Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund
 
Summary Prospectus
 
 
May 28, 2013
 
 
Investor Shares for Participants
 
Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund Investor Shares (VGPMX)
 
 
 
 
The Fund’s statutory Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information dated
May 28, 2013, are incorporated into and made part of this Summary Prospectus
by reference.
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which
contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find
the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at
www.vanguard.com/prospectus . You can also get this information at no
cost by calling 800-523-1188 or by sending an e-mail request to
online@vanguard.com.
 
 
 
 
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or
passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees  
(Fees paid directly from your investment)  
 
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases None
Purchase Fee None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends None
Redemption Fee None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Expenses 0.23%
12b-1 Distribution Fee None
Other Expenses 0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.26%

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you invest $10,000 in the Fund’s shares. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that total annual fund operating expenses remain as stated in the preceding table. The results apply whether or not you redeem your investment at the end of the given period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$27 $84 $146 $331

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in more taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the previous expense example, reduce the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30%.

Primary Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the stocks of foreign and U.S. companies principally engaged in the exploration, mining, development, fabrication, processing, marketing, or distribution of (or other activities related to) metals or minerals. The majority of these companies will be principally engaged in activities related to gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, or other precious and rare metals or minerals. The remaining companies will be principally engaged in activities related to nickel, copper, zinc, or other base and common metals or minerals. Up to 100% of the Fund’s assets may be invested in foreign securities. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets directly in gold, silver, or other precious metal bullion and coins.

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Primary Risks

An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. You should expect the Fund’s share price and total return to fluctuate within a wide range, like the fluctuations of global stock markets. The Fund is subject to the following risks, which could affect the Fund’s performance:

• Nondiversification risk , which is the chance that the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few stocks or even a single stock. The Fund is considered nondiversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of particular issuers as compared with other mutual funds. Because the Fund tends to invest a high percentage of assets in its ten largest holdings, nondiversification risk is very high for the Fund.

• Industry concentration risk , which is the chance that there will be overall problems affecting a particular industry. Because the Fund normally invests at least 80% of its assets in the metals or minerals industries, the Fund’s performance largely depends—for better or for worse—on the overall condition of those industries. The metals or minerals industries could be affected by sharp price volatility caused by global economic, financial, and political factors. Resource availability, government regulation, and economic cycles could also adversely affect those industries.

• 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. In addition, investments in foreign stocks can be riskier than U.S. stock investments. The prices of foreign stocks and the prices of U.S. stocks have, at times, moved in opposite directions.

• Investment style risk , which is the chance that returns from small- and mid-capitalization stocks will trail returns from global stock markets. Historically, small- and mid-cap stocks have been more volatile in price than the large-cap stocks that dominate the global markets, and they often perform quite differently.

• Manager risk , which is the chance that poor security selection will cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.

• Country risk , which is the chance that world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—will adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries. Country risk is especially high in emerging markets.

• Currency risk , which is the chance that the value of a foreign investment, measured in
U.S. dollars, will decrease because of unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates.

Currency risk is especially high in emerging markets.

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 Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns compare with those of relevant market indexes, which have investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund’s past performance 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 Precious Metals and Mining Fund Investor Shares 1


1 The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended on March 31, 2013, was –15.44%.

During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a calendar quarter was 27.53% (quarter ended September 30, 2005), and the lowest return for a quarter was –42.56% (quarter ended September 30, 2008).

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2012    
  1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund Investor Shares –12.98% –6.18% 12.66%
Comparative Indexes      
(reflect no deduction for fees or expenses)      
Standard & Poor's 500 Index 16.00% 1.66% 7.10%
Spliced Precious Metals and Mining Index –0.45 –0.15 13.21
S&P Global Custom Metals and Mining Index –0.45 –0.15 —

 

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Investment Advisor

M&G Investment Management Limited

Portfolio Managers

Graham E. French, Portfolio Manager at M&G. He has managed the Fund since 1996.

Randeep Somel, CFA, Portfolio Manager at M&G. He has served as Associate Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions will be reinvested in additional Fund shares and accumulate on a tax-deferred basis if you are investing through an employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan. You will not owe taxes on these distributions until you begin withdrawals from the plan. You should consult your plan administrator, your plan’s Summary Plan Description, or your tax advisor about the tax consequences of plan withdrawals.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

The Fund and its investment advisor do not pay financial intermediaries for sales of Fund shares.

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Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund Investor Shares—Fund Number 53

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Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

SPI 053 052013