VDC holds US consumer staples companies of all sizes: food and beverage producers, household and personal products, tobacco and large grocery and discount retailers. Demand for these products is steady through the economic cycle, so the sector has often held up better in downturns and lagged in strong rallies. Procter & Gamble, Costco, Walmart, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo make up a large share. Compared with XLP, VDC includes more small and mid-cap companies.
