VTI vs MTUM: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VTI
MTUM
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market IndexMTUM tracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant 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.
VTI vs MTUM, 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 | VTI | MTUM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.58% | +27.29% | MTUM |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +22.15% | MTUM |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +32.89% | MTUM |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +9.15% | VTI |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -18.27% | MTUM |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +13.36% | VTI |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +29.86% | MTUM |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +27.25% | VTI |
| 2018 | -5.23% | -1.67% | MTUM |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +37.50% | MTUM |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +5.00% | VTI |
| 2015 | +0.36% | +8.91% | MTUM |
| 2014 | +12.55% | +14.62% | MTUM |
| 2013 | +33.45% | +19.21% | VTI |
| 2012 | +16.45% | — | — |
| 2011 | +0.97% | — | — |
| 2010 | +17.43% | — | — |
| 2009 | +28.90% | — | — |
| 2008 | -36.99% | — | — |
| 2007 | +5.37% | — | — |
| 2006 | +15.70% | — | — |
| 2005 | +6.30% | — | — |
| 2004 | +12.78% | — | — |
| 2003 | +30.74% | — | — |
| 2002 | -20.48% | — | — |
| 2001 | -4.40% | — | — |
VTI vs MTUM in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — VTI is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 5 times and MTUM 9 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $38,506 in MTUM by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs MTUM
| Fact | VTI | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market Index | MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 May 2001 | 16 Apr 2013 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VTI became | What $10,000 in MTUM became |
How bumpy the ride was: VTI vs MTUM
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,388 trading days both funds were listed: 18 Apr 2013 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 13.4 years.
MTUM swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 17.2% for VTI against 20.1% for MTUM, with VTI moving 1% or more on 23.8% of trading days and MTUM on 30.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and MTUM -12.37%.
VTI had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.00% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low; MTUM fell -34.08% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.88, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.8% of the 3,387 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 1 Jul 2026, when VTI moved -0.21% and MTUM -4.30%.
| Measure | VTI | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 17.2% | 20.1% |
| Worst day | -11.38% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.37% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +10.15% on 9 Apr 2025 | +10.65% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.8% of days | 30.5% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.00% | -34.08% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 12 Aug 2020 · 4 months | 6 Jul 2020 · 3 months |
Years VTI and MTUM parted ways
In 9 of the 13 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: VTI returned +26.05% and MTUM +9.15%, a gap of 16.9 points. They rose together in 11 years and fell together in 2 years.
| Year | VTI | MTUM | Gap (VTI − MTUM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +17.10% | +22.15% | -5.1 pts |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +32.89% | -9.1 pts |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +9.15% | +16.9 pts |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +13.36% | +12.3 pts |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +29.86% | -8.8 pts |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +37.50% | -16.3 pts |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +5.00% | +7.8 pts |
| 2015 | +0.36% | +8.91% | -8.6 pts |
| 2013 | +33.45% | +19.21% | +14.2 pts |
How often VTI beat MTUM over any 12 months
Across the 150 rolling 12-month windows since April 2013, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 34.0% of them (51) and MTUM in 66.0% (99).
$200 a month into each, 2014–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2014 to December 2025 (144 payments, $28,800 in total) would have grown to $70,923 in VTI and $71,839 in MTUM, leaving MTUM $917 ahead.
| Outcome | VTI | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $28,800 | $28,800 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $70,923 | $71,839 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$42,123 | +$43,039 |
| Gain in % | +146.26% | +149.44% |
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 VTI or MTUM better?
Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 5 times and MTUM 9 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $38,506 in MTUM 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 VTI and MTUM?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — VTI 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, VTI or MTUM?
MTUM swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 17.2% for VTI against 20.1% for MTUM, with VTI moving 1% or more on 23.8% of trading days and MTUM on 30.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and MTUM -12.37%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VTI or MTUM?
VTI had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.00% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low; MTUM fell -34.08% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
How often did VTI beat MTUM over a 12-month period?
Across the 150 rolling 12-month windows since April 2013, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 34.0% of them (51) and MTUM in 66.0% (99).
What would $10,000 in VTI have become?
$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2016 grew to $37,896 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.3% 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.