VTI vs SPMO: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VTI
SPMO
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market IndexSPMO tracks the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO, 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 | SPMO | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.58% | +27.80% | SPMO |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +26.58% | SPMO |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +45.82% | SPMO |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +17.56% | VTI |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -10.45% | SPMO |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +22.51% | VTI |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +27.80% | SPMO |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +25.93% | VTI |
| 2018 | -5.23% | -0.92% | SPMO |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +27.76% | SPMO |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +7.18% | VTI |
| 2015 | +0.36% | +2.78% | SPMO |
| 2014 | +12.55% | — | — |
| 2013 | +33.45% | — | — |
| 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 SPMO in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while SPMO follows the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO charges 0.13% — VTI is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 12 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 4 times and SPMO 8 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $51,975 in SPMO by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs SPMO
| Fact | VTI | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market Index | S&P 500 Momentum Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 May 2001 | 9 Oct 2015 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VTI became | What $10,000 in SPMO became |
How bumpy the ride was: VTI vs SPMO
These head-to-head figures use only the 2,762 trading days both funds were listed: 12 Oct 2015 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 11.0 years.
SPMO swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 18.0% for VTI against 20.4% for SPMO, with VTI moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and SPMO on 28.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and SPMO -15.35%.
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; SPMO fell -30.95% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.84, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.8% of the 2,761 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 17 Mar 2020, when VTI moved +5.01% and SPMO +10.21%.
| Measure | VTI | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 18.0% | 20.4% |
| Worst day | -11.38% on 16 Mar 2020 | -15.35% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +10.15% on 9 Apr 2025 | +11.20% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 24.9% of days | 28.5% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.00% | -30.95% |
| 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 | 8 Jul 2020 · 3 months |
Years VTI and SPMO parted ways
In 7 of the 11 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2024: VTI returned +23.81% and SPMO +45.82%, a gap of 22.0 points. They rose together in 9 years and fell together in 2 years.
| Year | VTI | SPMO | Gap (VTI − SPMO) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +17.10% | +26.58% | -9.5 pts |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +45.82% | -22.0 pts |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +17.56% | +8.5 pts |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -10.45% | -9.1 pts |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +27.80% | -6.7 pts |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +27.76% | -6.5 pts |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +7.18% | +5.6 pts |
How often VTI beat SPMO over any 12 months
Across the 120 rolling 12-month windows since October 2015, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 33.3% of them (40) and SPMO in 66.7% (80).
$200 a month into each, 2016–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2016 to December 2025 (120 payments, $24,000 in total) would have grown to $52,037 in VTI and $68,082 in SPMO, leaving SPMO $16,045 ahead.
| Outcome | VTI | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $24,000 | $24,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $52,037 | $68,082 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$28,037 | +$44,082 |
| Gain in % | +116.82% | +183.68% |
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 SPMO better?
Across the 12 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 4 times and SPMO 8 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $51,975 in SPMO 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 SPMO?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while SPMO follows the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO charges 0.13% — 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 SPMO?
SPMO swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 18.0% for VTI against 20.4% for SPMO, with VTI moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and SPMO on 28.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and SPMO -15.35%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VTI or SPMO?
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; SPMO fell -30.95% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
How often did VTI beat SPMO over a 12-month period?
Across the 120 rolling 12-month windows since October 2015, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 33.3% of them (40) and SPMO in 66.7% (80).
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.