VONG vs. MGC

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) and Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC).

VONG and MGC are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. 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. MGC is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the CRSP US Mega Cap Index. It was launched on Dec 17, 2007. Both VONG and MGC 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

VONG vs. MGC - Performance Comparison

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

VONG vs. MGC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VONG Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF	-9.79%	18.45%	33.20%	42.67%	-29.18%	27.60%	38.30%	36.06%	-1.53%	30.05%
MGC Vanguard Mega Cap ETF	-5.62%	19.31%	27.16%	29.77%	-19.95%	27.58%	21.57%	31.14%	-3.45%	22.61%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VONG achieves a -9.79% return, which is significantly lower than MGC's -5.62% return. Over the past 10 years, VONG has outperformed MGC with an annualized return of 16.65%, while MGC has yielded a comparatively lower 14.69% annualized return.

VONG

• 1D: 3.76%
• 1M: -5.21%
• YTD: -9.79%
• 6M: -8.75%
• 1Y: 18.79%
• 3Y*: 21.10%
• 5Y*: 12.35%
• 10Y*: 16.65%

MGC

• 1D: 3.07%
• 1M: -4.82%
• YTD: -5.62%
• 6M: -2.65%
• 1Y: 18.56%
• 3Y*: 19.64%
• 5Y*: 12.23%
• 10Y*: 14.69%

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

VONG vs. MGC - Expense Ratio Comparison

VONG has a 0.06% expense ratio, which is higher than MGC's 0.05% 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%.

VONG

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF

MGC

Vanguard Mega Cap ETF

Return for Risk

VONG vs. MGC — Risk / Return Rank

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

VONG

VONG Risk / Return Rank: 51
VONG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
VONG Sortino Ratio Rank: 56
VONG Omega Ratio Rank: 54
VONG Calmar Ratio Rank: 51
VONG Martin Ratio Rank: 45

MGC

MGC Risk / Return Rank: 66
MGC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 59
MGC Sortino Ratio Rank: 63
MGC Omega Ratio Rank: 66
MGC Calmar Ratio Rank: 68
MGC Martin Ratio Rank: 74

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.

VONG vs. MGC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) and Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC). 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.

	VONG	MGC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.84	0.99	-0.15
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.36	1.53	-0.17
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.19	1.23	-0.04
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.16	1.61	-0.45
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.00	7.15	-3.14
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VONG vs. MGC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VONG Sharpe Ratio is 0.84, which is comparable to the MGC Sharpe Ratio of 0.99. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VONG and MGC, 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

	VONG	MGC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.84	0.99	-0.15
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.58	0.71	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.80	0.81	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.84	0.55	+0.29

Correlation

The correlation between VONG and MGC is 0.95, 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

VONG vs. MGC - Dividend Comparison

VONG's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.51%, less than MGC's 1.02% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VONG Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF	0.51%	0.45%	0.55%	0.71%	0.98%	0.58%	0.77%	1.03%	1.18%	1.19%	1.48%	1.47%
MGC Vanguard Mega Cap ETF	1.02%	0.93%	1.15%	1.35%	1.65%	1.17%	1.45%	1.81%	2.10%	1.83%	2.14%	2.11%

Drawdowns

VONG vs. MGC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VONG drawdown since its inception was -32.72%, smaller than the maximum MGC drawdown of -51.93%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VONG and MGC.

Drawdown Indicators

	VONG	MGC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-32.72%	-51.93%	+19.21%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.23%	-11.93%	-4.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-32.72%	-25.74%	-6.98%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-32.72%	-33.07%	+0.35%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-13.09%	-7.08%	-6.01%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.90%	-7.12%	+2.22%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.72%	2.69%	+2.03%

Volatility

VONG vs. MGC - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) has a higher volatility of 6.72% compared to Vanguard Mega Cap ETF (MGC) at 5.48%. This indicates that VONG's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MGC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VONG	MGC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.72%	5.48%	+1.24%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.34%	9.84%	+2.50%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.40%	18.79%	+3.61%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	21.35%	17.26%	+4.09%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.82%	18.19%	+2.63%