Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWI vs VPU: how they differ
ACWI and VPU hold 1% of their weight in the same names, and ACWI returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and VPU hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACWI | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| NEXTERA ENERGY, INC. | 0.20% | 11.84% |
| THE SOUTHERN COMPANY | 0.11% | 6.70% |
| DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION | 0.10% | 6.31% |
| CONSTELLATION ENERGY CORPORATION. | 0.10% | 5.86% |
| AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, INC. | 0.07% | 4.47% |
| SEMPRA | 0.06% | 3.85% |
| VISTRA CORP. | 0.06% | 3.59% |
| Dominion Energy, Inc. | 0.05% | 3.78% |
| ENTERGY CORPORATION | 0.05% | 3.22% |
| Xcel Energy Inc. | 0.05% | 3.11% |
| EXELON CORPORATION | 0.05% | 3.05% |
| CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC. | 0.04% | 2.52% |
| Only in ACWI | Only in VPU |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 4.89% | Talen Energy Corp 0.99% |
| APPLE INC. 4.02% | Pinnacle West Capital Corp 0.79% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2.90% | AES Corp/The 0.69% |
| AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.58% | Essential Utilities Inc 0.69% |
| ALPHABET INC. 2.26% | OGE Energy Corp 0.64% |
| BROADCOM INC. 1.90% | IDACORP Inc 0.50% |
| ALPHABET INC. 1.87% | UGI Corp 0.50% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa 1.73% | National Fuel Gas Co 0.46% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| ACWI iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | VPU Vanguard Utilities Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI ACWI | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | +2.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | −15.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 61.4% | 90.1% |
| Holdings | 2307 | 66 |
ACWI in plain words
ACWI is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2307 positions, with the top ten at 24.6%.
VPU in plain words
VPU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 52.7%. It sat 9.8% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or VPU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +19.1% and VPU returned +2.1%, so ACWI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or VPU?
- ACWI charges 0.32% a year and VPU charges 0.09%, so VPU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWI and VPU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 61% of ACWI and 90% of VPU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 1% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ACWI against VPU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWI-VPU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources