OriginaveVUG 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.
VUG
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
SPHQ
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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.
VUG 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 | VUG | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.18% | +12.92% | SPHQ |
| 2025 | +19.40% | +13.25% | VUG |
| 2024 | +32.69% | +25.44% | VUG |
| 2023 | +46.83% | +24.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -33.16% | -15.76% | SPHQ |
| 2021 | +27.35% | +27.59% | SPHQ |
| 2020 | +40.25% | +16.93% | VUG |
| 2019 | +37.03% | +33.63% | VUG |
| 2018 | -3.32% | -7.09% | VUG |
| 2017 | +27.72% | +19.10% | VUG |
| 2016 | +6.27% | +14.30% | SPHQ |
| 2015 | +3.24% | +1.64% | VUG |
| 2014 | +13.61% | +16.08% | SPHQ |
| 2013 | +32.48% | +32.73% | SPHQ |
| 2012 | +17.01% | +14.32% | VUG |
| 2011 | +1.82% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +17.22% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +36.14% | +12.59% | VUG |
| 2008 | -38.02% | -46.35% | VUG |
| 2007 | +12.52% | +16.77% | SPHQ |
| 2006 | +9.19% | +4.58% | VUG |
| 2005 | +5.02% | -2.05% | VUG |
| 2004 | +4.99% | — | — |
VUG vs SPHQ in plain words
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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. VUG charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VUG 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, VUG finished the year ahead 13 times and SPHQ 9 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $49,942 in VUG versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VUG vs SPHQ
| Fact | VUG | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Growth ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG became | What $10,000 in SPHQ became |
How bumpy the ride was: VUG 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.
VUG swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 20.6% for VUG against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VUG moving 1% or more on 30.6% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VUG closed -12.62% and SPHQ -10.30%.
SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it 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; VUG fell -50.68% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Feb 2011, 22 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.89, and they closed in opposite directions on 14.9% of the 5,239 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 21 Jun 2007, when VUG moved +0.65% and SPHQ +7.38%.
| Measure | VUG | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 20.6% | 19.2% |
| Worst day | -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020 | -10.30% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +11.94% on 13 Oct 2008 | +12.89% on 13 Oct 2008 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 30.6% of days | 27.1% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -50.68% | -57.83% |
| Peak to trough | 31 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009 | 29 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008 |
| Back above the old peak | 8 Feb 2011 · 22 months | 14 May 2013 · 53 months |
Years VUG and SPHQ parted ways
In 10 of the 21 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2009: VUG returned +36.14% and SPHQ +12.59%, a gap of 23.5 points. They rose together in 17 years, fell together in 3 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | VUG | SPHQ | Gap (VUG − SPHQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +19.40% | +13.25% | +6.1 pts |
| 2024 | +32.69% | +25.44% | +7.3 pts |
| 2023 | +46.83% | +24.83% | +22.0 pts |
| 2022 | -33.16% | -15.76% | -17.4 pts |
| 2020 | +40.25% | +16.93% | +23.3 pts |
| 2017 | +27.72% | +19.10% | +8.6 pts |
| 2016 | +6.27% | +14.30% | -8.0 pts |
| 2009 | +36.14% | +12.59% | +23.5 pts |
| 2008 | -38.02% | -46.35% | +8.3 pts |
| 2005 | +5.02% | -2.05% | +7.1 pts |
How often VUG beat SPHQ over any 12 months
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VUG finished ahead in 63.0% of them (150) and SPHQ in 37.0% (88).
$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 $280,168 in VUG and $202,349 in SPHQ, leaving VUG $77,820 ahead.
| Outcome | VUG | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $48,000 | $48,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $280,168 | $202,349 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$232,168 | +$154,349 |
| Gain in % | +483.68% | +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 VUG or SPHQ better?
Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, VUG finished the year ahead 13 times and SPHQ 9 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $49,942 in VUG 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 VUG and SPHQ?
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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. VUG charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — VUG 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, VUG or SPHQ?
VUG swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 20.6% for VUG against 19.2% for SPHQ, with VUG moving 1% or more on 30.6% of trading days and SPHQ on 27.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VUG closed -12.62% and SPHQ -10.30%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VUG or SPHQ?
SPHQ had the deeper drawdown: it 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; VUG fell -50.68% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Feb 2011, 22 months after the low.
How often did VUG beat SPHQ over a 12-month period?
Across the 238 rolling 12-month windows since December 2005, measured month-end to month-end, VUG finished ahead in 63.0% of them (150) and SPHQ in 37.0% (88).
What would $10,000 in VUG have become?
$10,000 invested in VUG at the start of 2016 grew to $49,942 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 17.4% 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.