TACU vs VPX

TACUAT. Rowe Price Active Core U.S. Equity ETF

VPXCVariant Perception Cycle Aware US Equity ETF

In short

TACU T. Rowe Price's quant-plus-fundamental take on core large-cap U.S. stock, benchmarked to the Russell 1000. Gross fee 0.14%, fully waived to zero through January 30, 2027.

VPX A macro research shop's take on US large caps: own quality names, then let a macro-risk model decide how much of the portfolio sits in cash instead. Most active large-cap funds stay fully invested. This one has a dial.

Stated mandate

TACU The fund seeks long-term capital growth through a primarily U.S. equity portfolio. It combines quantitative models with fundamental, bottom-up analysis and seeks excess returns relative to the Russell 1000 Index.

VPX The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation with reduced downside risk through a systematic strategy investing primarily in large-capitalization U.S. equity securities, with cash and cash equivalents also permitted.

Why people hold it

• TACU Fee fully waived: 0.14% gross, zero net through January 30, 2027. That sits below every top-scoring peer in the category, including DFAU at 0.12% with no waiver.troweprice.com
• Quant models feed bottom-up stock picking with tilts to profitability, quality and value, chasing excess return over the Russell 1000 while holding tracking error tight.troweprice.com
• Several hundred large-cap names, so no single position runs the show. One of the stronger profiles in a crowded active U.S. equity field.troweprice.com

• VPX The dial is the point. As its macro risk reading rises, more of the fund shifts into cash and short-term government paper; as risk falls, it moves back toward stocks.etfarchitect.com
• The stock side is systematic, not hunches: US large caps above $5 billion in market value, ranked on a proprietary read of quality and behavioral factors.etfarchitect.com
• One flat 0.75% management fee. The fee table shows no 12b-1 charge and no separate other-expenses line stacked on top.sec.gov

Worth knowing

• TACU Launched in December 2025, so the live record is short and the risk read rests on limited history.
• Still a small fund that trades lightly, which can mean wider spreads than the category's giants.
• Distributions are annual at most, with no declared income target. This is a growth mandate, not a cash-flow one.

• VPX 0.75% sits above the typical active US equity fund's 0.65%, and it is many times what systematic rivals like DFAU (0.12%) and AVLC (0.15%) charge.
• Cash cuts both ways. The prospectus notes that holding cash, even strategically, can leave the fund behind rivals that stay fully invested.etfarchitect.com
• Launched in 2026, still small and lightly traded: a short record to judge, and wider bid-ask spreads than the giants of the category.

Full TACU profile⁠

Full VPX profile⁠