VGT 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.
VGT
SPHQ
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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.
VGT 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.
| Year | VGT | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +33.83% | +12.92% | VGT |
| 2025 | +21.77% | +13.25% | VGT |
| 2024 | +29.30% | +25.44% | VGT |
| 2023 | +52.66% | +24.83% | VGT |
| 2022 | -29.70% | -15.76% | SPHQ |
| 2021 | +30.45% | +27.59% | VGT |
| 2020 | +46.04% | +16.93% | VGT |
| 2019 | +48.62% | +33.63% | VGT |
| 2018 | +2.46% | -7.09% | VGT |
| 2017 | +37.08% | +19.10% | VGT |
| 2016 | +13.77% | +14.30% | SPHQ |
| 2015 | +5.05% | +1.64% | VGT |
| 2014 | +16.69% | +16.08% | VGT |
| 2013 | +30.97% | +32.73% | SPHQ |
| 2012 | +13.96% | +14.32% | SPHQ |
| 2011 | +0.54% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +61.89% | +12.59% | VGT |
| 2008 | -42.82% | -46.35% | VGT |
| 2007 | +14.78% | +16.77% | SPHQ |
| 2006 | +8.85% | +4.58% | VGT |
| 2005 | +3.00% | -2.05% | VGT |
| 2004 | -2.86% | — | — |
VGT vs SPHQ in plain words
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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. VGT charges 0.09% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VGT is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, VGT finished the year ahead 15 times and SPHQ 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VGT vs SPHQ
| Fact | VGT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.09% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Jan 2004 | 6 Dec 2005 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VGT became | What $10,000 in SPHQ became |
How bumpy the ride was: VGT vs SPHQ
These head-to-head figures use only the 5,240 trading days both funds were listed: 6 Dec 2005 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 20.8 years.
VGT swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 23.2% for VGT against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VGT moving 1% or more on 37.0% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VGT closed -13.49% and SPHQ -10.30%.
SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -57.83% from its peak on 29 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 14 May 2013, 53 months after the low; VGT fell -54.63% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2011, 25 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.85, and they closed in opposite directions on 18.3% of the 5,239 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 20 Jun 2007, when VGT moved -0.95% and SPHQ -7.24%.
| Measure | VGT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 23.2% | 19.2% |
| Worst day | -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020 | -10.30% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +13.48% on 9 Apr 2025 | +12.89% on 13 Oct 2008 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 37.0% of days | 27.1% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -54.63% | -57.83% |
| Peak to trough | 31 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008 | 29 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008 |
| Back above the old peak | 6 Jan 2011 · 25 months | 14 May 2013 · 53 months |
Years VGT and SPHQ parted ways
In 11 of the 21 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2009: VGT returned +61.89% and SPHQ +12.59%, a gap of 49.3 points. They rose together in 17 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | VGT | SPHQ | Gap (VGT − SPHQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +21.77% | +13.25% | +8.5 pts |
| 2023 | +52.66% | +24.83% | +27.8 pts |
| 2022 | -29.70% | -15.76% | -13.9 pts |
| 2020 | +46.04% | +16.93% | +29.1 pts |
| 2019 | +48.62% | +33.63% | +15.0 pts |
| 2018 | +2.46% | -7.09% | +9.6 pts |
| 2017 | +37.08% | +19.10% | +18.0 pts |
| 2011 | +0.54% | +6.28% | -5.7 pts |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +20.50% | -7.7 pts |
| 2009 | +61.89% | +12.59% | +49.3 pts |
| 2005 | +3.00% | -2.05% | +5.0 pts |
How often VGT beat SPHQ over any 12 months
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VGT finished ahead in 69.7% of them (166) and SPHQ in 30.3% (72).
$200 a month into each, 2006–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2006 to December 2025 (240 payments, $48,000 in total) would have grown to $423,518 in VGT and $202,349 in SPHQ, leaving VGT $221,170 ahead.
| Outcome | VGT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $423,518 | $202,349 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$375,518 | +$154,349 |
| Gain in % | +782.33% | +321.56% |
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 VGT or SPHQ better?
Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, VGT finished the year ahead 15 times and SPHQ 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT 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 VGT and SPHQ?
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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. VGT charges 0.09% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VGT 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, VGT or SPHQ?
VGT swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 23.2% for VGT against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VGT moving 1% or more on 37.0% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VGT closed -13.49% and SPHQ -10.30%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VGT or SPHQ?
SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -57.83% from its peak on 29 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 14 May 2013, 53 months after the low; VGT fell -54.63% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2011, 25 months after the low.
How often did VGT beat SPHQ over a 12-month period?
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VGT finished ahead in 69.7% of them (166) and SPHQ in 30.3% (72).
What would $10,000 in VGT have become?
$10,000 invested in VGT at the start of 2016 grew to $76,464 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 22.6% per year.
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.