VTI is an ETF designed to track the broad US stock market, from large to small companies. It holds roughly 3,500 stocks, weighted mainly by market value, and aims to follow the Morningstar US Total Market Index.
History and development
VTI's ETF shares began on May 24, 2001, providing access to US large, mid and small companies together. Its benchmark history runs from a Dow Jones index to MSCI and then, in 2013, to CRSP. A continuing ticker therefore does not imply an unchanged benchmark throughout the fund's life.
References: Vanguard: VTI factsheet
Comparing charts on this board
Compare VTI with the S&P 500 to contrast a broader US stock universe with a large-cap benchmark. VTI's market-cap-based structure still gives large businesses substantial influence. Similar chart shapes therefore do not imply identical investment universes or equal exposure to small companies.
Compare percentage changes, not the ETF's dollar price with index points. An ETF's market price and net asset value are different measures, and a daily price chart is not a long-term return calculation with distributions reinvested. Use the board for direction and relative strength, then consult the fund's total-return figures for longer-term comparisons.
Related charts: S&P 500 · VUG · VTV · VXUS
Official references: VTI