 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 2.9 |
| 2012 | 21.6% | 5.5 | 5.4 | 0.1 | −2.5 | −12.0 | 8.3 | 0.3 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 4.3 |
| 2011 | −11.7% | 3.7 | 3.1 | −1.0 | 8.3 | −2.8 | −2.1 | −4.6 | −9.3 | −12.2 | 12.4 | −2.9 | −2.3 |
| 2010 | 6.0% | −6.3 | −0.5 | 6.5 | −3.8 | −11.7 | −1.6 | 14.2 | −4.6 | 11.3 | 4.9 | −7.8 | 9.1 |
| 2009 | 31.3% | −13.8 | −10.4 | 7.7 | 13.2 | 14.3 | −2.3 | 11.4 | 5.5 | 4.8 | −2.6 | 4.5 | −0.2 |
| 2008 | −44.6% | −9.0 | −0.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 0.7 | −9.0 | −2.9 | −3.8 | −12.9 | −21.8 | −7.4 | 7.2 |
| 2007 | 13.3% | 1.6 | −1.2 | 3.7 | 5.8 | 2.1 | −0.3 | −2.8 | 0.3 | 5.2 | 4.7 | −3.8 | −2.1 |
| 2006 | 33.1% | 6.3 | −0.3 | 4.0 | 5.2 | −2.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| 2005 | 6.0% | −3.2 | −2.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | −2.1 | 0.9 | 4.2 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is VGK compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 0.79. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VGK tended to move about 0.79%.
- Correlation 0.76. VGK moved with the S&P 500 some of the time.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, VGK rose 85% as much on average. In months it fell, VGK fell 94% as much.
| Measure | VGK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 8.6% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 17.9% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −32.6% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.55 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.81 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.27 | 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 VGK above its 200-day average?#
VGK closed 0.6% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VGK only above that average would hold it today.
- vs 200-day average
- +0.6%
- above it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +3.1%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −6.1%
- high of $92.96
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 VGK and backtest it in a minute.
What was VGK’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VGK’s worst fall was −63.6%, from October 31, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on April 9, 2014. On October 16, 2026 it was 6.1% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −63.6% | Oct 31, 2007 | Mar 9, 200916 months | Apr 9, 20145.1 years |
| −37.2% | Jan 26, 2018 | Mar 18, 20202.1 years | Nov 24, 20208 months |
| −32.7% | Sep 2, 2021 | Sep 27, 202213 months | Feb 22, 202417 months |
| −24.9% | Jul 3, 2014 | Feb 11, 201619 months | May 16, 201715 months |
| −14.3% | Mar 18, 2025 | Apr 8, 202521 days | May 2, 202524 days |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does VGK hold?#
This fund owns shares in about 1,200 companies based in developed countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Switzerland. It includes large, medium, and small companies. Its value can also change when European currencies rise or fall against the dollar.
It tracks the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. It had 1,243 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.
What is the VGK expense ratio?#
VGK charges 0.06% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.06% fee comes to about $6 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 72% 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 VGK?#
6 classic strategies hold VGK at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.
- Bold Asset Allocation (BAA), by Wouter Keller, 2022
- Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2018
- Protective Asset Allocation (PAA), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2016
- Adaptive Asset Allocation (AAA), by Adam Butler, Michael Philbrick, Rodrigo Gordillo, and David Varadi, 2012
- Vigilant Asset Allocation G12 (VAA-G12), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2017
- Kipnis Defensive Adaptive Asset Allocation (KDA), by Ilya Kipnis, 2019
How does VGK compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for VGK:
- SCHF: Schwab International Equity ETF, 0.03% a year
- VEA: Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, 0.03% a year
- IEFA: iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.07% a year
- EFA: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.32% a year
See all 4 VGK alternatives, compared on the same dates as VGK.
Test VGK 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 VGK, 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 VGK 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 16, 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 VGK?#
VGK charges 0.06% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 16, 2026. That is about $6 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did VGK start trading?#
VGK started trading on March 4, 2005. It is run by Vanguard.
What does VGK track?#
VGK tracks the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. This fund owns shares in about 1,200 companies based in developed countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
How much has VGK returned per year?#
From March 2005 to October 2026, VGK returned about 6.3% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −63.6%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is VGK above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, VGK closed 0.6% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use VGK?#
6 of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VGK, including Bold Asset Allocation (BAA), Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA), Protective Asset Allocation (PAA).