Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index Fund Institutional Shares (VFSNX) Sharpe Ratio: 1.78

VFSNX's Sharpe Ratio of 1.78 indicates that for each unit of volatility, it generates 1.78 units of excess return above the risk-free rate. The ratio is calculated using historical daily returns over the past 12 months (as of Apr 1, 2026).

Sharpe uses total volatility (standard deviation) which includes both upside and downside price movements, making it useful for comparing risk-adjusted returns across different assets.

VFSNX Sharpe Ratio Rank

Exceptional

VFSNX ranks above 88.1% of all investments in our database based on Sharpe Ratio over the past 12 months, demonstrating exceptional risk-adjusted returns. Securities are ranked from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

What moves the rank

Strong returns with low total volatility → Higher rank
High volatility (both upside and downside) → Lower rank
Consistent returns → Higher rank than volatile returns of same magnitude
Sharp drawdowns increase volatility → Lower rank

What you can do with this information

Suitable as a core holding given strong risk-adjusted returns
Monitor rank changes to detect deteriorating return-to-volatility profile
Exceptional Sharpe ratio supports larger position sizes
Compare with category peers to assess whether strength is investment-specific or category-wide

VFSNX Sharpe Ratio Market Positioning

The chart shows VFSNX's Sharpe Ratio relative to all mutual funds on our platform, with color zones indicating percentile rankings. Higher ratios indicate better risk-adjusted returns.

Red zone (bottom 25%): 0.65 or lower
Yellow zone (middle 50%): 0.65 to 1.36
Green zone (top 25%): 1.36 or higher
Top 1%: 3.59+
Median: 1.00 — half of all investments score higher

How it compares to other similar mutual funds

The table compares Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index Fund Institutional Shares's Sharpe Ratio with other mutual funds in the Foreign Small & Mid Cap Equities category across multiple time periods, showing how VFSNX's risk-adjusted performance compares to similar funds.

Data shows 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods, plus each fund's all-time average, as of Apr 1, 2026.

Symbol	Name	1Y Sharpe Ratio
KGGIX	Kopernik Global All-Cap Fund	3.28
KGGAX	Kopernik Global All-Cap Fund Class A	3.26
HRIOX	Hood River International Opportunity Fund	2.89
HRIIX	Hood River International Opportunity Fund Investor Class	2.87
ALOIX	Virtus International Small-Cap Fund	2.44
AVDVX	Avantis International Small Cap Value Fund	2.43
DISVX	DFA International Small Cap Value Portfolio	2.26
MOWIX	Moerus Worldwide Value Fund	2.24
CVISX	Causeway International Small Cap Fund	2.23
DWUSX	DFA World ex U.S. Targeted Value Portfolio	2.21
VFSNX	Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index Fund Institutional Shares	1.78

Benchmark Against

Benchmark

S&P 500 Index

Lookback Period

How to choose period

Historical Sharpe Ratio

The chart shows VFSNX's rolling Sharpe ratio over time compared to your chosen benchmark. Rising trends indicate improving returns relative to total volatility, while declining trends may signal deteriorating risk-adjusted performance or increased volatility. Use multiple timeframes to distinguish short-term fluctuations from long-term patterns.

Identify market cycles by observing when VFSNX consistently outperforms (line above benchmark), underperforms (below benchmark), or aligns with the benchmark.

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Explore VFSNX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

VFSNX Sortino Ratio