ACWI 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.
ACWItracks the MSCI ACWI Index
SPHQtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI 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.
ACWI 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 | ACWI | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.66% | +20.79% | SPHQ |
| 2025 | +22.41% | +13.25% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +17.45% | +25.44% | SPHQ |
| 2023 | +22.27% | +24.83% | SPHQ |
| 2022 | -18.39% | -15.76% | SPHQ |
| 2021 | +18.66% | +27.59% | SPHQ |
| 2020 | +16.34% | +16.93% | SPHQ |
| 2019 | +26.59% | +33.63% | SPHQ |
| 2018 | -9.12% | -7.09% | SPHQ |
| 2017 | +24.33% | +19.10% | ACWI |
| 2016 | +8.40% | +14.30% | SPHQ |
| 2015 | -2.21% | +1.64% | SPHQ |
| 2014 | +3.83% | +16.08% | SPHQ |
| 2013 | +22.38% | +32.73% | SPHQ |
| 2012 | +16.75% | +14.32% | ACWI |
| 2011 | -7.82% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +12.78% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +32.36% | +12.59% | ACWI |
| 2008 | -35.29% | -46.35% | ACWI |
| 2007 | — | +16.77% | — |
| 2006 | — | +4.58% | — |
| 2005 | — | -2.05% | — |
ACWI vs SPHQ in plain words
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI 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. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPHQ is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 5 times and SPHQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: ACWI vs SPHQ
| Fact | ACWI | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI ACWI Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.32% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Mar 2008 | 6 Dec 2005 |
Frequently asked
Is ACWI or SPHQ better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 5 times and SPHQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI 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 ACWI and SPHQ?
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI 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. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPHQ is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
What would $10,000 in ACWI have become?
$10,000 invested in ACWI at the start of 2016 grew to $30,708 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.9% per year.
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