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
SPHQ
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 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 | VT | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fact | VT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total World Stock ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | FTSE Global All Cap Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.06% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 Jun 2008 | 6 Dec 2005 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VT became | What $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%.
| Measure | VT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 20.4% | 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 more | 27.3% of days | 25.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -50.26% | -52.11% |
| Peak to trough | 26 Jun 2008 → 9 Mar 2009 | 27 Jun 2008 → 20 Nov 2008 |
| Back above the old peak | 29 Dec 2010 · 21 months | 15 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.
| Year | VT | SPHQ | Gap (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).
$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.
| Outcome | VT | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.