Investment objective & strategy
As of March 27, 2026 · prospectusObjective. Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market with remaining maturities between one month and seven years.
Strategy. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the S&P 0-7 Year National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Target Index). The Target Index measures the performance of investment-grade, fixed-rate U.S. municipal bonds with maturities between one month and seven years, as determined by the index provider. The Target Index includes municipal bonds issued primarily by states, local governments, and agencies whose interest is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes and the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). Bonds issued by U.S. territories and commonwealths are excluded from the Target Index, as are certain other bonds as determined by the index provider. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the … The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the S&P 0-7 Year National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Target Index). The Target Index measures the performance of investment-grade, fixed-rate U.S. municipal bonds with maturities between one month and seven years, as determined by the index provider. The Target Index includes municipal bonds issued primarily by states, local governments, and agencies whose interest is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes and the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). Bonds issued by U.S. territories and commonwealths are excluded from the Target Index, as are certain other bonds as determined by the index provider. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the bonds that make up the Target Index. The Fund also has a fundamental policy to, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities whose income is exempt from federal income taxes and the federal AMT. The Fund invests by sampling the Target Index, meaning that it holds a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full Target Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. The Fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the Target Index, which, under normal circumstances, is not expected to exceed four years. As of November 30, 2025, the dollar-weighted average maturity of the Target Index was 2.6 years. The Fund may become nondiversified, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, solely as a result of tracking an index. This could occur due to events such as an index rebalance or market movement. A nondiversified fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of particular issuers as compared with diversified funds.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Municipal Cash Management Fund | — | $37.12M | 2.10% |
| NYC TRANSITIONAL-G-1 | — | $5.58M | 0.32% |
| CALIFORNIA ST-REF | — | $5.14M | 0.29% |
| NEW JERSEY ST ECON DEV AUTH REVENUE | — | $4.72M | 0.27% |
| Dallas Independent School District, Series 2026B | — | $4.71M | 0.27% |
| State of Illinois, Series D | ILS | $4.60M | 0.26% |
| State of New Jersey, Series 2020A | — | $4.50M | 0.25% |
| New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Series 2016A1 | — | $4.35M | 0.25% |
| Wyandotte County Unified School District No. 500, Series A | — | $4.06M | 0.23% |
| E CO AWP JT PWRS-A-1 | EAWWTR | $4.01M | 0.23% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| VANGUARD INTERMEDIATE-TERM TAX-EXEMPT BOND ETF · VTEI | 25% | 0.08% |
| VANGUARD TAX-EXEMPT BOND INDEX FUND · VTEAX, VTEB | 18% | 0.03% |
| iShares Short-Term National Muni Bond ETF · SUB | 18% | 0.07% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of March 27, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
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