VB vs VWO: how much do they really overlap?
VB (Vanguard Small-Cap ETF, tracking the CRSP US Small Cap) and VWO (Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, tracking the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap) overlap by roughly 0% by weight. 0 of VB's top 10 holdings also appear in VWO. A 50/50 blend of the two behaves like about 147 equally-weighted bets (diversification grade A). In short, the two funds hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant.
The same companies, in both funds
These 0 holdings appear in both VB and VWO. The weight columns show how much of each fund each name represents.
| Holding | in VB | in VWO |
|---|
Only in VB
Vanguard Small-Cap ETF — US small-cap. Its biggest holdings that VWO doesn’t have:
| CRDO Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd. | 0.54% |
| JBL Jabil Inc. | 0.49% |
| RVMD Revolution Medicines Inc. | 0.45% |
| ALAB Astera Labs Inc. | 0.45% |
| NTRA Natera Inc. | 0.44% |
| EME EMCOR Group Inc. | 0.44% |
| TWLO Twilio Inc. Class A | 0.37% |
| NRG NRG Energy Inc. | 0.37% |
Only in VWO
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF — emerging markets. Its biggest holdings that VB doesn’t have:
| 2330 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. | 15.64% |
| 700 Tencent Holdings Ltd. | 2.82% |
| 9988 Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. | 1.79% |
| 2454 MediaTek Inc. | 1.63% |
| 2308 Delta Electronics Inc. | 0.99% |
| 2317 Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. | 0.79% |
| HDFCBANK HDFC Bank Ltd. | 0.79% |
| RELIANCE Reliance Industries Ltd. | 0.75% |
So — essentially different. Should you hold both?
VB and VWO hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant. Held together they genuinely broaden your exposure — a 50/50 blend reaches ~147 effective positions (grade A), because they hold largely different securities.
Holdings as of — VB: Jun 30, 2026 (Vanguard); VWO: Jun 30, 2026 (Vanguard). Refreshed monthly. Overlap is measured across each fund’s largest holdings (top 50); the diffuse long tail barely moves the math.
See this for YOUR whole portfolio, free →VB vs VWO — FAQ
- How much do VB and VWO overlap?
- VB and VWO overlap by approximately 0% measured by portfolio weight — that is the share of the smaller fund's holdings (by weight) that also sit inside the other. 0 of VB's 10 largest holdings are also held by VWO. They share 0 of their listed top holdings in total.
- Is it redundant to hold both VB and VWO?
- Because they hold almost none of the same securities — they are complementary, not redundant, holding both is not redundant — each fund covers largely different holdings, so together they broaden your exposure. A 50/50 blend has an effective 147 positions and a A diversification grade.
- What does VWO hold that VB doesn't?
- VWO's largest holdings that VB doesn't hold include 2330, 700, 9988, 2454, 2308. Its category is emerging markets, versus VB's US small-cap.
- Which is more concentrated, VB or VWO?
- VB's top 10 holdings are 27% of its listed weight; VWO's are 67%. The more concentrated fund leans harder on its largest names.