- ISIN
- US92204A8356
- CUSIP
- 92204A835
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Inception Date
- Feb 4, 2004
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Financials Equities
- Min. Investment
- $3,000
- Index Tracked
- MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Value
- Assets Under Management
- $14B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
VFAIX Performance Chart
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX) is down 1.2% since the beginning of the year. VFAIX is currently trading at $66 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VFAIX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,681.
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Returns By Period
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX) has returned -1.21% so far this year and 9.24% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VFAIX has returned 13.16% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares
- 1D
- -0.72%
- 1M
- 3.20%
- YTD
- -1.21%
- 6M
- -2.50%
- 1Y
- 9.24%
- 3Y*
- 19.62%
- 5Y*
- 10.94%
- 10Y*
- 13.16%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
VFAIX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 2, 2004, VFAIX's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.70%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 8.3 years.
Historically, 58% of months were positive and 42% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +19.6%, while the worst month was Jan 2009 at -23.5%. The longest winning streak lasted 8 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, VFAIX closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 24, 2008 with a return of +16.0%, while the worst single day was Dec 1, 2008 at -16.2%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -1.88% | -4.07% | -3.51% | 6.08% | -1.21% | 3.80% | -1.21% | ||||||
| 2025 | 6.59% | 0.25% | -4.91% | -2.17% | 5.21% | 3.95% | 0.33% | 3.33% | -0.20% | -2.89% | 1.99% | 3.14% | 14.90% |
| 2024 | 1.97% | 4.29% | 4.85% | -4.60% | 3.35% | -0.67% | 7.11% | 3.60% | -0.27% | 2.98% | 11.33% | -5.84% | 30.46% |
| 2023 | 7.79% | -2.06% | -10.31% | 2.13% | -3.96% | 6.93% | 5.99% | -3.08% | -3.17% | -2.93% | 11.51% | 6.69% | 14.07% |
| 2022 | -0.56% | -1.33% | -0.95% | -10.08% | 3.44% | -10.73% | 7.45% | -1.93% | -7.97% | 12.21% | 6.17% | -5.90% | -12.26% |
| 2021 | -1.40% | 11.67% | 5.76% | 6.36% | 4.11% | -2.78% | -0.37% | 5.16% | -1.72% | 7.52% | -5.27% | 3.64% | 36.27% |
Benchmark Metrics
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares has an annualized alpha of -2.79%, beta of 1.26, and R2 of 0.75 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 02, 2004.
- This fund participated in 117.69% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 107.71% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- This fund had an annualized alpha of -2.79% versus S&P 500 Index - delivering less than market exposure alone would predict.
- Alpha
- -2.79%
- Beta
- 1.26
- R²
- 0.75
- Upside Capture
- 107.71%
- Downside Capture
- 117.69%
Expense Ratio
VFAIX has an expense ratio of 0.09%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
VFAIX ranks 8 for risk / return — in the bottom 8% of mutual funds on our site. This means you're taking on significantly more risk than the returns justify. Consider whether the potential upside is worth the volatility, or explore alternatives with better risk / return profiles.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| VFAIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -1.39 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -1.79 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.12 | 1.37 | -0.25 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.65 | 2.78 | -2.13 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 1.70 | 12.44 | -10.74 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares provided a 1.48% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.97 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.97 | $1.04 | $1.04 | $0.96 | $0.96 | $1.27 | $0.81 | $0.83 | $0.68 | $0.54 | $0.49 | $0.49 |
Dividend yield | 1.48% | 1.56% | 1.75% | 2.08% | 2.31% | 2.62% | 2.21% | 2.17% | 2.30% | 1.54% | 1.64% | 2.00% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.34 | $1.04 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.23 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.33 | $1.04 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.25 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.27 | $0.96 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.96 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.19 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.18 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.27 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.62 | $1.27 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares was 78.64%, occurring on Mar 6, 2009. Recovery took 1937 trading sessions.
The current Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares drawdown is 4.22%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -78.64%Mar 2009 | 1y 9mo | 7y 8mo | 9y 5moJun 2007 - Nov 2016 |
COVID crash2020 | -44.37%Mar 2020 | 1mo 4d | 9mo 20d | 10mo 24dFeb 2020 - Jan 2021 |
Bear market2022 | -25.71%Sep 2022 | 8mo 20d | 1y 4mo | 2y 1moJan 2022 - Feb 2024 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -24.46%Dec 2018 | 10mo 29d | 10mo 12d | 1y 9moJan 2018 - Nov 2019 |
2025 selloff2025 | -17.31%Apr 2025 | 1mo 18d | 2mo 23d | 4mo 11dFeb 2025 - Jun 2025 |
Drawdown Indicators
| VFAIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -78.64% | -56.78% | -21.86% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -14.72% | -9.10% | -5.62% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -17.31% | -18.90% | +1.59% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -25.71% | -25.43% | -0.28% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -44.37% | -33.92% | -10.45% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -4.22% | -1.80% | -2.42% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -18.58% | -10.71% | -7.87% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 5.65% | 2.03% | +3.62% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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