VT 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.

VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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.

VT turned it into
$30,414
+11.77% per year on average · 2016–2025
SPHQ turned it into
$37,666
+14.18% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
−$7,252
SPHQ made more of the same money

VT 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
19
where both funds were trading
VT won
5
years
SPHQ won
14
years
YearVTSPHQWinner
2026 (so far)+12.86%+12.92%SPHQ
2025+22.43%+13.25%VT
2024+16.49%+25.44%SPHQ
2023+22.02%+24.83%SPHQ
2022-18.00%-15.76%SPHQ
2021+18.27%+27.59%SPHQ
2020+16.59%+16.93%SPHQ
2019+26.81%+33.63%SPHQ
2018-9.76%-7.09%SPHQ
2017+24.50%+19.10%VT
2016+8.50%+14.30%SPHQ
2015-1.86%+1.64%SPHQ
2014+3.68%+16.08%SPHQ
2013+22.94%+32.73%SPHQ
2012+17.12%+14.32%VT
2011-7.51%+6.28%SPHQ
2010+13.08%+20.50%SPHQ
2009+32.66%+12.59%VT
2008-33.05%-46.35%VT
2007—+16.77%—
2006—+4.58%—
2005—-2.05%—

VT vs SPHQ in plain words

VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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. VT charges 0.06% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VT is the cheaper fund to hold.

Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, VT finished the year ahead 5 times and SPHQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,414 in VT versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.

Fund facts: VT vs SPHQ

FactVTSPHQ
FundVanguard Total World Stock ETFInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETF
TracksFTSE Global All Cap IndexS&P 500 Quality Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.06%0.15%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched24 Jun 20086 Dec 2005
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in VT becameWhat $10,000 in SPHQ became

How bumpy the ride was: VT vs SPHQ

These head-to-head figures use only the 4,598 trading days both funds were listed: 26 Jun 2008 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 18.2 years.

VT swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 20.4% for VT against 18.7% for SPHQ, with VT moving 1% or more on 27.3% of trading days and SPHQ on 25.3%. VT's worst day was -12.14% on 15 Oct 2008; SPHQ's was -10.30% on 16 Mar 2020.

SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -52.11% from its peak on 27 Jun 2008 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 15 Jan 2013, 49 months after the low; VT fell -50.26% from its peak on 26 Jun 2008 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 29 Dec 2010, 21 months after the low.

Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.90, and they closed in opposite directions on 14.0% of the 4,597 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 21 Oct 2008, when VT moved -6.19% and SPHQ -1.39%.

MeasureVTSPHQ
Annualised volatility20.4%18.7%
Worst day-12.14% on 15 Oct 2008-10.30% on 16 Mar 2020
Best day+13.45% on 13 Oct 2008+12.89% on 13 Oct 2008
Days moving 1% or more27.3% of days25.3% of days
Deepest drawdown-50.26%-52.11%
Peak to trough26 Jun 2008 → 9 Mar 200927 Jun 2008 → 20 Nov 2008
Back above the old peak29 Dec 2010 · 21 months15 Jan 2013 · 49 months

Years VT and SPHQ parted ways

In 12 of the 18 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2009: VT returned +32.66% and SPHQ +12.59%, a gap of 20.1 points. They rose together in 13 years, fell together in 3 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.

YearVTSPHQGap (VT − SPHQ)
2025+22.43%+13.25%+9.2 pts
2024+16.49%+25.44%-8.9 pts
2021+18.27%+27.59%-9.3 pts
2019+26.81%+33.63%-6.8 pts
2017+24.50%+19.10%+5.4 pts
2016+8.50%+14.30%-5.8 pts
2014+3.68%+16.08%-12.4 pts
2013+22.94%+32.73%-9.8 pts
2011-7.51%+6.28%-13.8 pts
2010+13.08%+20.50%-7.4 pts
2009+32.66%+12.59%+20.1 pts
2008-33.05%-46.35%+13.3 pts

How often VT beat SPHQ over any 12 months

Across the 208 rolling 12-month windows since June 2008, measured month-end to month-end, VT finished ahead in 27.9% of them (58) and SPHQ in 72.1% (150).

12-month windows
208
month-end to month-end, overlapping
VT ahead
27.9%
58 of 208 windows
SPHQ ahead
72.1%
150 of 208 windows

$200 a month into each, 2009–2025

Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2009 to December 2025 (204 payments, $40,800 in total) would have grown to $114,121 in VT and $158,274 in SPHQ, leaving SPHQ $44,153 ahead.

OutcomeVTSPHQ
Paid in$40,800$40,800
Value at the end of 2025$114,121$158,274
Gain on the money paid in+$73,321+$117,474
Gain in %+179.71%+287.93%

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 VT or SPHQ better?

Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, VT finished the year ahead 5 times and SPHQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,414 in VT 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 VT and SPHQ?

VT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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. VT charges 0.06% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VT 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, VT or SPHQ?

VT swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 20.4% for VT against 18.7% for SPHQ, with VT moving 1% or more on 27.3% of trading days and SPHQ on 25.3%. VT's worst day was -12.14% on 15 Oct 2008; SPHQ's was -10.30% on 16 Mar 2020.

Which had the deeper drawdown, VT or SPHQ?

SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -52.11% from its peak on 27 Jun 2008 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 15 Jan 2013, 49 months after the low; VT fell -50.26% from its peak on 26 Jun 2008 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 29 Dec 2010, 21 months after the low.

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

Across the 208 rolling 12-month windows since June 2008, measured month-end to month-end, VT finished ahead in 27.9% of them (58) and SPHQ in 72.1% (150).

What would $10,000 in VT have become?

$10,000 invested in VT at the start of 2016 grew to $30,414 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.8% per year.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring VT 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.