SPY 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.
SPYtracks the S&P 500 Index
SPHQtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
SPY tracks the S&P 500 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.
SPY 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 | SPY | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +10.09% | +20.79% | SPHQ |
| 2025 | +17.72% | +13.25% | SPY |
| 2024 | +24.89% | +25.44% | SPHQ |
| 2023 | +26.18% | +24.83% | SPY |
| 2022 | -18.18% | -15.76% | SPHQ |
| 2021 | +28.73% | +27.59% | SPY |
| 2020 | +18.33% | +16.93% | SPY |
| 2019 | +31.22% | +33.63% | SPHQ |
| 2018 | -4.57% | -7.09% | SPY |
| 2017 | +21.71% | +19.10% | SPY |
| 2016 | +12.00% | +14.30% | SPHQ |
| 2015 | +1.23% | +1.64% | SPHQ |
| 2014 | +13.46% | +16.08% | SPHQ |
| 2013 | +32.31% | +32.73% | SPHQ |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +14.32% | SPY |
| 2011 | +1.89% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +15.06% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +26.35% | +12.59% | SPY |
| 2008 | -36.80% | -46.35% | SPY |
| 2007 | +5.15% | +16.77% | SPHQ |
| 2006 | +15.85% | +4.58% | SPY |
| 2005 | +4.83% | -2.05% | SPY |
| 2004 | +10.70% | — | — |
| 2003 | +28.18% | — | — |
| 2002 | -21.58% | — | — |
| 2001 | -11.76% | — | — |
| 2000 | -9.74% | — | — |
| 1999 | +20.39% | — | — |
| 1998 | +28.69% | — | — |
| 1997 | +33.47% | — | — |
| 1996 | +22.50% | — | — |
| 1995 | +38.05% | — | — |
| 1994 | +0.40% | — | — |
| 1993 | +8.71% | — | — |
SPY vs SPHQ in plain words
SPY tracks the S&P 500 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. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPY 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, SPY finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: SPY vs SPHQ
| Fact | SPY | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.0945% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 22 Jan 1993 | 6 Dec 2005 |
Frequently asked
Is SPY or SPHQ better?
Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, SPY finished the year ahead 11 times and SPHQ 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY 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 SPY and SPHQ?
SPY tracks the S&P 500 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. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPY 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 SPY have become?
$10,000 invested in SPY at the start of 2016 grew to $39,466 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.7% per year.