UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT

OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-03916

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (610) 669-1000

Date of fiscal year end: January 31

Date of reporting period: February 1, 2020—July 31, 2020

Item 1: Reports to Shareholders

Important information about access to shareholder reports

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of your fund’s annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be sent to you by mail, unless you specifically request them. Instead, you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted on the website and will be provided with a link to access the report.

If you have already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and do not need to take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the fund electronically by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you invest directly with the fund, by calling Vanguard at one of the phone numbers on the back cover of this report or by logging on to vanguard.com.

You may elect to receive paper copies of all future shareholder reports free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact the intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies. If you invest directly with the fund, you can call Vanguard at one of the phone numbers on the back cover of this report or log on to vanguard.com. Your election to receive paper copies will apply to all the funds you hold through an intermediary or directly with Vanguard.

About Your Fund’s Expenses

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The accompanying table illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

·   Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

·   Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect transaction costs incurred by the fund for buying and selling securities. Further, the expenses do not include any purchase, redemption, or account service fees described in the fund prospectus. If such fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to your fund’s current prospectus.

The calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.35% for Investor Shares and 0.27% for Admiral Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period (182/366).

Energy Fund

Fund Allocation

As of July 31, 2020

The table reflects the fund’s investments, except for short-term investments and derivatives. Sector categories are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), except for the “Other” category (if applicable), which includes securities that have not been provided a GICS classification as of the effective reporting period.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) and Standard and Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), and is licensed for use by Vanguard. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Energy Fund

Financial Statements (unaudited)

Schedule of Investments

As of July 31, 2020

The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Energy Fund

Energy Fund

Energy Fund

Cost is in $000.

ADR—American Depositary Receipt.

GDR—Global Depositary Receipt.

Energy Fund

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

Statement of Operations

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

1 Certain prior period numbers have been reclassified to conform with current period presentation.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

Financial Highlights

Investor Shares

The expense ratio and net investment income ratio for the current period have been annualized.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

Financial Highlights

Admiral Shares

The expense ratio and net investment income ratio for the current period have been annualized.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Energy Fund

Notes to Financial Statements

Vanguard Energy Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund offers two classes of shares: Investor Shares and Admiral Shares. Each of the share classes has different eligibility and minimum purchase requirements, and is designed for different types of investors.

The fund invests in securities of foreign issuers, which may subject it to investment risks not normally associated with investing in securities of U.S. corporations. Market disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have had a global impact, and uncertainty exists as to the long-term implications. Such disruptions can adversely affect assets of the fund and thus fund performance.

A.  The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. investment companies. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued at their fair values calculated according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. These procedures include obtaining quotations from an independent pricing service, monitoring news to identify significant market- or security-specific events, and evaluating changes in the values of foreign market proxies (for example, ADRs, futures contracts, or exchange-traded funds), between the time the foreign markets close and the fund’s pricing time. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate its net asset value may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value. Temporary cash investments are valued using the latest bid prices or using valuations based on a matrix system (which considers such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, and ratings), both as furnished by independent pricing services.

2. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from an independent third party as of the fund’s pricing time on the valuation date. Realized gains (losses) and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities include the effects of changes in exchange rates since the securities were purchased, combined with the effects of changes in security prices. Fluctuations in the value of other assets and liabilities resulting from changes in exchange rates are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gains (losses) until the assets or liabilities are settled in cash, at which time they are recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).

3. Futures Contracts: The fund uses index futures contracts to a limited extent, with the objective of maintaining full exposure to the stock market while maintaining liquidity. The fund may purchase or sell futures contracts to achieve a desired level of investment, whether to accommodate portfolio turnover or cash flows from capital share transactions. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are imperfect correlation between changes in market values of stocks held by the fund and the prices of futures contracts, and the possibility of an illiquid market. Counterparty risk involving futures is mitigated because a regulated clearinghouse is the counterparty instead of the

Energy Fund

clearing broker. To further mitigate counterparty risk, the fund trades futures contracts on an exchange, monitors the financial strength of its clearing brokers and clearinghouse, and has entered into clearing agreements with its clearing brokers. The clearinghouse imposes initial margin requirements to secure the fund’s performance and requires daily settlement of variation margin representing changes in the market value of each contract. Any assets pledged as initial margin for open contracts are noted in the Schedule of Investments.

Futures contracts are valued at their quoted daily settlement prices. The notional amounts of the contracts are not recorded in the Schedule of Investments. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as an asset (liability) and in the Statement of Operations as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) until the contracts are closed, when they are recorded as realized gains (losses) on futures contracts.

During the six months ended July 31, 2020, the fund’s average investments in long and short futures contracts represented 2% and 0% of net assets, respectively, based on the average of the notional amounts at each quarter-end during the period.

4. Repurchase Agreements: The fund enters into repurchase agreements with institutional counterparties. Securities pledged as collateral to the fund under repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature, and in the absence of a default, such collateral cannot be repledged, resold, or rehypothecated. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into repurchase agreements only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master repurchase agreements with its counterparties. The master repurchase agreements provide that, in the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any repurchase agreements with that counterparty, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund. Such action may be subject to legal proceedings, which may delay or limit the disposition of collateral.

5. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Management has analyzed the fund’s tax positions taken for all open federal income tax years (January 31, 2017–2020), and for the period ended July 31, 2020, and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the fund’s financial statements.

6. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined on a tax basis at the fiscal year-end and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes.

7. Securities Lending: To earn additional income, the fund lends its securities to qualified institutional borrowers. Security loans are subject to termination by the fund at any time, and are required to be secured at all times by collateral in an amount at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. Daily market fluctuations could cause the value of loaned securities to be more or less than the value of the collateral received. When this occurs, the collateral is adjusted and settled before the opening of the market on the next business day. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into securities lending transactions only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master securities lending agreements with its counterparties. The master securities lending agreements provide that, in the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any loans with that borrower, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund; however,

Energy Fund

such actions may be subject to legal proceedings. While collateral mitigates counterparty risk, in the event of a default, the fund may experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Collateral investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are subject to market appreciation or depreciation. Securities lending income represents fees charged to borrowers plus income earned on invested cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan. During the term of the loan, the fund is entitled to all distributions made on or in respect of the loaned securities.

8. Credit Facilities and Interfund Lending Program: The fund and certain other funds managed by The Vanguard Group (“Vanguard”) participate in a $4.3 billion committed credit facility provided by a syndicate of lenders pursuant to a credit agreement and an uncommitted credit facility provided by Vanguard. Both facilities may be renewed annually. Each fund is individually liable for its borrowings, if any, under the credit facilities. Borrowings may be utilized for temporary or emergency purposes, subject to the fund’s regulatory and contractual borrowing restrictions. With respect to the committed credit facility, the participating funds are charged administrative fees and an annual commitment fee of 0.10% of the undrawn committed amount of the facility; these fees are allocated to the funds based on a method approved by the fund’s board of trustees and included in Management and Administrative expenses on the fund’s Statement of Operations. Any borrowings under either facility bear interest at a rate based upon the higher of the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (or an acceptable alternate rate, if necessary), federal funds effective rate, or overnight bank funding rate plus an agreed-upon spread, except that borrowings under the uncommitted credit facility may bear interest based upon an alternative rate agreed to by the fund and Vanguard.

In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC, the fund may participate in a joint lending and borrowing program that allows registered open-end Vanguard funds to borrow money from and lend money to each other for temporary or emergency purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the fund’s investment objective and investment policies. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one business day’s notice. The interest rate to be charged is governed by the conditions of the Order and internal procedures adopted by the board of trustees. The board of trustees is responsible for overseeing the Interfund Lending Program.

For the six months ended July 31, 2020, the fund did not utilize the credit facilities or the Interfund Lending Program.

9. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized and accreted, respectively, to interest income over the lives of the respective securities, except for premiums on certain callable debt securities that are amortized to the earliest call date. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold.

Taxes on foreign dividends and capital gains have been provided for in accordance with the fund’s understanding of the applicable countries’ tax rules and rates. Foreign capital gains tax is accrued daily based upon net unrealized gains. The fund has filed tax reclaims for previously withheld taxes on dividends earned in certain European Union countries. These filings are subject to various administrative and judicial proceedings within these countries. Such tax reclaims received during

Energy Fund

the year, if any, are included in dividend income. No other amounts for additional tax reclaims are reflected in the financial statements due to the uncertainty as to the ultimate resolution of proceedings, the likelihood of receipt of these reclaims, and the potential timing of payment.

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

B.  The investment advisory firm Wellington Management Company LLP provides investment advisory services to a portion of the fund for a fee calculated at an annual percentage rate of average net assets managed by the advisor. The basic fee is subject to quarterly adjustments based on performance relative to the MSCI ACWI Energy Index for the preceding three years. Vanguard provides investment advisory services to a portion of the fund as described below; the fund paid Vanguard advisory fees of $104,000 for the six months ended July 31, 2020.

For the six months ended July 31, 2020, the aggregate investment advisory fee paid to all advisors represented an effective annual basic rate of 0.15% of the fund’s average net assets, before a decrease of $889,000 (0.04%) based on performance.

In July 2020, the board of trustees approved the restructuring of the investment advisory team of the fund; effective August 17, 2020, Vanguard was removed as an investment advisor to the fund and Wellington Management Company LLP serves as the fund’s sole investment advisor. Additionally, in the fourth quarter of 2020, the fund will change its benchmark to a custom market-capitalization-weighted blend of the MSCI ACWI Energy Index and the MSCI ACWI Utilities Index (the “new benchmark”) to better reflect how Wellington intends to position the fund within the energy industry. At the same time, the new benchmark will begin to be phased in for the purpose of the quarterly performance-based adjustments to the basic fee.

C.  In accordance with the terms of a Funds’ Service Agreement (the “FSA”) between Vanguard and the fund, Vanguard furnishes to the fund investment advisory, corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services at Vanguard’s cost of operations (as defined by the FSA). These costs of operations are allocated to the fund based on methods and guidelines approved by the board of trustees and are generally settled twice a month.

Upon the request of Vanguard, the fund may invest up to 0.40% of its net assets as capital in Vanguard. At July 31, 2020, the fund had contributed to Vanguard capital in the amount of $207,000, representing less than 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 0.08% of Vanguard’s capital received pursuant to the FSA. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and employees, respectively, of Vanguard.

Energy Fund

D.  Various inputs may be used to determine the value of the fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels for financial statement purposes. The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2—Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).

Level 3—Significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments). Any investments valued with significant unobservable inputs are noted on the Schedule of Investments.

The following table summarizes the market value of the fund’s investments and derivatives as of July 31, 2020, based on the inputs used to value them:

1 Represents variation margin on the last day of the reporting period.

E.  As of July 31, 2020, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for investments and derivatives based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

The fund’s tax-basis capital gains and losses are determined only at the end of each fiscal year. For tax purposes, at January 31, 2020, the fund had available capital losses totaling $101,333,000 that may be carried forward indefinitely to offset future net capital gains. The fund will use these capital losses to offset net taxable capital gains, if any, realized during the year ending January 31, 2021; should the fund realize net capital losses for the year, the losses will be added to the loss carryforward balance above.

F.  During the six months ended July 31, 2020, the fund purchased $832,892,000 of investment securities and sold $748,476,000 of investment securities, other than temporary cash investments.

Energy Fund

G.    Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

H.       Transactions during the period in investments where the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group were as follows:

1 Not applicable—purchases and sales are for temporary cash investment purposes.

I.     Management has determined that no other events or transactions occurred subsequent to July 31, 2020, that would require recognition or disclosure in these financial statements.

Trustees Approve Advisory Arrangements

At its March 2020 meeting, the board of trustees of Vanguard Energy Fund renewed the fund’s investment advisory arrangements with The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard), through its Quantitative Equity Group (QEG), and Wellington Management Company LLP (Wellington Management). The board determined that renewing the fund’s advisory arrangements was in the best interests of the fund and its shareholders.

At its July 2020 meeting, the board approved restructuring the fund’s investment team by removing QEG as an investment advisor to the fund, effective August 17, 2020. At the July meeting, the board also approved an amendment to the existing investment advisory agreement with Wellington Management (the Amended Agreement) to reflect a new compensation benchmark. Effective in the fourth quarter of 2020, Wellington Management’s compensation benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Energy Index, will be replaced with a custom market-capitalization-weighted blend of the MSCI ACWI Energy Index and the MSCI ACWI Utilities Index. In connection with its review of the Amended Agreement, the board noted that it most recently approved the renewal of the investment advisory agreement with Wellington Management at the March meeting and that, aside from the change to the compensation benchmark, the terms of the agreement remained the same. The board concluded that the new index is a more suitable index because it better reflects how Wellington Management intends to position the fund within the energy industry. The board determined that QEG’s termination and the Amended Agreement were in the best interests of the fund and its shareholders.

The board based its decisions upon an evaluation of each advisor’s investment staff, portfolio management process, and performance. This evaluation included information provided to the board by Vanguard’s Portfolio Review Department, which is responsible for fund and advisor oversight and product management. The Portfolio Review Department met regularly with the advisors and made monthly presentations to the board during the fiscal year that directed the board’s focus to relevant information and topics.

The board, or an investment committee made up of board members, also received information throughout the year during advisor presentations. For each advisor presentation, the board was provided with letters and reports that included information about, among other things, the advisory firm and the advisor’s assessment of the investment environment, portfolio performance, and portfolio characteristics.

In addition, the board received monthly reports, which included a Market and Economic Report, a Fund Dashboard Monthly Summary, and a Fund Performance Report.

Prior to the March meeting, the trustees were provided with a memo and materials that summarized the information they received over the course of the year. Prior to the July meeting, the board received information concerning the proposed updated investment strategy, new compensation benchmark, and proposed Amended Agreement. At the meetings, they also considered the factors discussed below, among others. However, no single factor determined whether the board approved the arrangements. Rather, it was the totality of the circumstances that drove the board’s decisions.

Nature, extent, and quality of services

The board reviewed the quality of the fund’s investment management services over both the short and long term and took into account the organizational depth and stability of each advisor. The board considered the following:

Vanguard. Vanguard has been managing investments for more than four decades. The Quantitative Equity Group adheres to a sound, disciplined investment management process; the team has considerable experience, stability, and depth. Vanguard has managed a portion of the fund since 2005.

Wellington Management. Founded in 1928, Wellington Management is among the nation’s oldest and most respected institutional investment managers. The investment team uses a bottom-up approach in which stocks are selected based on the advisor’s estimates of fundamental investment value. Fundamental research focuses on the quality of a company’s assets, its internal reinvestment opportunities, and management quality. The firm has advised the fund since its inception in 1984.

At the March meeting, the board concluded that each advisor’s experience, stability, depth, and performance, among other factors, warranted the continuation of the advisory arrangements. At the July meeting, the board reviewed these factors in connection with a proposal to change the fund’s strategy, and concluded it was appropriate to approve the Amended Agreement with Wellington Management serving as the fund’s sole advisor.

Investment performance

The board considered the short- and long-term performance of the fund and each advisor, including any periods of outperformance or underperformance compared with a relevant benchmark index and peer group. At the March meeting, the board concluded that the performance was such that the advisory arrangements should continue. At the July meeting, the board determined that the Amended Agreement with Wellington Management should be approved with Wellington Management serving as the fund’s sole advisor.

Cost

The board concluded that the fund’s expense ratio was well below the average expense ratio charged by funds in its peer group and that the fund’s advisory expense rate was also well below the peer-group average. The board noted that the restructuring of the fund with Wellington Management as sole advisor under the Amended Agreement would cause a small expense ratio increase.

The board did not consider the profitability of Wellington Management in determining whether to approve the advisory fee because Wellington Management is independent of Vanguard and the advisory fee is the result of arm’s-length negotiations. The board does not conduct a profitability analysis of Vanguard because of Vanguard’s unique structure. Unlike most other mutual fund management companies, Vanguard is owned by the funds it oversees.

The benefit of economies of scale

The board concluded that the fund’s shareholders benefit from economies of scale because of breakpoints in the fund’s advisory fee schedule for Wellington Management. The breakpoints reduce the effective rate of the fee as the fund’s assets managed by Wellington Management increase. The board also concluded that the fund’s arrangement with Vanguard ensures that the fund will realize economies of scale as it grows, with the cost to shareholders declining as fund assets managed by Vanguard increase.

The board will consider whether to renew Wellington Management’s advisory arrangement again after a one-year period.

Liquidity Risk Management

Vanguard funds (except for the money market funds) have adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) as required by Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Rule 22e-4 requires that each fund adopt a program that is reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s liquidity risk, which is the risk that the fund could not meet redemption requests without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.

Assessment and management of a fund’s liquidity risk under the Program take into consideration certain factors, such as the fund’s investment strategy and the liquidity of its portfolio investments during normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, its short- and long-term cash-flow projections during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, and its cash and cash-equivalent holdings and access to other funding sources. As required by the rule, the Program includes policies and procedures for classification of fund portfolio holdings in four liquidity categories, maintaining certain levels of highly liquid investments, and limiting holdings of illiquid investments.

The board of trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds approved the appointment of liquidity risk management program administrators responsible for administering Vanguard Energy Fund’s Program and for carrying out the specific responsibilities set forth in the Program, including reporting to the board on at least an annual basis regarding the Program’s operation, its adequacy, and the effectiveness of its implementation for the past year (the “Program Administrator Report”). The board has reviewed the Program Administrator Report covering the period from December 1, 2018, through December 31, 2019 (the “Review Period”). The Program Administrator Report stated that during the Review Period the Program operated and was implemented effectively to manage the fund’s liquidity risk.

This page intentionally left blank.

This page intentionally left blank.

This page intentionally left blank.

Connect with Vanguard^® > vanguard.com

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

Text Telephone for People

Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing > 800-749-7273

This material may be used in conjunction with the offering of shares of any Vanguard fund only if preceded or accompanied by the fund’s current prospectus.

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting guidelines by visiting vanguard.com/proxyreporting or by calling Vanguard at 800-662-2739. The guidelines are also available from the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30. To get the report, visit either vanguard.com/proxyreporting or www.sec.gov.

You can review information about your fund on the SEC’s website, and you can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a request via email addressed to publicinfo@sec.gov.

Important information about access to shareholder reports

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of your fund’s annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be sent to you by mail, unless you specifically request them. Instead, you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted on the website and will be provided with a link to access the report.

If you have already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and do not need to take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the fund electronically by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you invest directly with the fund, by calling Vanguard at one of the phone numbers on the back cover of this report or by logging on to vanguard.com.

You may elect to receive paper copies of all future shareholder reports free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact the intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies. If you invest directly with the fund, you can call Vanguard at one of the phone numbers on the back cover of this report or log on to vanguard.com. Your election to receive paper copies will apply to all the funds you hold through an intermediary or directly with Vanguard.

About Your Fund’s Expenses

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The accompanying table illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

·    Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

·    Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect transaction costs incurred by the fund for buying and selling securities. Further, the expenses do not include any purchase, redemption, or account service fees described in the fund prospectus. If such fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to your fund’s current prospectus.

The calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratio for that period is 0.35%. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period (182/366).

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Fund Allocation

As of July 31, 2020

The table reflects the fund’s investments, except for short-term investments and derivatives. Sector categories are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), except for the “Other” category (if applicable), which includes securities that have not been provided a GICS classification as of the effective reporting period.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) and Standard and Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), and is licensed for use by Vanguard. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Financial Statements (unaudited)

Schedule of Investments

As of July 31, 2020

The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Cost is in $000.

ADR—American Depositary Receipt.

GDR—Global Depositary Receipt.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

As of July 31, 2020

At July 31, 2020, net assets consisted of:  

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Statement of Operations

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

Global Capital Cycles Fund

Financial Highlights