Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FYC vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FYC returned +21.7% to VB's +14.4%; 4% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.3bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.67 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.3 points.
| Measure | FYC | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +21.7% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.6%, high on Jun 30, 2026 | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.70% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, FYC as of Oct 27, 2026 and VB as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.3bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 7.7% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 29, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 808 weekly returnsFYC returned more: +452.2% to +344.8%. VB swung slightly less: 20.1% to 22.1%. VB fell less at its worst: −40.0% to −46.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FYC | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +452.2% | +344.8% | FYC | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.6% | +10.1% | FYC | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +430.8% | +253.2% | FYC | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.1% | 20.1% | VB (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.2% | 14.0% | VB (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −46.4% | −40.0% | VB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.53 | 0.50 | FYC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.78 | 0.71 | FYC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.25 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 808 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FYC and VB hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
4% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FYC and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FYC and VB are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FYC follows Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 4% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FYC returned +21.7% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +21.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
FYC tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.70% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 264 positions, with the top ten at 7.7%. It sat 8.6% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FYC or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FYC returned +21.7% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, FYC or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.67 percentage points a year. That is about $67 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, FYC against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fyc-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FYC against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fyc-vs-vb
[FYC against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fyc-vs-vb)
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