Primary Risks
An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. You should expect the Funds share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range, like the fluctuations of the overall stock market. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Funds performance:
Stock market risk
, which is the chance that stock prices overall will decline. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices. The Funds target index may, at times, become focused in stocks of a particular sector, category, or group of companies, which could cause the Fund to underperform the overall stock market.
Investment style risk
, which is the chance that returns from large-capitalization growth stocks will trail returns from the overall stock market. Large-cap growth stocks tend to go through cycles of doing betteror worsethan other segments of the stock market or the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for as long as several years.
Because ETF Shares are traded on an exchange, they are subject to additional risks:
The Funds ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price and the NAV differ significantly. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares.
Although the Funds ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, it is possible that an active trading market may not be maintained.
Trading of the Funds ETF Shares on NYSE Arca may be halted by the activation of individual or marketwide circuit breakers (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). Trading of the Funds ETF Shares may also be halted if (1) the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca without first being listed on another exchange or (2) NYSE Arca officials determine that such action is appropriate in the interest of a fair and orderly market or to protect investors.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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Annual Total Returns
The following bar chart and table are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Funds ETF Shares (based on NAV) has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the ETF Shares compare with those of the Funds target index, which has investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Funds past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at
vanguard.com/performance
or by calling Vanguard toll-free at 800-662-7447.
Annual Total Returns Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a calendar quarter was 15.60% (quarter ended June 30, 2009), and the lowest return for a quarter was 23.83% (quarter ended December 31, 2008).
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Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2012
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Since
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Inception
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(Jan. 26,
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1 Year
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5 Years
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2004)
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Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares
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Based on NAV
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Return Before Taxes
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17.03%
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3.31%
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5.13%
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Return After Taxes on Distributions
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16.77
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3.11
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4.94
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Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
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11.42
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2.80
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4.43
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Based on Market Price
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Return Before Taxes
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17.01
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3.32
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5.12
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MSCI US Prime Market Growth Index
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(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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17.14%
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3.38%
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5.19%
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Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
will be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.
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