Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
VEA vs VWO
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF against Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
VEA outperformed VWO over the 1,000-trading-day period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $2,004 in VEA versus $1,792 in VWO, a 100.4% versus 79.2% total return. VEA also led over the past 1 and 3 years, YTD, and the 1-, 3-, and 6-month periods. The advantage matters because both funds provide international diversification and their daily moves were highly correlated at 0.822, yet developed markets delivered substantially better results with slightly lower risk. VEA’s 12-month volatility was 17.6% versus 17.5% for VWO, but its worst drawdown was milder at -13.4% versus -17.4%. VEA also has a lower expense ratio, 0.03% versus 0.06%. VWO remains a higher-drawdown, emerging-markets exposure that may diversify VEA, but it lagged materially during this period.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($69); 50-day at $72.
- RSI 38, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 24, so the trend is developing.
- Price is below its 200-day average ($58); 50-day at $60.
- RSI 30, oversold. Supertrend says sell. ADX 24, so the trend is developing.
Head to head
Which has returned more, VEA or VWO?
VEA beat VWO in 29 of the last 48 months; VWO won the other 19. The typical monthly gap was 1.87 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
VEA: Mar 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025; VWO: Oct 7, 2024 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.822
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.79
- VEA move per 1% in VWO
- 0.876
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 1.87 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | VEA | VWO | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2024 | +1.1% | +7.3% | -6.25 pts |
| April 2024 | -3.4% | +1.0% | -4.37 pts |
| April 2025 | +4.0% | -0.0% | +4.05 pts |
| June 2024 | -1.6% | +2.0% | -3.63 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
What do you actually own with VEA and VWO?
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