VTI vs VYMI: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
VTI and VYMI are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. VTI is Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF, while VYMI is Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF. VTI is broader by holdings count, with 3,524 positions versus 1,602 for VYMI. VTI is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has VYMI ahead on AIQ Score, 62 versus 60.
What is the main difference between VTI and VYMI?
VTI and VYMI have little in common: 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.07% |
| Holdings | 3,524 | 1,602 |
| Top-10 concentration | 33.2% | 13.4% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 1.05% | 3.64% |
| Average volume | 3,115,564 | 875,055 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | +15.8% | +20.4% |
| YTD return | +12.5% | +13.5% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +11.4% | +13.3% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 13.8% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -10.8% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -25.4% | -24.1% |
| Beta | 1.02 | 0.75 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 1.14 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.32 | 1.65 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 60/100 | 62/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Momentum | 51/100 | 54/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 86/100 | 77/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF vs Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF
VYMI leads
VYMI leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Value, having only recently taken the lead back from VTI.
Fragile: 1 of 4 evidence groups support VYMI, the lead recently changed hands, and its signal state is cleanly positive.
Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF
Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors VYMI over VTI, 62 versus 60 as of Oct 21, 2026. VYMI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value, while VTI holds the stronger quality profile. VYMI also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VYMI today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. VYMI lead: Reversed — VTI led by 4 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; VYMI now leads by 2.
Compare Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF and Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
VTI vs VYMI: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | VTI | VYMI | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.03% | 0.07% | VTI |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 3,524 | 1,602 | VTI |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 33.2% | 13.4% | VYMI |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 1.05% | 3.64% | VYMI |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -25.4% | -24.1% | Similar |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 13% | 13.8% | Similar |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare VTI and VYMI against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value42 vs 64VYMI +22
- Quality74 vs 60VTI +14
- Risk Resilience86 vs 77VTI +9
- Momentum51 vs 54Even
1 of 4 evidence groups favor VYMI. VYMI’s edge is concentrated in value; VTI keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +4
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +6
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
VYMI's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — VTI and VYMI both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
VYMI (Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value.
VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF): the counter-case, on quality, risk resilience, technicals.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | VTI | VYMI | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.07% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 3,524 | 1,602 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 3,115,564 | 875,055 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 13.8% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -10.8% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 1.14 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.02 | 0.75 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
VTI and VYMI share 0.04% of their weighted exposure across 10 common holdings.
3,489 holdings are unique to VTI, and 1,487 holdings are unique to VYMI. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
VTI is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 33.24% of the fund, against 13.36% for VYMI (3,524 holdings vs 1,602). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | VTI | VYMI | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| APAAPA Group | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.02% |
| TELTE Connectivity PLC | 0.08% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| TPGTPG Inc | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| DMCDel Monte Corp | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| NOVO-B.CONovo Nordisk A/S | 0% | 0.73% | 0% |
| MCYMercury NZ Ltd | 0% | 0.01% | 0% |
| ONTMegaworld Corp | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| APAboitiz Power Corp | 0% | 0.01% | 0% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What VTI adds that VYMI doesn’t
| Holding | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| NVDANVIDIA Corp | 6.4% | Not held |
| AAPLApple Inc | 6.29% | Not held |
| MSFTMicrosoft Corp | 4.79% | Not held |
| AMZNAmazon.com Inc | 3.65% | Not held |
| GOOGLAlphabet Inc | 2.9% | Not held |
| AVGOBroadcom Inc | 2.56% | Not held |
What VYMI adds that VTI doesn’t
| Holding | VYMI | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| HSBA.LHSBC Holdings PLC | 1.77% | Not held |
| ROP.SWRoche Holding AG | 1.54% | Not held |
| RY.TORoyal Bank of Canada | 1.44% | Not held |
| NOVN.SWNovartis AG | 1.43% | Not held |
| SHEL.LShell PLC | 1.3% | Not held |
| NESN.SWNestle SA | 1.26% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
VTI vs VYMI: five-year payout growth
VYMI grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 11.09% a year against VTI's 6.28%. VTI never reduced its annual distribution in the window; VYMI did in 1 year. VYMI: The 2020 payout was 26.9% below 2019, so the growth rate measures a recovery from a weak starting year.
| Dividend metric | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 6.28% | 11.09% |
| 2020 annual payout | $2.770 | $1.959 |
| 2025 annual payout | $3.757 | $3.315 |
| Calendar-year declines | 0 | 1 |
| Peer rank | #81 of 138 | #5 of 33 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VYMI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 60 vs 62 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | VYMI | Value 42 vs 64 |
| Technicals | VTI | Price vs 50-day 0.2% vs -1.1%; vs 200-day 5.3% vs 2.8% |
| Risk Resilience | VTI | Risk Resilience 86 vs 77 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of VTI and VYMI and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 1 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's signal state is cleanly positive. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on VYMI.
How the comparison changed
95 daily snapshots · Jun 22 – Oct 20VYMI lead: Reversed — VTI led by 4 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; VYMI now leads by 2.
- Today
- VYMI +2
- 60 vs 62
- 7 sessions ago
- Level
- 59 vs 59
- 30 sessions ago
- VTI +4
- 60 vs 56
- 90 sessions ago
- VYMI +1
- 65 vs 66
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Sep 18 when VTI moved ahead of VYMI.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only VTI
- EMA Ribbon Compression — neutral, trend, medium horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (1.7%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
2 bullish / 0 bearish / 2 neutral
Only VYMI
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- MACD Bullish Crossover — bullish, momentum, short horizon
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling.
VTI is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.55%, AIQ +1 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.28%, AIQ +1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1VTI closes the Value gap — currently 22 points behind, the largest single contributor to VYMI's edge.
- 2VTI's ATR Contraction - Coiling turns directional — it is neutral today and would confirm a change in trend.
- 3VYMI's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
Split across windows| Metric | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -1.1% | 0.6% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.1% | -1.7% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 2.2% | 0.1% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 8.4% | 4.2% |
| Year to date | 12.5% | 13.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 15.8% | 20.4% |
Technicals
VTI has the stronger structure| Metric | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 55.2 | 56 |
| ADX (14) | 13.4 | 24.7 |
| Price vs 50-day | 0.2% | -1.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | 5.3% | 2.8% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 9.8% | 12.1% |
Risk
VTI is the more resilient| Metric | VTI | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.02 | 0.75 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 1.14 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.32 | 1.65 |
| Max drawdown | -9.2% | -10.8% |
| Current drawdown | -1.9% | -4.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 13.8% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.4% | -1.3% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between VTI and VYMI?
VTI and VYMI have little in common: 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do VTI and VYMI overlap?
VTI and VYMI share 0.04% of their weighted exposure across 10 common holdings. 3,489 holdings are unique to VTI, and 1,487 holdings are unique to VYMI. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, VTI or VYMI?
VTI holds more positions: 3,524 versus 1,602 for VYMI.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
VTI has the lower expense ratio, 0.03% a year against 0.07% for VYMI.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
VYMI, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 3.64% against 1.05% for VTI.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
Their volatility over the past year is similar: 13% annualized for VTI and 13.8% for VYMI.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
Their worst peak-to-trough falls over the past five years are similar: -25.4% for VTI and -24.1% for VYMI.
Compare VTI and VYMI with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.