# VOX ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What VOX holds, its 0.09% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies in phone service, internet, media, and entertainment. It charges 0.09% a year. From September 2004 to October 2026 it returned about 8.6% a year, and its worst drop was −57.2%.

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: 0.09% a year (about $9 on $10,000).
- Started trading on September 23, 2004.
- Last close: $189.02 on October 16, 2026.
- Return over the last year: 3.5%.
- Worst drop since 2004: −57.2%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## How has VOX done since 2004?

From September 2004 to October 2026, VOX returned about 8.6% 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 $61,212 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Period | VOX | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month | −1.6% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | −1.3% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | −4.2% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | −1.7% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 3.5% | 16.8% |
| 3 years, per year | 21.5% | 22.0% |
| 5 years, per year | 6.9% | 12.8% |
| 10 years, per year | 8.9% | 15.4% |
| Since 2004, per year | 8.6% | 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.

## VOX returns by month and year

VOX rose in 155 of its 266 months (58%). Its best month was January 2023, at 15.0%. Its worst was April 2022, at −14.9%.

| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Full year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 (part) | 3.0% | −3.7% | −6.2% | 9.4% | 0.1% | −6.4% | −1.2% | 2.6% | 2.4% | −0.8% |  |  | −1.7% |
| 2025 | 7.3% | −3.7% | −7.1% | −1.1% | 8.6% | 7.6% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 4.4% | −0.6% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 26.3% |
| 2024 | 3.9% | 4.6% | 2.8% | −4.0% | 6.4% | 3.3% | −1.3% | 2.0% | 4.9% | 2.0% | 4.9% | −0.1% | 33.1% |
| 2023 | 15.0% | −4.1% | 6.9% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 5.0% | 5.9% | −2.9% | −3.5% | −1.6% | 8.1% | 5.5% | 44.8% |
| 2022 | −6.1% | −5.8% | 0.3% | −14.9% | 1.2% | −8.8% | 3.7% | −3.5% | −12.3% | 2.5% | 5.1% | −7.2% | −38.9% |
| 2021 | −0.2% | 7.1% | 1.4% | 6.7% | −0.1% | 4.0% | 0.6% | 3.6% | −5.9% | 0.7% | −6.4% | 2.5% | 13.8% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | −5.6% | −14.4% | 14.4% | 6.9% | 0.1% | 7.4% | 8.1% | −5.4% | 0.8% | 12.3% | 4.5% | 29.1% |
| 2019 | 10.6% | 0.4% | 1.8% | 6.1% | −5.7% | 3.9% | 3.4% | −2.8% | −0.3% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 28.0% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | −5.7% | −2.9% | 1.4% | −2.6% | 3.8% | −0.6% | 2.8% | 0.5% | −6.2% | −0.7% | −8.3% | −16.8% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | −2.8% | −2.1% | 2.2% | −3.1% | −1.5% | 2.1% | −0.2% | −0.5% | −3.1% | 2.5% | 0.6% | −5.5% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | 4.0% | 5.6% | −0.2% | −0.2% | 7.2% | 2.7% | −5.9% | 0.2% | −3.6% | 3.3% | 7.4% | 22.8% |
| 2015 | −1.9% | 6.6% | −2.4% | 3.7% | −1.8% | −1.2% | −0.6% | −3.1% | −3.1% | 8.8% | −1.0% | −0.4% | 2.7% |
| 2014 | −2.8% | −0.6% | 5.3% | −0.8% | 3.9% | 0.3% | 1.2% | −0.7% | −1.3% | 2.1% | 0.9% | −5.8% | 1.3% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | −0.8% | 3.5% | 8.3% | −3.7% | 2.1% | 4.3% | −4.6% | 3.0% | 7.1% | −1.7% | 2.3% | 24.3% |
| 2012 | −1.1% | 4.6% | 1.0% | −0.4% | −0.9% | 5.7% | 4.5% | 0.0% | 6.0% | −4.3% | −0.8% | 1.7% | 16.6% |
| 2011 | −1.6% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 3.7% | −1.8% | −5.7% | −3.0% | −6.9% | 4.2% | 0.1% | 1.5% | −2.2% |
| 2010 | −7.8% | 1.2% | 6.6% | 0.8% | −4.5% | −2.0% | 9.1% | −1.0% | 9.5% | 1.1% | −0.7% | 7.2% | 19.5% |
| 2009 | −6.1% | −3.3% | 7.2% | 7.6% | 3.6% | 2.2% | 2.4% | −0.9% | 8.1% | −7.0% | 6.1% | 7.8% | 29.5% |
| 2008 | −10.9% | −8.4% | 0.7% | 6.5% | 5.0% | −10.0% | −2.4% | 2.1% | −13.9% | −14.9% | −0.4% | 2.3% | −38.6% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | −1.4% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 8.7% | −2.0% | −2.1% | −0.4% | 3.1% | −0.9% | −7.0% | 0.9% | 5.1% |
| 2006 | 5.3% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 0.0% | −4.0% | 3.4% | 2.0% | 3.3% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 1.0% | 4.0% | 36.7% |
| 2005 | −5.5% | 1.9% | −2.8% | −1.0% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 4.8% | −3.0% | 0.8% | −0.9% | 5.2% | −2.6% | 2.0% |
| 2004 (part) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0.2% | 2.6% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 12.1% |

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

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

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

- **Beta 1.06.** When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VOX tended to move about 1.06%.
- **Correlation 0.84.** VOX mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- **Up and down months.** In months the S&P 500 rose, VOX rose 102% as much on average. In months it fell, VOX fell 134% as much.

| Measure | VOX | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Return per year | 6.8% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 21.6% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −44.8% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.41 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.59 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.15 | 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 VOX above its 200-day average?

VOX closed 0.3% below its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VOX only above that average would be out of it today.

- Its 50-day average is 0.1% above its 200-day average.
- It closed 5.0% 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 VOX](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and backtest it in a minute.

## What was VOX's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VOX's worst fall was −57.2%, from July 16, 2007 to November 20, 2008. It got back to that high on September 12, 2012. On October 16, 2026 it was 5.0% below its highest close.

| Drop | Started | Bottom | Back to the high | Fall took | Recovery took |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −57.2% | Jul 16, 2007 | Nov 20, 2008 | Sep 12, 2012 | 16 months | 3.8 years |
| −46.8% | Sep 1, 2021 | Nov 3, 2022 | Oct 4, 2024 | 14 months | 23 months |
| −31.2% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | Aug 3, 2020 | 33 days | 4 months |
| −28.9% | Jan 4, 2017 | Dec 24, 2018 | Jan 13, 2020 | 2.0 years | 13 months |
| −21.1% | Feb 14, 2025 | Apr 8, 2025 | Jun 27, 2025 | 2 months | 3 months |

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

## What does VOX hold?

This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies in phone service, internet, media, and entertainment. Two giant internet companies make up more than 40 percent of the fund. That means a few stocks can move its value a lot.

It tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Communication Services 25/50 Index. It had 111 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.

| Fact | VOX |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Vanguard Communication Services ETF |
| Issuer | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% a year |
| Started trading | September 23, 2004 |
| Tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Communication Services 25/50 Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 111 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [Vanguard fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vox) |

## What is the VOX expense ratio?

VOX 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 VOX?

No classic strategy holds VOX 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 VOX compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for VOX:

- [XLC](https://tactfolio.com/etf/XLC.md): State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- [XLK](https://tactfolio.com/etf/XLK.md): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- [FTEC](https://tactfolio.com/etf/FTEC.md): Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF, 0.084% a year
- [VGT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VGT.md): Vanguard Information Technology ETF, 0.09% a year

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

## Test VOX 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 VOX, 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 VOX 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 VOX?

VOX 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 VOX start trading?

VOX started trading on September 23, 2004. It is run by Vanguard.

### What does VOX track?

VOX tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Communication Services 25/50 Index. This fund owns shares of about 110 US companies in phone service, internet, media, and entertainment.

### How much has VOX returned per year?

From September 2004 to October 2026, VOX returned about 8.6% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −57.2%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

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

On October 16, 2026, VOX closed 0.3% below its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

### Which strategies use VOX?

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

## Sources

- [Vanguard: Vanguard Communication Services ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vox)

> 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.