VXUS ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

How has VXUS done since 2011?#

VXUSS&P 500 (SPY)Growth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From January 2011 to October 2026, VXUS returned about 6.5% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 14.0% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $26,831 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

Period	VXUS	S&P 500 (SPY)
1 month	−2.1%	1.5%
3 months	−0.6%	1.9%
6 months	1.6%	9.3%
Year to date	11.4%	12.8%
1 year	15.3%	16.8%
3 years per year	19.4%	22.0%
5 years per year	8.3%	12.8%
10 years per year	9.2%	15.4%
Since 2011 per year	6.5%	14.0%

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.

VXUS returns by month and year#

VXUS rose in 111 of its 190 months (58%). Its best month was November 2022, at 13.0%. Its worst was March 2020, at −16.3%.

Return each month, in percent
Year	Total	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2026	11.4%	5.6	5.2	−7.9	7.7	3.6	−0.2	−1.0	3.2	−2.5	−1.8
2025	32.4%	3.4	1.9	0.4	2.8	4.8	4.0	−0.9	4.2	3.4	1.6	0.4	2.5
2024	5.1%	−1.7	2.9	3.2	−2.3	4.0	−0.8	2.6	2.4	2.6	−4.5	−0.2	−2.9
2023	15.9%	8.7	−4.3	2.8	1.9	−3.5	4.4	3.9	−4.4	−3.4	−3.4	8.2	5.1
2022	−16.1%	−2.8	−2.8	−0.3	−6.5	1.5	−7.9	3.6	−4.5	−9.9	3.4	13.0	−2.1
2021	9.0%	0.3	2.3	1.9	2.8	3.1	−0.3	−1.1	1.5	−3.5	2.9	−4.3	3.6
2020	10.7%	−3.4	−6.6	−16.3	7.6	5.0	4.2	4.2	4.4	−1.8	−2.3	12.6	5.8
2019	21.8%	7.7	1.6	0.8	2.8	−5.4	5.8	−2.0	−2.2	2.7	3.4	1.0	4.4
2018	−14.4%	5.7	−5.2	−0.4	0.5	−1.6	−2.1	2.6	−2.4	0.2	−8.6	1.7	−4.9
2017	27.5%	4.1	1.3	3.0	2.1	3.0	0.6	3.4	0.5	1.9	2.0	0.6	2.1
2016	4.8%	−5.4	−2.5	8.3	2.2	−1.0	−0.9	4.5	0.5	1.7	−1.9	−2.0	2.0
2015	−4.2%	0.3	5.8	−1.5	4.8	−0.9	−2.7	−0.6	−7.4	−3.8	6.3	−1.3	−2.2
2014	−4.7%	−5.4	5.6	0.5	1.3	1.9	1.9	−1.7	1.2	−5.0	−0.1	−0.5	−3.9
2013	14.6%	2.4	−1.1	0.9	3.5	−3.3	−3.6	4.6	−1.9	7.5	3.7	0.1	1.5
2012	18.6%	7.3	4.6	−0.5	−2.1	−10.8	6.0	0.3	2.6	3.4	0.8	2.1	4.9
2011	−14.4%	1.1	2.3	−0.2	5.2	−3.0	−1.2	−1.7	−8.4	−12.6	10.3	−2.1	−3.0

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

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

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

Beta 0.77. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VXUS tended to move about 0.77%.
Correlation 0.80. VXUS mostly moved with the S&P 500.
Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, VXUS rose 78% as much on average. In months it fell, VXUS fell 85% as much.

Measure	VXUS	S&P 500 (SPY)
Return per year	8.4%	12.8%
Volatility	16.4%	17.1%
Worst drop	−28.9%	−24.5%
Sharpe ratio	0.58	0.79
Sortino ratio	0.84	1.15
Calmar ratio	0.29	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 VXUS above its 200-day average?#

VXUS closed 0.8% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VXUS only above that average would hold it today.

vs 200-day average: +0.8%; above it
50-day vs 200-day: +4.2%; trend rising
vs 52-week high: −5.5%; high of $88.25

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 VXUS and backtest it in a minute.

What was VXUS’s worst drop?#

Drawdown: how far VXUS was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VXUS’s worst fall was −36.0%, from January 26, 2018 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on November 16, 2020. On October 16, 2026 it was 5.5% below its highest close.

Drop	From the high	To the bottom	Back to the high
−36.0%	Jan 26, 2018	Mar 23, 20202.2 years	Nov 16, 20208 months
−29.4%	Sep 3, 2021	Oct 12, 202213 months	May 14, 202419 months
−27.0%	Apr 29, 2011	Oct 3, 20115 months	May 8, 201319 months
−24.9%	Jul 3, 2014	Feb 11, 201619 months	May 2, 201715 months
−13.6%	Mar 19, 2025	Apr 8, 202520 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 VXUS hold?#

This fund owns shares in thousands of companies based outside the United States. It includes companies in established markets like Europe and Japan and in growing markets like China and India. Its value can also change when foreign currencies go up or down against the dollar.

It tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index. It had 8,740 holdings as of August 31, 2026, according to Vanguard.

What is the VXUS expense ratio?#

VXUS 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.

0.05%

Which Tactfolio strategies hold VXUS?#

One classic strategy holds VXUS at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

Three-Fund Portfolio (Taylor Larimore, Bogleheads), by Taylor Larimore, 2018

How does VXUS compare with similar ETFs?#

Side-by-side pages measure both funds over the same dates:

VTI vs VXUS: US stocks against stocks from the rest of the world.

Funds that can stand in for VXUS:

VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, 0.04% a year
IXUS: iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF, 0.07% a year
SCHF: Schwab International Equity ETF, 0.03% a year
VEA: Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, 0.03% a year

See all 8 VXUS alternatives, compared on the same dates as VXUS.

Test VXUS 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 VXUS, 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 VXUS 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 VXUS?#

VXUS charges 0.05% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 16, 2026. That is about $5 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did VXUS start trading?#

VXUS started trading on January 26, 2011. It is run by Vanguard.

What does VXUS track?#

VXUS tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index. This fund owns shares in thousands of companies based outside the United States.

How much has VXUS returned per year?#

From January 2011 to October 2026, VXUS returned about 6.5% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −36.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Is VXUS above its 200-day moving average?#

On October 16, 2026, VXUS closed 0.8% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

Which strategies use VXUS?#

One of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VXUS, including Three-Fund Portfolio (Taylor Larimore, Bogleheads).

Sources#

Vanguard: Vanguard Total International Stock ETF fund page