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 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 turned it into
$37,896
+14.25% per year on average · 2016–2025
MTUM turned it into
$38,506
+14.43% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
−$610
MTUM made more of the same money

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.

Years compared
14
where both funds were trading
VTI won
5
years
MTUM won
9
years
YearVTIMTUMWinner
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

FactVTIMTUM
FundVanguard Total Stock Market ETFiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF
TracksCRSP US Total Market IndexMSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.03%0.15%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched24 May 200116 Apr 2013
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in VTI becameWhat $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%.

MeasureVTIMTUM
Annualised volatility17.2%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 more23.8% of days30.5% of days
Deepest drawdown-35.00%-34.08%
Peak to trough19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 202019 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020
Back above the old peak12 Aug 2020 · 4 months6 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.

YearVTIMTUMGap (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).

12-month windows
150
month-end to month-end, overlapping
VTI ahead
34.0%
51 of 150 windows
MTUM ahead
66.0%
99 of 150 windows

$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.

OutcomeVTIMTUM
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.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring VTI or MTUM.

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.