Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWALX)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWALX) has returned -0.64% so far this year and 4.06% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, VWALX has returned 3.04% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 12, 2001, VWALX's average daily return is +0.02%, while the average monthly return is +0.35%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 16.5 years.

Historically, 66% of months were positive and 34% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +7.7%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -6.2%. The longest winning streak lasted 12 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.

On a daily basis, VWALX closed higher 38% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 25, 2020 with a return of +3.8%, while the worst single day was Mar 19, 2020 at -3.4%.

Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares has an annualized alpha of 4.29%, beta of -0.00, and R² of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 13, 2001.

• This fund participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (16.19%) than losses (2.83%) — typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• Beta of -0.00 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.00 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
• R² of 0.00 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

VWALX has an expense ratio of 0.09%, which is considered low.

VWALX ranks 41 for risk / return — on par with similar mutual funds. You're getting a typical balance of risk and reward. Not a standout, but not a red flag either — a reasonable choice if other factors align with your goals.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWALX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares provided a 4.15% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.44 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt 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 High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares was 17.24%, occurring on Oct 25, 2022. Recovery took 484 trading sessions.

The current Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares drawdown is 2.87%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.