# VGK ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What VGK holds, its 0.06% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

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](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.06% a year (about $6 on $10,000).
- Started trading on March 4, 2005.
- Worst drop since 2005: −63.6%.
- 6 Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## 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.

| Fact | VGK |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF |
| Issuer | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% a year |
| Started trading | March 4, 2005 |
| Tracks | FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index |
| Type | International stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 1,243 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the [Vanguard fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vgk) |

## 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.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has VGK done since 2005?

From March 2005 to October 2026, VGK returned about 6.3% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $37,202 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | VGK |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 272.0% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 6.3% |
| Worst drop from a high | −63.6% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 22.7% |
| Last 12 months | 11.4% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 18.1% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 8.5% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 9.8% |

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 year

| Year | VGK return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 6.6% |
| 2025 | 35.8% |
| 2024 | 1.9% |
| 2023 | 20.2% |
| 2022 | −16.0% |
| 2021 | 16.9% |
| 2020 | 6.1% |
| 2019 | 24.9% |
| 2018 | −14.9% |
| 2017 | 27.0% |
| 2016 | −0.4% |
| 2015 | −1.9% |
| 2014 | −7.1% |
| 2013 | 24.3% |
| 2012 | 21.6% |
| 2011 | −11.7% |
| 2010 | 6.0% |
| 2009 | 31.3% |
| 2008 | −44.6% |
| 2007 | 13.3% |
| 2006 | 33.1% |
| 2005 (part of the year) | 6.0% |

## 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.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## 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)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/bold-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller, 2022
- [Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/defensive-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2018
- [Protective Asset Allocation (PAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/protective-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2016
- [Adaptive Asset Allocation (AAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/adaptive-asset-allocation.md), by Adam Butler, Michael Philbrick, Rodrigo Gordillo, and David Varadi, 2012
- [Vigilant Asset Allocation G12 (VAA-G12)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/vigilant-asset-allocation-g12.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2017
- [Kipnis Defensive Adaptive Asset Allocation (KDA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/kipnis-defensive-asset-allocation.md), by Ilya Kipnis, 2019

## How does VGK compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for VGK:

- [SCHF](https://tactfolio.com/etf/schf.md): Schwab International Equity ETF, 0.03% a year
- [VEA](https://tactfolio.com/etf/vea.md): Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, 0.03% a year
- [IEFA](https://tactfolio.com/etf/iefa.md): iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.07% a year
- [EFA](https://tactfolio.com/etf/efa.md): iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.32% a year

See [all 4 VGK alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/vgk.md), 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](https://tactfolio.com/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. 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.

Fund facts come from Vanguard. We checked them on October 16, 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

- [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.
- [Momentum strategy](https://tactfolio.com/learn/momentum-strategy): A momentum strategy buys recent winners by a written rule.
- [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 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.

### 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).

## Sources

- [Vanguard: Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vgk)

> 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.