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.
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
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
SPHQtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
- 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) | +6.18% | +20.79% | 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 |
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.
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.