Vanguard VONG vs VBK: Is a Small Cap ETF the Better Buy Over a Large Cap Fund in 2026?

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NASDAQ:VONG) offers dense attraction successful mega-cap exertion leaders, portion Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:VBK) provides a diversified premix of smaller maturation companies astatine a somewhat little expense.

Investors often comparison VONG and VBK erstwhile deciding betwixt large-cap stableness and small-cap maturation potential. While some Vanguard funds people growth-oriented equities, the Russell 1000 money tracks established American corporations, whereas the small-cap money focuses connected the adjacent procreation of businesses, starring to chiseled hazard profiles and assemblage weights.

Snapshot (cost & size)

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from monthly returns implicit the disposable money past (up to 5 years). The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months. Dividend output is the trailing-12-month organisation output arsenic of the adjacent of trading connected July 30.

The small-cap money is the much affordable enactment with a 0.05% disbursal ratio, though VONG is astir arsenic businesslike astatine 0.06%. While output is seldom the absorption for maturation investors, VONG presently offers a somewhat higher trailing payout.

Performance & hazard examination

What's wrong

Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF is heavy weighted toward technology, representing 54% of its assets nether absorption (AUM), followed by connection services astatine 16% and industrials astatine 9%. The money contains 369 holdings, and its largest positions see Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) astatine 13.80%, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) astatine 6.7%, and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) astatine 6.2%. It was launched successful 2010. Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF has paid $0.58 per stock implicit the trailing 12 months, which connected its caller ~$120.90 stock terms works retired to a 0.5% yield.

Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF offers much equilibrium crossed exertion astatine 27%, industrials astatine 23%, and healthcare astatine 18%. The money holds 579 stocks, and its largest positions see Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (NASDAQ:CRDO) astatine 1.2%, Revolution Medicines Inc (NASDAQ:RVMD)  astatine 1%, and Astera Labs Inc (NASDAQ:ALAB) astatine 1%. It was launched successful 2004. Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF has paid $1.53 per stock implicit the trailing 12 months, which connected its caller ~$341.38 stock terms works retired to a 0.4% yield.