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 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 turned it into
$76,464
+22.56% per year on average · 2016–2025
SPHQ turned it into
$37,666
+14.18% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
+$38,798
VGT made more of the same money

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.

Years compared
22
where both funds were trading
VGT won
15
years
SPHQ won
7
years
YearVGTSPHQWinner
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

FactVGTSPHQ
FundVanguard Information Technology ETFInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETF
TracksMSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 IndexS&P 500 Quality Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.09%0.15%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched26 Jan 20046 Dec 2005
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in VGT becameWhat $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%.

MeasureVGTSPHQ
Annualised volatility23.2%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 more37.0% of days27.1% of days
Deepest drawdown-54.63%-57.83%
Peak to trough31 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 200829 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008
Back above the old peak6 Jan 2011 · 25 months14 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.

YearVGTSPHQGap (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).

12-month windows
238
month-end to month-end, overlapping
VGT ahead
69.7%
166 of 238 windows
SPHQ ahead
30.3%
72 of 238 windows

$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.

OutcomeVGTSPHQ
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.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring VGT 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.