SCHG vs SPHQ: which ETF won each year?

Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.

SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market IndexSPHQ tracks the S&P 500 Quality Index

What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?

You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.

SCHG turned it into
$52,975
+18.14% per year on average · 2016–2025
SPHQ turned it into
$37,666
+14.18% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
+$15,309
SCHG made more of the same money

SCHG vs SPHQ, year by year

Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.

Years compared
17
where both funds were trading
SCHG won
11
years
SPHQ won
6
years
YearSCHGSPHQWinner
2026 (so far)+10.51%+12.92%SPHQ
2025+17.50%+13.25%SCHG
2024+34.96%+25.44%SCHG
2023+50.11%+24.83%SCHG
2022-31.80%-15.76%SPHQ
2021+28.12%+27.59%SCHG
2020+39.14%+16.93%SCHG
2019+36.02%+33.63%SCHG
2018-1.36%-7.09%SCHG
2017+28.05%+19.10%SCHG
2016+6.55%+14.30%SPHQ
2015+3.24%+1.64%SCHG
2014+15.80%+16.08%SPHQ
2013+34.04%+32.73%SCHG
2012+16.89%+14.32%SCHG
2011-0.74%+6.28%SPHQ
2010+14.92%+20.50%SPHQ
2009—+12.59%—
2008—-46.35%—
2007—+16.77%—
2006—+4.58%—
2005—-2.05%—

SCHG vs SPHQ in plain words

SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index while SPHQ follows the S&P 500 Quality Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHG charges 0.04% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SCHG is the cheaper fund to hold.

Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, SCHG finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 6 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $52,975 in SCHG versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.

Fund facts: SCHG vs SPHQ

FactSCHGSPHQ
FundSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETF
TracksDow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market IndexS&P 500 Quality Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.04%0.15%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched11 Dec 20096 Dec 2005
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in SCHG becameWhat $10,000 in SPHQ became

How bumpy the ride was: SCHG vs SPHQ

These head-to-head figures use only the 4,215 trading days both funds were listed: 4 Jan 2010 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 16.7 years.

SCHG swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 19.7% for SCHG against 16.7% for SPHQ, with SCHG moving 1% or more on 30.1% of trading days and SPHQ on 22.9%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: SCHG closed -12.55% and SPHQ -10.30%.

SCHG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -34.59% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 5 Jan 2023, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Dec 2023, 11 months after the low; SPHQ fell -31.59% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 4 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.

Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.91, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.3% of the 4,214 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 19 Mar 2020, when SCHG moved +1.83% and SPHQ -1.56%.

MeasureSCHGSPHQ
Annualised volatility19.7%16.7%
Worst day-12.55% on 16 Mar 2020-10.30% on 16 Mar 2020
Best day+11.59% on 9 Apr 2025+10.30% on 24 Mar 2020
Days moving 1% or more30.1% of days22.9% of days
Deepest drawdown-34.59%-31.59%
Peak to trough19 Nov 2021 → 5 Jan 202312 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020
Back above the old peak18 Dec 2023 · 11 months4 Aug 2020 · 4 months

Years SCHG and SPHQ parted ways

In 9 of the 16 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: SCHG returned +50.11% and SPHQ +24.83%, a gap of 25.3 points. They rose together in 13 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.

YearSCHGSPHQGap (SCHG − SPHQ)
2024+34.96%+25.44%+9.5 pts
2023+50.11%+24.83%+25.3 pts
2022-31.80%-15.76%-16.0 pts
2020+39.14%+16.93%+22.2 pts
2018-1.36%-7.09%+5.7 pts
2017+28.05%+19.10%+8.9 pts
2016+6.55%+14.30%-7.7 pts
2011-0.74%+6.28%-7.0 pts
2010+14.92%+20.50%-5.6 pts

How often SCHG beat SPHQ over any 12 months

Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, SCHG finished ahead in 64.6% of them (122) and SPHQ in 35.4% (67).

12-month windows
189
month-end to month-end, overlapping
SCHG ahead
64.6%
122 of 189 windows
SPHQ ahead
35.4%
67 of 189 windows

$200 a month into each, 2011–2025

Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2011 to December 2025 (180 payments, $36,000 in total) would have grown to $155,821 in SCHG and $114,746 in SPHQ, leaving SCHG $41,075 ahead.

OutcomeSCHGSPHQ
Paid in$36,000$36,000
Value at the end of 2025$155,821$114,746
Gain on the money paid in+$119,821+$78,746
Gain in %+332.84%+218.74%

Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.

Frequently asked

Is SCHG or SPHQ better?

Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, SCHG finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 6 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $52,975 in SCHG versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.

What is the difference between SCHG and SPHQ?

SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index while SPHQ follows the S&P 500 Quality Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHG charges 0.04% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SCHG is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.

Which is more volatile, SCHG or SPHQ?

SCHG swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 19.7% for SCHG against 16.7% for SPHQ, with SCHG moving 1% or more on 30.1% of trading days and SPHQ on 22.9%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: SCHG closed -12.55% and SPHQ -10.30%.

Which had the deeper drawdown, SCHG or SPHQ?

SCHG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -34.59% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 5 Jan 2023, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Dec 2023, 11 months after the low; SPHQ fell -31.59% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 4 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.

How often did SCHG beat SPHQ over a 12-month period?

Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, SCHG finished ahead in 64.6% of them (122) and SPHQ in 35.4% (67).

What would $10,000 in SCHG have become?

$10,000 invested in SCHG at the start of 2016 grew to $52,975 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 18.1% per year.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring SCHG or SPHQ.

Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.