ETF & Mutual Fund Risk Factors API
Retrieve the risk factors a mutual fund or ETF discloses in its prospectus, itemised, with the full text of each as the filer wrote it. Order is preserved exactly as filed — funds list risks by significance, not alphabetically, so the first item is the one the manager considers most material, and re-sorting would discard that signal. Vanguard 500 Index Fund files 11 risk factors; ARK Innovation ETF files 27, and the difference is itself informative. The API is free to use.
Use this endpoint to:
https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?ticker={ticker}&api_key={api_key}
Related endpoints: The narrative summary these items expand on is also returned by the Fund Overview API, alongside the objective and strategy. To check the risks against the actual portfolio, use the Fund Holdings API and the Portfolio Exposure API — a fund disclosing concentration risk is worth a look at its top ten weights.
1. Request Parameters
One identifier. Risk disclosures belong to the fund rather than to a share class, so ticker and seriesid return the same list for any class of the same fund.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| api_key |
Required
Your unique API key for authentication.
|
| ticker |
Conditional Identifier
The fund or ETF ticker. A ticker identifies a share class, not a fund — VOO and VFIAX are two classes of the same portfolio, so the fees you get back are the ones that class charges. Either ticker or seriesid is required.
Example:
ticker=VOO |
| seriesid |
Conditional Identifier
The SEC Series ID of the fund. Resolves to the fund's lowest-cost share class. Use this when you want the fund rather than a particular class, or for funds that have no ticker of their own.
Example:
seriesid=S000002839 |
Never sort these rows alphabetically. risk_sno is the prospectus's own ordering, which filers set by significance. The order is the disclosure, and re-sorting throws away information the filer deliberately encoded. Rows arrive already sorted on it.
Risk text is returned verbatim. No summarisation, no truncation, no normalisation of the filer's wording. Some items run to several hundred words. If you need something shorter for a UI, truncate at render time and keep the full text for search and for model input.
curl -X GET "https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?ticker=VOO&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
{
"metadata": {
"ticker": "VOO",
"seriesid": "S000002839",
"classid": "C000092055",
"cik": 1004655,
"fund_name": "Vanguard 500 Index Fund",
"class_name": "ETF Shares",
"risk_count": 11,
"prospectus_date": "2026-04-28"
},
"summary": {
"risk_narrative": "As with any investment, an investment in the Fund could lose money over any time period. The Fund's share price and total return may fluctuate, potentially within a wide range. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. Each of the following risks could affect the Fund's performance:\n\n• General Market Risk. The markets in which the Fund invests can be affected by a variety of factors. These factors, which can be real or perceived, may include economic, market, political, and regulatory conditions and developments as well as local, regional, or global events such as wars, military conflicts, natural disasters, and public health issues. In addition, investor sentiment and expectations regarding these factors can also impact the markets. Different parts of the market, including different industries and sectors as well as different types of securities, may react differently to factors that affect the market. These factors can contribute to market uncertainty, market volatility, and fluctuations in the value of the Fund's investments, thereby resulting in potential losses to the Fund over short or long periods.\n\n• Investing in Equity Markets. The Fund invests in the equity markets. Equity markets have historically been cyclical, having periods of time when stock values rise and fall. Market volatility can lead to significant fluctuations in stock values, resulting in potential losses to the Fund.\n\n• Market Capitalization (Market Cap). Companies are generally classified into three types of market cap depending on their size: small-, mid-, and large-cap. Companies can be further classified into micro- or mega-cap. Different factors can affect each market cap uniquely, and historically small- and mid-cap stocks have typically been more volatile due to the effects of changing economic conditions. Large companies may not reach the same levels of growth or performance as smaller companies, and they may be slower to react to competitive challenges. The performance of funds that invest in a subset of market caps could diverge from the performance of a fund that is focused on a broader representation of the stock market.\n\n• Index Investing. The Fund is subject to risks associated with index investing. Because the Fund generally seeks to track the performance of the Target Index regardless of how the Target Index is performing, the Fund's performance may be lower than it would be if it were actively managed. Although the Fund seeks to hold substantially all of the securities included in the Target Index, it may be unable to do so. In addition, the Fund could be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in the Target Index. The performance of the Fund's investments, in the aggregate, may not match the investment performance of the Target Index. This risk, known as tracking error risk, may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or under other unusual market conditions. The Fund also could be negatively impacted by changes to the Target Index made by the index provider or by errors made by the index provider. Any gains, losses, or costs associated with or resulting from an error made by the index\n\n3\n\nprovider will generally be borne by the Fund and, as a result, the Fund's shareholders.\n\n• Nondiversification. By tracking its broad-based Target Index, the Fund could become nondiversified, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, due to events such as an index rebalance or market movement. The performance of nondiversified funds may be negatively impacted by relatively few securities or even a single security and their shares may experience significant fluctuations in value.\n\n• Concentration Risk. Except as may be necessary to approximate the composition of its Target Index, the Fund will not concentrate its investments in the securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry or group of industries. If the Target Index becomes concentrated and the Fund needs to concentrate in the same industry or group of industries, its performance could be negatively impacted by the industry or industries in which it is concentrated.\n\n• Information Technology Sector. As of the Fund's most recent fiscal year end, stocks of companies within the information technology sector made up a significant portion of the Target Index. As a result, the performance of the Target Index, and therefore the performance of the Fund, may be impacted by the general condition of the information technology sector.\n\nAn 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.\n\nAnnual Total Returns\n\nThe following bar chart and table show the Fund's historical performance and are intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund's Admiral Shares has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table shows how the average annual total returns of the Admiral Shares compare with those of a broad-based securities market index and one or more additional indexes with similar investment characteristics as the Fund. Keep in mind that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on our website at vanguard.com/performance.\n\n4\n\nAnnual Total Returns - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares\n\n \n\nDuring the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest and lowest returns for a calendar quarter were:\n\nTotal Return\n\nQuarter\n\nHighest\n\n20.54\n\n%\n\nJune 30, 2020\n\nLowest\n\n-19.61\n\n%\n\nMarch 31, 2020\n\nAverage Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2025\n\n1 Year\n\n5 Years\n\n10 Years\n\nVanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares\n\nReturn Before Taxes\n\n17.83\n\n%\n\n14.38\n\n%\n\n14.78\n\n%\n\nReturn After Taxes on Distributions\n\n17.49\n\n13.99\n\n14.32\n\nReturn After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of\n\nFund Shares\n\n10.76\n\n11.47\n\n12.33\n\nStandard & Poor's 500 Index\n\n(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)\n\n17.88\n\n%\n\n14.42\n\n%\n\n14.82\n\n%\n\nDow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted\n\nIndex\n\n(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)\n\n17.05\n\n13.07\n\n14.21\n\nActual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. When after-tax returns are calculated, it is assumed that the shareholder was in the highest individual federal marginal income tax bracket at the time of each distribution of income or capital gains or upon redemption. State and local income taxes are not reflected in the calculations. Please note that after-tax returns are not relevant for a shareholder who holds fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. Also, figures captioned Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the shareholder.\n\n5\n\nInvestment Advisor\n\nThe Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vanguard Capital Management (VCM). VCM exercises portfolio management responsibilities for the Fund.\n\nPortfolio Managers\n\nNick Birkett, CFA, Portfolio Manager at VCM. He has co-managed the Fund since 2023.\n\nAurélie Denis, CFA, Portfolio Manager at VCM. She has co-managed the Fund since 2025.\n\nMichelle Louie, CFA, Principal of Vanguard and Portfolio Manager at VCM. She has co-managed the Fund since 2017"
},
"data": [
{
"risk_sno": 1,
"risk_name": "Risk Lose Money Risk",
"risk_text": "As with any investment, an investment in the Fund could lose money over any time period."
},
{
"risk_sno": 2,
"risk_name": "General Market Risk",
"risk_text": "• General Market Risk. The markets in which the Fund invests can be affected by a variety of factors. These factors, which can be real or perceived, may include economic, market, political, and regulatory conditions and developments as well as local, regional, or global events such as wars, military conflicts, natural disasters, and public health issues. In addition, investor sentiment and expectations regarding these factors can also impact the markets. Different parts of the market, including different industries and sectors as well as different types of securities, may react differently to factors that affect the market. These factors can contribute to market uncertainty, market volatility, and fluctuations in the value of the Fund's investments, thereby resulting in potential losses to the Fund over short or long periods."
},
{
"risk_sno": 3,
"risk_name": "Investing In Equity Markets Risk",
"risk_text": "• Investing in Equity Markets. The Fund invests in the equity markets. Equity markets have historically been cyclical, having periods of time when stock values rise and fall. Market volatility can lead to significant fluctuations in stock values, resulting in potential losses to the Fund."
},
{
"risk_sno": 4,
"risk_name": "Market Capitalization Risk",
"risk_text": "• Market Capitalization (Market Cap). Companies are generally classified into three types of market cap depending on their size: small-, mid-, and large-cap. Companies can be further classified into micro- or mega-cap. Different factors can affect each market cap uniquely, and historically small- and mid-cap stocks have typically been more volatile due to the effects of changing economic conditions. Large companies may not reach the same levels of growth or performance as smaller companies, and they may be slower to react to competitive challenges. The performance of funds that invest in a subset of market caps could diverge from the performance of a fund that is focused on a broader representation of the stock market."
},
{
"risk_sno": 5,
"risk_name": "Index Investing Risk",
"risk_text": "• Index Investing. The Fund is subject to risks associated with index investing. Because the Fund generally seeks to track the performance of the Target Index regardless of how the Target Index is performing, the Fund's performance may be lower than it would be if it were actively managed. Although the Fund seeks to hold substantially all of the securities included in the Target Index, it may be unable to do so. In addition, the Fund could be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in the Target Index. The performance of the Fund's investments, in the aggregate, may not match the investment performance of the Target Index. This risk, known as tracking error risk, may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or under other unusual market conditions. The Fund also could be negatively impacted by changes to the Target Index made by the index provider or by errors made by the index provider. Any gains, losses, or costs associated with or resulting from an error made by the index provider will generally be borne by the Fund and, as a result, the Fund's shareholders."
},
{
"risk_sno": 6,
"risk_name": "Nondiversification Risk",
"risk_text": "• Nondiversification. By tracking its broad-based Target Index, the Fund could become nondiversified, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, due to events such as an index rebalance or market movement. The performance of nondiversified funds may be negatively impacted by relatively few securities or even a single security and their shares may experience significant fluctuations in value."
},
{
"risk_sno": 7,
"risk_name": "Concentration Risk",
"risk_text": "• Concentration Risk. Except as may be necessary to approximate the composition of its Target Index, the Fund will not concentrate its investments in the securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry or group of industries. If the Target Index becomes concentrated and the Fund needs to concentrate in the same industry or group of industries, its performance could be negatively impacted by the industry or industries in which it is concentrated."
},
{
"risk_sno": 8,
"risk_name": "Sector Risk",
"risk_text": "• Information Technology Sector. As of the Fund's most recent fiscal year end, stocks of companies within the information technology sector made up a significant portion of the Target Index. As a result, the performance of the Target Index, and therefore the performance of the Fund, may be impacted by the general condition of the information technology sector."
},
{
"risk_sno": 9,
"risk_name": "Risk Not Insured Depository Institution Risk",
"risk_text": "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."
},
{
"risk_sno": 10,
"risk_name": "ETF Share Trading Risk",
"risk_text": "• ETF Share Trading. Vanguard ETF Shares (\"ETF Shares\") are an exchanged-traded class of shares issued by certain Vanguard funds that represent an interest in the portfolio of securities held by the issuing fund. The Fund's ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and individual investors may only buy and sell them on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price of an ETF Share and its NAV differ significantly. Disruptions to creation and redemption transactions, the existence of significant market volatility, or potential lack of an active trading market for ETF Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in ETF Shares trading significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the Fund's NAV or the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares."
},
{
"risk_sno": 11,
"risk_name": "Authorized Participants Risk",
"risk_text": "• Authorized Participants. Only Authorized Participants may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. The Fund's Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that the Fund's Authorized Participants are unable to or choose not to proceed with creation and/or redemption transactions with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participants step forward to engage in creation or redemption transactions with the Fund, the Fund's ETF Shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting."
}
]
}
The sample above is trimmed for display — five of eleven items, with each risk_text cut short. The live endpoint returns every item in full.
2. Response Fields
Three fields per row, the fund identity block in metadata shared with every other endpoint in this group, and the prospectus's own opening paragraph in summary.risk_narrative.
metadata
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ticker, seriesid, classid, cik | string | Fund and share-class identity. |
| fund_name, class_name | string | Registered fund name and resolved share class. |
| risk_count | integer | Number of risk factors returned. |
| prospectus_date | date | Date of the prospectus these disclosures were filed in. |
summary
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| risk_narrative | string | The prospectus's own summary paragraph introducing the risk section, verbatim. |
data — one row per risk factor
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| risk_sno | integer | The filer's own sequence number. Rows arrive sorted on this; preserve the order. |
| risk_name | string | Short label for the risk, e.g. General Market Risk or Index Tracking Risk. |
| risk_text | string | Full disclosure text for that risk, exactly as filed. |
3. Response Viewer
A real response for ticker=VOO, abridged for this page. Rows are in filed order — general market risk first, index tracking risk further down — which is the manager's own ranking of what matters.
API Response — Prospectus Risk Factors
Vanguard 500 Index Fund · ticker=VOO
| # | Risk Factor | Disclosure Text |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Risk Lose Money Risk | As with any investment, an investment in the Fund could lose money over any time period. |
| 2 | General Market Risk | • General Market Risk. The markets in which the Fund invests can be affected by a variety of factors. These factors, which can be real or perceived, may include economic, market, political, and regulatory conditions and developments as well as local, regional, or global events such as wars, military conflicts, natural disasters, and public health issues. In addition, investor sentiment and expectations regarding these factors can also impact the markets. Different parts of the market, including different industries and sectors as well as different types of securities, may react differently to factors that affect the market. These factors can contribute to market uncertainty, market volatility, and fluctuations in the value of the Fund's investments, thereby resulting in potential losses to the Fund over short or long periods. |
| 3 | Investing In Equity Markets Risk | • Investing in Equity Markets. The Fund invests in the equity markets. Equity markets have historically been cyclical, having periods of time when stock values rise and fall. Market volatility can lead to significant fluctuations in stock values, resulting in potential losses to the Fund. |
| 4 | Market Capitalization Risk | • Market Capitalization (Market Cap). Companies are generally classified into three types of market cap depending on their size: small-, mid-, and large-cap. Companies can be further classified into micro- or mega-cap. Different factors can affect each market cap uniquely, and historically small- and mid-cap stocks have typically been more volatile due to the effects of changing economic conditions. Large companies may not reach the same levels of growth or performance as smaller companies, and they may be slower to react to competitive challenges. The performance of funds that invest in a subset of market caps could diverge from the performance of a fund that is focused on a broader representation of the stock market. |
| 5 | Index Investing Risk | • Index Investing. The Fund is subject to risks associated with index investing. Because the Fund generally seeks to track the performance of the Target Index regardless of how the Target Index is performing, the Fund's performance may be lower than it would be if it were actively managed. Although the Fund seeks to hold substantially all of the securities included in the Target Index, it may be unable to do so. In addition, the Fund could be prevented from holding one or more securities in the same proportion as in the Target Index. The performance of the Fund's investments, in the aggregate, may not match the investment performance of the Target Index. This risk, known as tracking error risk, may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or under other unusual market conditions. The Fund also could be negatively impacted by changes to the Target Index made by the index provider or by errors made by the index provider. Any gains, losses, or costs associated with or resulting from an error made by the index provider will generally be borne by the Fund and, as a result, the Fund's shareholders. |
| 6 | Nondiversification Risk | • Nondiversification. By tracking its broad-based Target Index, the Fund could become nondiversified, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, due to events such as an index rebalance or market movement. The performance of nondiversified funds may be negatively impacted by relatively few securities or even a single security and their shares may experience significant fluctuations in value. |
| 7 | Concentration Risk | • Concentration Risk. Except as may be necessary to approximate the composition of its Target Index, the Fund will not concentrate its investments in the securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry or group of industries. If the Target Index becomes concentrated and the Fund needs to concentrate in the same industry or group of industries, its performance could be negatively impacted by the industry or industries in which it is concentrated. |
| 8 | Sector Risk | • Information Technology Sector. As of the Fund's most recent fiscal year end, stocks of companies within the information technology sector made up a significant portion of the Target Index. As a result, the performance of the Target Index, and therefore the performance of the Fund, may be impacted by the general condition of the information technology sector. |
| 9 | Risk Not Insured Depository Institution Risk | 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. |
| 10 | ETF Share Trading Risk | • ETF Share Trading. Vanguard ETF Shares ("ETF Shares") are an exchanged-traded class of shares issued by certain Vanguard funds that represent an interest in the portfolio of securities held by the issuing fund. The Fund's ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and individual investors may only buy and sell them on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of an ETF Share typically will approximate its net asset value (NAV), there may be times when the market price of an ETF Share and its NAV differ significantly. Disruptions to creation and redemption transactions, the existence of significant market volatility, or potential lack of an active trading market for ETF Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in ETF Shares trading significantly above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the Fund's NAV or the intraday value of the Fund's holdings. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy ETF Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. |
| 11 | Authorized Participants Risk | • Authorized Participants. Only Authorized Participants may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. The Fund's Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that the Fund's Authorized Participants are unable to or choose not to proceed with creation and/or redemption transactions with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participants step forward to engage in creation or redemption transactions with the Fund, the Fund's ETF Shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. |
4. More Request Examples
One parameter, so the interesting part is which funds you compare.
https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?ticker=VOO&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?ticker=ARKK&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?ticker=AGG&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/funds/risks?seriesid=S000002839&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
5. Use Cases
Prospectus risk text is unstructured by nature; itemising it is what makes it usable.
Risk Accordion On A Fund Page
risk_name is the accordion header and risk_text the panel. Keeping risk_sno order means the most material risk is the one open by default.
Risk Profile Comparison
Count and compare risk factors across funds. An index fund files 11; an active thematic ETF files 27. The delta, and which named risks appear in one list and not the other, is a fast structural comparison.
Disclosure Change Monitoring
Store the risk list per prospectus_date and diff on each new filing. A newly added risk factor is a deliberate act by the filer and often the earliest formal signal of a strategy shift.
Retrieval Pipelines And LLM Input
Text arrives verbatim and already segmented by risk, which is a better chunk boundary than a fixed token window — each item is a self-contained disclosure.
Suitability And Compliance Screening
Search risk_name across a fund universe for specific exposures — derivatives, non-diversification, emerging markets, liquidity — to flag products against a client mandate.
Risk Versus Portfolio Reality
A fund disclosing concentration risk is worth checking against its actual top weights from the Fund Holdings API. Disclosure and portfolio do not always tell the same story.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions developers ask most often about this endpoint.
Why should I not sort the risk factors alphabetically?
Because risk_sno is the prospectus's own ordering and filers set it by significance, listing the risks they consider most material first. Sorting alphabetically discards a signal the filer deliberately encoded. Rows already arrive in filed order.
Is the risk text summarised or edited in any way?
No. risk_text is the filer's wording, unedited and untruncated, which is why some items run to several hundred words. The sample on this page is trimmed for display only — the live endpoint returns everything. Truncate at render time if you need to, but keep the full text for search and model input.
Do different share classes have different risk factors?
No. Risk disclosures belong to the fund, not to a share class, so every class on one seriesId returns an identical list. VOO and VFIAX give the same 11 items; only the identity block in metadata differs to reflect which class you asked for.
What is the difference between risk_narrative and the data array?
summary.risk_narrative is the single introductory paragraph the prospectus uses to open its risk section — the same field the Fund Overview API returns. The data array is that section broken into its individual named risks. Use the narrative for a summary line and the array for anything structured.
What happens for a fund that files no itemised risks?
A 404 with a message saying so. Not every registrant breaks its risk section into named items — some file only a continuous narrative, which is still available as risk_narrative on the Fund Overview API.
Is the ETF & Mutual Fund Risk Factors API free to use?
Yes, the API is free to use. Sign up for an API key and start pulling prospectus risk disclosures immediately — no credit card required.