VCMDX vs. BCSKX

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares (VCMDX) and BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K (BCSKX).

VCMDX is managed by Vanguard. It was launched on Jun 25, 2019. BCSKX is a passively managed fund by BlackRock that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return. It was launched on Oct 3, 2011.

Performance

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares (VCMDX) and BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K (BCSKX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
VCMDX Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares	18.30%	18.20%	5.27%	-7.45%	13.83%	34.82%	5.07%	2.74%
BCSKX BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K	19.21%	28.88%	4.44%	-4.27%	11.95%	22.49%	6.84%	2.33%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both investments are quite close, with VCMDX having a 18.30% return and BCSKX slightly higher at 19.21%.

VCMDX

• 1D: 0.39%
• 1M: 6.43%
• YTD: 18.30%
• 6M: 24.60%
• 1Y: 26.59%
• 3Y*: 12.12%
• 5Y*: 14.20%
• 10Y*: —

BCSKX

• 1D: 0.24%
• 1M: 0.65%
• YTD: 19.21%
• 6M: 26.57%
• 1Y: 40.92%
• 3Y*: 16.13%
• 5Y*: 14.29%
• 10Y*: —

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

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Expense Ratio Comparison

VCMDX has a 0.20% expense ratio, which is lower than BCSKX's 0.67% expense ratio.

BCSKX

BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K

VCMDX

Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares

Return for Risk

VCMDX vs. BCSKX — Risk / Return Rank

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

VCMDX

VCMDX Risk / Return Rank: 88
VCMDX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
VCMDX Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
VCMDX Omega Ratio Rank: 83
VCMDX Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
VCMDX Martin Ratio Rank: 88

BCSKX

BCSKX Risk / Return Rank: 96
BCSKX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
BCSKX Sortino Ratio Rank: 95
BCSKX Omega Ratio Rank: 93
BCSKX Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
BCSKX Martin Ratio Rank: 98

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.

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares (VCMDX) and BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K (BCSKX). 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.

	VCMDX	BCSKX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.76	2.58	-0.82
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.25	3.25	-1.00
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.47	-0.14
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.10	3.89	-0.79
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.46	19.70	-10.23
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VCMDX Sharpe Ratio is 1.76, which is lower than the BCSKX Sharpe Ratio of 2.58. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VCMDX and BCSKX, 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

	VCMDX	BCSKX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.76	2.58	-0.82
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.90	0.91	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.83	0.75	+0.09

Correlation

The correlation between VCMDX and BCSKX is 0.83, 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

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Dividend Comparison

VCMDX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 12.86%, more than BCSKX's 2.63% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
VCMDX Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares	12.86%	15.21%	2.19%	2.50%	14.21%	30.56%	0.50%	0.60%	0.00%
BCSKX BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K	2.63%	3.13%	3.66%	9.45%	9.11%	2.72%	0.84%	2.08%	2.02%

Drawdowns

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VCMDX drawdown since its inception was -26.67%, smaller than the maximum BCSKX drawdown of -30.34%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VCMDX and BCSKX.

Drawdown Indicators

	VCMDX	BCSKX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-26.67%	-30.34%	+3.67%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-8.92%	-10.51%	+1.59%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.45%	-22.34%	-3.11%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.31%	-1.36%	+0.05%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-11.10%	-6.67%	-4.43%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.93%	2.08%	+0.85%

Volatility

VCMDX vs. BCSKX - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Admiral Shares (VCMDX) has a higher volatility of 5.98% compared to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund Class K (BCSKX) at 4.44%. This indicates that VCMDX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BCSKX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VCMDX	BCSKX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.98%	4.44%	+1.54%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.19%	12.33%	-0.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.62%	16.16%	-0.54%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.81%	15.80%	+0.01%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.40%	15.08%	+0.32%