SSAC (ISAC) vs VHYL: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
Every figure here is in pounds — what you'd actually pocket buying on the London Stock Exchange. Fund fact sheets usually headline returns in US dollars, which can look very different in years when the pound moves against the dollar. Here's the full story, year by year.
SSAC
VHYL
SSAC tracks the MSCI ACWI IndexVHYL tracks the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield 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.
SSAC vs VHYL, 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 | SSAC | VHYL | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +14.58% | +14.90% | VHYL |
| 2025 | +13.95% | +18.22% | VHYL |
| 2024 | +19.63% | +11.23% | SSAC |
| 2023 | +16.14% | +5.26% | SSAC |
| 2022 | -8.56% | +5.95% | VHYL |
| 2021 | +20.35% | +19.24% | SSAC |
| 2020 | +11.80% | -3.74% | SSAC |
| 2019 | +22.09% | +17.00% | SSAC |
| 2018 | -4.76% | -6.59% | SSAC |
| 2017 | +13.26% | +8.80% | SSAC |
| 2016 | +29.60% | +32.59% | VHYL |
| 2015 | +1.60% | -0.71% | SSAC |
| 2014 | +11.27% | +8.22% | SSAC |
| 2013 | +21.20% | -1.85% | SSAC |
| 2012 | +9.30% | — | — |
| 2011 | -35.63% | — | — |
SSAC vs VHYL in plain words
SSAC tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VHYL follows the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SSAC charges 0.20% a year in running costs and VHYL charges 0.29% — SSAC is the cheaper fund to hold.
SSAC reinvests its dividends automatically (accumulating), while VHYL pays them out as cash (distributing). Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, SSAC finished the year ahead 10 times and VHYL 4 times. £10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth £33,247 in SSAC versus £26,537 in VHYL by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
ISAC is the London (USD) listing and IUSQ the Xetra (EUR) line of the same fund, ISIN IE00B6R52259 — SSAC is its GBP line on the London Stock Exchange.
VGWD is the Xetra (EUR) line of the same fund, ISIN IE00B8GKDB10 — VHYL is its GBP line on the London Stock Exchange.
Fund facts: SSAC vs VHYL
| Fact | SSAC | VHYL |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI ACWI UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | Vanguard FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield UCITS ETF (Dist) |
| Tracks | MSCI ACWI Index | FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.20% | 0.29% |
| Dividends | Accumulating — dividends reinvested | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 21 Oct 2011 | 21 May 2013 |
| ISIN | IE00B6R52259 | IE00B8GKDB10 |
| Also trades as | ISAC | — |
| £10,000 invested | What £10,000 in SSAC became | What £10,000 in VHYL became |
How bumpy the ride was: SSAC vs VHYL
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,380 trading days both funds were listed: 21 May 2013 to 7 Oct 2026, roughly 13.4 years.
SSAC swung more than VHYL: annualised volatility of 14.2% for SSAC against 13.1% for VHYL, with SSAC moving 1% or more on 20.0% of trading days and VHYL on 15.7%. Both had their worst day on 12 Mar 2020: SSAC closed -7.88% and VHYL -8.76%.
VHYL had the deeper drawdown: it fell -27.86% from its peak on 20 Jan 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 15 Mar 2021, 11 months after the low; SSAC fell -25.43% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Sept 2020, 5 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.92, and they closed in opposite directions on 12.6% of the 3,379 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 23 May 2013, when SSAC moved -2.62% and VHYL 0.00%.
| Measure | SSAC | VHYL |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 14.2% | 13.1% |
| Worst day | -7.88% on 12 Mar 2020 | -8.76% on 12 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +6.33% on 24 Mar 2020 | +5.77% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 20.0% of days | 15.7% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -25.43% | -27.86% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 20 Jan 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 10 Sept 2020 · 5 months | 15 Mar 2021 · 11 months |
Years SSAC and VHYL parted ways
In 6 of the 13 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2013: SSAC returned +21.20% and VHYL -1.85%, a gap of 23.0 points. They rose together in 8 years, fell together in 1 year and went opposite ways in 4 years.
| Year | SSAC | VHYL | Gap (SSAC − VHYL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +19.63% | +11.23% | +8.4 pts |
| 2023 | +16.14% | +5.26% | +10.9 pts |
| 2022 | -8.56% | +5.95% | -14.5 pts |
| 2020 | +11.80% | -3.74% | +15.5 pts |
| 2019 | +22.09% | +17.00% | +5.1 pts |
| 2013 | +21.20% | -1.85% | +23.0 pts |
How often SSAC beat VHYL over any 12 months
Across the 149 rolling 12-month windows since May 2013, measured month-end to month-end, SSAC finished ahead in 73.8% of them (110) and VHYL in 26.2% (39).
£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 £61,834 in SSAC and £52,883 in VHYL, leaving SSAC £8,951 ahead.
| Outcome | SSAC | VHYL |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | £28,800 | £28,800 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | £61,834 | £52,883 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +£33,034 | +£24,083 |
| Gain in % | +114.70% | +83.62% |
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 SSAC or VHYL better?
Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, SSAC finished the year ahead 10 times and VHYL 4 times. £10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth £33,247 in SSAC versus £26,537 in VHYL 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 SSAC and VHYL?
SSAC tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while VHYL follows the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SSAC charges 0.20% a year in running costs and VHYL charges 0.29% — SSAC is the cheaper fund to hold. SSAC reinvests its dividends automatically (accumulating), while VHYL pays them out as cash (distributing).
Which is more volatile, SSAC or VHYL?
SSAC swung more than VHYL: annualised volatility of 14.2% for SSAC against 13.1% for VHYL, with SSAC moving 1% or more on 20.0% of trading days and VHYL on 15.7%. Both had their worst day on 12 Mar 2020: SSAC closed -7.88% and VHYL -8.76%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, SSAC or VHYL?
VHYL had the deeper drawdown: it fell -27.86% from its peak on 20 Jan 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 15 Mar 2021, 11 months after the low; SSAC fell -25.43% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Sept 2020, 5 months after the low.
How often did SSAC beat VHYL over a 12-month period?
Across the 149 rolling 12-month windows since May 2013, measured month-end to month-end, SSAC finished ahead in 73.8% of them (110) and VHYL in 26.2% (39).
What would £10,000 in SSAC have become?
£10,000 invested in SSAC at the start of 2016 grew to £33,247 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 12.8% per year.
Is ISAC the same as SSAC?
ISAC is the London (USD) listing and IUSQ the Xetra (EUR) line of the same fund, ISIN IE00B6R52259 — SSAC is its GBP line on the London Stock Exchange.
Related comparisons
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Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the GBP trading lines on the London Stock Exchange, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.