VTV 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.
VTV
SPHQ
VTV tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value 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.
VTV 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 | VTV | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +14.85% | +12.92% | VTV |
| 2025 | +15.27% | +13.25% | VTV |
| 2024 | +15.95% | +25.44% | SPHQ |
| 2023 | +9.32% | +24.83% | SPHQ |
| 2022 | -2.09% | -15.76% | VTV |
| 2021 | +26.53% | +27.59% | SPHQ |
| 2020 | +2.33% | +16.93% | SPHQ |
| 2019 | +25.66% | +33.63% | SPHQ |
| 2018 | -5.47% | -7.09% | VTV |
| 2017 | +17.14% | +19.10% | SPHQ |
| 2016 | +17.10% | +14.30% | VTV |
| 2015 | -0.98% | +1.64% | SPHQ |
| 2014 | +13.17% | +16.08% | SPHQ |
| 2013 | +33.09% | +32.73% | VTV |
| 2012 | +15.18% | +14.32% | VTV |
| 2011 | +1.11% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +14.54% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +19.88% | +12.59% | VTV |
| 2008 | -35.89% | -46.35% | VTV |
| 2007 | -0.12% | +16.77% | SPHQ |
| 2006 | +22.38% | +4.58% | VTV |
| 2005 | +7.21% | -2.05% | VTV |
| 2004 | +13.85% | — | — |
VTV vs SPHQ in plain words
VTV tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value 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. VTV charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VTV is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, VTV finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,183 in VTV versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTV vs SPHQ
| Fact | VTV | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Value ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Large Cap Value Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Jan 2004 | 6 Dec 2005 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VTV became | What $10,000 in SPHQ became |
How bumpy the ride was: VTV vs SPHQ
These head-to-head figures use only the 5,240 trading days both funds were listed: 6 Dec 2005 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 20.8 years.
VTV and SPHQ swung about equally: annualised volatility of 19.0% for VTV against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VTV moving 1% or more on 23.6% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTV closed -11.08% and SPHQ -10.30%.
VTV had the deeper drawdown: it fell -59.27% from its peak on 13 Jul 2007 to a low on 5 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 1 Feb 2013, 46 months after the low; SPHQ fell -57.83% from its peak on 29 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 14 May 2013, 53 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.86, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.9% of the 5,239 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 21 Jun 2007, when VTV moved +0.60% and SPHQ +7.38%.
| Measure | VTV | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 19.0% | 19.2% |
| Worst day | -11.08% on 16 Mar 2020 | -10.30% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +10.77% on 28 Oct 2008 | +12.89% on 13 Oct 2008 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.6% of days | 27.1% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -59.27% | -57.83% |
| Peak to trough | 13 Jul 2007 → 5 Mar 2009 | 29 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008 |
| Back above the old peak | 1 Feb 2013 · 46 months | 14 May 2013 · 53 months |
Years VTV and SPHQ parted ways
In 12 of the 21 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2006: VTV returned +22.38% and SPHQ +4.58%, a gap of 17.8 points. They rose together in 15 years, fell together in 3 years and went opposite ways in 3 years.
| Year | VTV | SPHQ | Gap (VTV − SPHQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +15.95% | +25.44% | -9.5 pts |
| 2023 | +9.32% | +24.83% | -15.5 pts |
| 2022 | -2.09% | -15.76% | +13.7 pts |
| 2020 | +2.33% | +16.93% | -14.6 pts |
| 2019 | +25.66% | +33.63% | -8.0 pts |
| 2011 | +1.11% | +6.28% | -5.2 pts |
| 2010 | +14.54% | +20.50% | -6.0 pts |
| 2009 | +19.88% | +12.59% | +7.3 pts |
| 2008 | -35.89% | -46.35% | +10.5 pts |
| 2007 | -0.12% | +16.77% | -16.9 pts |
| 2006 | +22.38% | +4.58% | +17.8 pts |
| 2005 | +7.21% | -2.05% | +9.3 pts |
How often VTV beat SPHQ over any 12 months
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VTV finished ahead in 41.2% of them (98) and SPHQ in 58.8% (140).
$200 a month into each, 2006–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2006 to December 2025 (240 payments, $48,000 in total) would have grown to $160,654 in VTV and $202,349 in SPHQ, leaving SPHQ $41,695 ahead.
| Outcome | VTV | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $160,654 | $202,349 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$112,654 | +$154,349 |
| Gain in % | +234.70% | +321.56% |
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 VTV or SPHQ better?
Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, VTV finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,183 in VTV 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 VTV and SPHQ?
VTV tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value 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. VTV charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VTV 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, VTV or SPHQ?
VTV and SPHQ swung about equally: annualised volatility of 19.0% for VTV against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VTV moving 1% or more on 23.6% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTV closed -11.08% and SPHQ -10.30%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VTV or SPHQ?
VTV had the deeper drawdown: it fell -59.27% from its peak on 13 Jul 2007 to a low on 5 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 1 Feb 2013, 46 months after the low; SPHQ fell -57.83% from its peak on 29 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 14 May 2013, 53 months after the low.
How often did VTV beat SPHQ over a 12-month period?
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VTV finished ahead in 41.2% of them (98) and SPHQ in 58.8% (140).
What would $10,000 in VTV have become?
$10,000 invested in VTV at the start of 2016 grew to $30,183 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.7% 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.