VO: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF

Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (VO) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of a few hundred medium-sized US companies. It charges 0.03% a year. From January 2004 to October 2026 it returned about 10.2% a year, and its worst drop was −58.9%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Yearly fee
0.03%
about $3 on $10,000
Return per year
10.2%
since January 2004
Worst drop
−58.9%
since 2004
Started trading
Jan 2004
Vanguard

Key points

  • Expense ratio: 0.03% a year (about $3 on $10,000).
  • Started trading on January 26, 2004.
  • Worst drop since 2004: −58.9%.
  • No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

What does VO hold?#

This fund owns shares of a few hundred medium-sized US companies. These companies are bigger than small firms but smaller than the giants. Their prices can swing more than the prices of the largest companies.

It tracks the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index. It had 271 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.

FactVO
Full nameVanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF
IssuerVanguard
Expense ratio0.03% a year
Started tradingJanuary 26, 2004
TracksMorningstar US Mid Cap Index
TypeUS stocks, ETF
Holdings271 holdings as of September 30, 2026
Facts checkedOctober 17, 2026 on the Vanguard fund page

What is the VO expense ratio?#

VO charges 0.03% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.03% fee comes to about $3 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 VO done since 2004?#

$10k$20k$50k20052008201120142017202020232026
VOGrowth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From January 2004 to October 2026, VO returned about 10.2% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $90,144 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

MeasureVO
Total return801.4%
Return per year (CAGR)10.2%
Worst drop from a high−58.9%
Volatility (how much it swings)20.3%
Last 12 months12.6%
Last 3 years, per year17.1%
Last 5 years, per year7.0%
Last 10 years, per year11.5%

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.

VO returns by year#

YearVO return
2026 (part of the year)11.6%
202511.6%
202415.3%
202316.0%
2022−18.7%
202124.7%
202018.1%
201931.0%
2018−9.2%
201719.3%
201611.3%
2015−1.4%
201413.8%
201335.0%
201216.2%
2011−2.1%
201025.7%
200940.5%
2008−41.6%
20075.5%
200613.9%
200514.0%
2004 (part of the year)17.5%

What was VO’s worst drop?#

0%−10%−20%−30%−40%−50%20052008201120142017202020232026
Drawdown: how far VO was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VO’s worst fall was −58.9%, from July 13, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on February 8, 2011.

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 VO?#

No classic strategy holds VO yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.

How does VO compare with similar ETFs?#

Funds that can stand in for VO:

  • SCHM: Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF, 0.03% a year
  • IJH: iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF, 0.05% a year
  • IWR: iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF, 0.18% a year
  • MDY: State Street SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, 0.23% a year

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

Test VO 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 VO, 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 VO. 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 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 VO?#

VO charges 0.03% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 17, 2026. That is about $3 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did VO start trading?#

VO started trading on January 26, 2004. It is run by Vanguard.

What does VO track?#

VO tracks the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index. This fund owns shares of a few hundred medium-sized US companies.

How much has VO returned per year?#

From January 2004 to October 2026, VO returned about 10.2% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −58.9%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Which strategies use VO?#

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

Sources#