The Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD ACC (GBP) is the most popular S&P 500 exchange-traded fund (ETF) among Hargreaves Lansdown investors. This ETF, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest US companies, is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker "VUAG".
The S&P 500 index has shown strong historical performance, increasing by around 386% between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2026. More recently, the index rose by approximately 20% in the year to August 17, 2026.
ETFs offer exposure to a diversified mix of investments, helping to spread risk, according to Kate Marshall, investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. When choosing an S&P 500 ETF, investors consider factors such as expense ratios, with VUAG having a relatively low annual fee of 0.07% compared to HSBC's S&P 500 ETF at 0.09%.
ETFs can be accumulating (ACC), reinvesting dividends, or distributing (Dist), paying dividends to investors. Afolabi Thomas, equity specialist at Vanguard, suggests that investors focused on long-term growth may prefer accumulation shares, while those seeking an income stream might prefer distribution shares.