IWL vs. VONG

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Russell Top 200 ETF (IWL) and Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG).

IWL and VONG are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IWL is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Russell Top 200 Index. It was launched on Sep 22, 2009. VONG is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index. It was launched on Sep 20, 2010. Both IWL and VONG are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IWL vs. VONG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Russell Top 200 ETF (IWL) and Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IWL vs. VONG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IWL iShares Russell Top 200 ETF	-4.96%	19.09%	27.12%	29.77%	-19.89%	27.79%	22.10%	31.42%	-3.30%	22.90%
VONG Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF	-8.97%	18.45%	33.20%	42.67%	-29.18%	27.60%	38.30%	36.06%	-1.53%	30.05%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IWL achieves a -4.96% return, which is significantly higher than VONG's -8.97% return. Over the past 10 years, IWL has underperformed VONG with an annualized return of 14.87%, while VONG has yielded a comparatively higher 16.75% annualized return.

IWL

• 1D: 0.84%
• 1M: -4.26%
• YTD: -4.96%
• 6M: -2.52%
• 1Y: 18.46%
• 3Y*: 19.81%
• 5Y*: 12.42%
• 10Y*: 14.87%

VONG

• 1D: 0.91%
• 1M: -4.62%
• YTD: -8.97%
• 6M: -8.47%
• 1Y: 18.72%
• 3Y*: 21.47%
• 5Y*: 12.55%
• 10Y*: 16.75%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

IWL vs. VONG - Expense Ratio Comparison

IWL has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is higher than VONG's 0.06% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

IWL

iShares Russell Top 200 ETF

VONG

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Return for Risk

IWL vs. VONG — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IWL

IWL Risk / Return Rank: 59
IWL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 54
IWL Sortino Ratio Rank: 57
IWL Omega Ratio Rank: 60
IWL Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
IWL Martin Ratio Rank: 66

VONG

VONG Risk / Return Rank: 45
VONG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 44
VONG Sortino Ratio Rank: 48
VONG Omega Ratio Rank: 47
VONG Calmar Ratio Rank: 45
VONG Martin Ratio Rank: 43

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IWL vs. VONG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Russell Top 200 ETF (IWL) and Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IWL	VONG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.00	0.84	+0.16
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.53	1.36	+0.17
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.19	+0.04
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.60	1.22	+0.38
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.94	4.16	+2.78
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IWL vs. VONG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IWL Sharpe Ratio is 1.00, which is comparable to the VONG Sharpe Ratio of 0.84. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IWL and VONG, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IWL	VONG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.00	0.84	+0.16
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.73	0.59	+0.14
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.83	0.81	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.83	0.84	-0.01

Correlation

The correlation between IWL and VONG is 0.92, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IWL vs. VONG - Dividend Comparison

IWL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.95%, more than VONG's 0.50% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IWL iShares Russell Top 200 ETF	0.95%	0.90%	1.04%	1.30%	1.54%	1.12%	1.30%	1.96%	1.93%	1.69%	1.96%	2.14%
VONG Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF	0.50%	0.45%	0.55%	0.71%	0.98%	0.58%	0.77%	1.03%	1.18%	1.19%	1.48%	1.47%

Drawdowns

IWL vs. VONG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IWL drawdown since its inception was -32.71%, roughly equal to the maximum VONG drawdown of -32.72%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IWL and VONG.

Drawdown Indicators

	IWL	VONG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-32.71%	-32.72%	+0.01%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.81%	-16.23%	+4.42%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.65%	-32.72%	+7.07%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-32.71%	-32.72%	+0.01%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.46%	-12.29%	+5.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.92%	-4.90%	+0.98%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.72%	4.78%	-2.06%

Volatility

IWL vs. VONG - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares Russell Top 200 ETF (IWL) is 5.43%, while Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) has a volatility of 6.81%. This indicates that IWL experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than VONG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IWL	VONG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.43%	6.81%	-1.38%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.72%	12.37%	-2.65%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.49%	22.42%	-3.93%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.17%	21.35%	-4.18%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.06%	20.82%	-2.76%