# How Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/schg
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on SCHG alone. It places SCHG (Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where SCHG stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: SCHG's full trading record, from December 2009 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **What you're buying:** SCHG is a technology bet first: 54% of assets, versus 38% in the S&P 500. SCHG and IWF (iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF) have tracked each other (0.99). The larger fund is IWF.
- **Right now:** After a 23.4% loss from December 2024 to April 2025, SCHG has bounced 25.6% off the low. Both SCHG and the S&P 500 are within a few percent of a record high.
- **Fund or market?:** SCHG rose 4.2% over the past 3 months, in line with the S&P 500, which rose 3.9%: a market move, not its own.
- **Long term:** SCHG turned $10,000 into $55,100 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Over the past decade, SCHG returned 451%, ahead of 97% of the ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** SCHG has tended to fall harder than the S&P 500 in crashes, about 1.2 times the index's decline. The 2022 bear market took 32.2% off SCHG, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than IWF (iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF, 31.2%) but less than QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, 33.4%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, SCHG has a correlation of 0.94 over 5 years, more closely than 89% of ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. When the S&P 500 had a down month, SCHG usually fell with it (18 of 22 months).
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** SPMO (Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF) earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.7% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** VLUE (iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF, US large-cap value) and PVAL (Putnam Focused Large Cap Value ETF, US large-cap value) earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years. VLUE returned 15.9% a year at 18.4% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** The S&P 500 matched SCHG's return over the past 5 years (12.7% a year against 13.1%) with 24% less volatility.

## How much would $10,000 in SCHG have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in SCHG over the past 16 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of SCHG over the same span and SCHG's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in SCHG at the end of September 2010 would have grown to $124,338 by September 2026, more than the $88,503 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of SCHG, and NVDA finished highest, at $8,585,151.

## SCHG at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the fund, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- SCHG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2009 was 34.5%, from November 2021 to January 2023. It took 11 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 16 full calendar years, SCHG's best was 2023, when it returned 50.1%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 31.8%. It lost money in three of those years.
- SCHG is 3.8% below its all-time high.

- Type: ETF, Broad Market (Asset Management)
- Trading since: December 11, 2009
- Assets: $63B
- Expense ratio: 0.04%
- Volatility (5 years): 22.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.67
- Worst decline ever: −34.5%, from November 19, 2021 to January 5, 2023; back at its high by December 18, 2023

| Period | SCHG total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −1.9% |
| 3 months | +4.2% |
| 6 months | +9.4% |
| year to date | +9.7% |
| 1 year | +10.4% |
| 3 years | +99.2% |
| 5 years | +85.4% |
| 10 years | +451% |

## SCHG against the whole market

Where SCHG ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does SCHG rank among all ETFs?

This section ranks SCHG on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every ETF worth at least $100 million with enough history.

- SCHG's 10-year return ranks in the top 3% of the 958 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets with 10 years of history.
- SCHG is among the more volatile ETFs: its price swings rank in the bottom 18% of the 1,560 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | SCHG | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +10.4% | 1,232 of 2,485 (top 50%) |
| 3-year return | +99.2% | 235 of 1,949 (top 13%) |
| 5-year return | +85.4% | 205 of 1,560 (top 14%) |
| 10-year return | +451% | 30 of 958 (top 4%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 22.4% | 1,281 of 1,560 (top 83%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.67 | 603 of 1,560 (top 39%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −34.5% | 323 of 951 (top 34%) |

### What has beaten SCHG on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 11 stocks and 42 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than SCHG over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half SCHG's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 15% less than SCHG's 22.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.67 for SCHG.
- Among SCHG's popular alternatives, SPMO is in the region. SPMO earned 18.7% a year against 13.1% a year for SCHG, at 20.8% volatility, 7% less than SCHG's 22.4%.

### Is there a better investment than SCHG?

The table below lists investments that beat SCHG over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes, and, for funds, the same exposure at a lower expense ratio.

- Among SCHG's popular alternatives, SPMO earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.7% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, VLUE (US large-cap value) and PVAL (US large-cap value) earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years. VLUE returned 15.9% a year at 18.4% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%.
- The S&P 500 matched SCHG's return over the past 5 years (12.7% a year against 13.1%) with 24% less volatility.

The 15 strongest of 53 investments that beat SCHG over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with SCHG | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SCHG: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (this page) |  | +13.1% | 22.4% | 0.67 | −34.5% | +451% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | Banks | +15.8% | 20.0% | 0.84 | −42.0% | +310% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | Pharmaceuticals | +17.1% | 20.7% | 0.87 | −26.8% | +226% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.10 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | International Equity | +14.8% | 16.4% | 0.93 | −25.4% | — | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| TDIV: First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund | Technology Equity | +16.2% | 21.3% | 0.81 | −32.0% | +388% | 0.86 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | US Momentum Equity | +18.7% | 20.8% | 0.93 | −30.9% | +499% | 0.75 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| VLUE: iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +15.9% | 18.4% | 0.90 | −39.5% | +286% | 0.66 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| CRAK: VanEck Oil Refiners ETF | Energy | +19.8% | 20.9% | 0.97 | −58.8% | +336% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPLX](https://easycompare.io/research/mplx): MPLX Lp | Oil & Gas Midstream | +23.5% | 18.8% | 1.22 | −75.2% | +350% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| NXTG: First Trust Indxx NextG ETF | Technology | +16.2% | 19.1% | 0.89 | −33.6% | +330% | 0.76 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FFLC: Fidelity Fundamental Large Cap Core ETF | Broad Market | +15.7% | 16.8% | 0.95 | −19.7% | — | 0.81 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.10 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## SCHG against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against SCHG, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do SCHG's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- SPMO, JQUA and SPYG were both more rewarding and calmer than SCHG over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, SCHG returned 13.2% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (22.4% against 17.1%).

### Has SCHG consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares SCHG with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Five of the 21 popular alternatives, led by XLK, QQQ and SPMO, outperformed SCHG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- XLK outperformed SCHG in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SPMO, JQUA and XLK earned more for the risk they took than SCHG (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of SCHG | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SCHG: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (this page) | +10.4% | +99.2% | +85.4% | +451% |  |  | 0.67 |
| [XLK](https://easycompare.io/research/xlk): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.82 |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | +17.9% | +106% | +97.2% | +553% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.71 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | +18.1% | +156% | +136% | +499% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.93 |
| MGK: Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF | +11.9% | +104% | +88.2% | +464% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.67 |
| [QQQM](https://easycompare.io/research/qqqm): Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | +18.0% | +106% | +98.0% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.71 |
| JQUA: JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF | +22.2% | +84.2% | +88.9% | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.89 |
| [SPYG](https://easycompare.io/research/spyg): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.8% | +110% | +86.5% | +418% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| VOOG: Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.8% | +110% | +86.0% | +416% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| [IVW](https://easycompare.io/research/ivw): iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.7% | +109% | +85.3% | +413% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| IUSG: iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | +15.9% | +107% | +83.7% | +405% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| FBCG: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF | +14.0% | +114% | +78.6% | — | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.58 |
| IWY: iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF | +4.7% | +90.1% | +83.8% | +466% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |
| FDG: American Century Focused Dynamic Growth ETF | +5.4% | +113% | +52.4% | — | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [SCHX](https://easycompare.io/research/schx): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | +15.1% | +89.1% | +76.6% | +317% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| SCHV: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | +20.0% | +75.4% | +62.3% | +195% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| QGRO: American Century U.S. Quality Growth ETF | +2.8% | +78.8% | +60.3% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| [VONG](https://easycompare.io/research/vong): Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF | +4.1% | +88.3% | +75.1% | +422% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| [VUG](https://easycompare.io/research/vug): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | +10.2% | +100% | +78.6% | +419% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| [IWF](https://easycompare.io/research/iwf): iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | +4.0% | +87.7% | +74.1% | +416% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.62 |
| VOT: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF | +0.1% | +58.0% | +19.6% | +201% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| CGGR: Capital Group Growth ETF | +5.8% | +97.0% | — | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |

### How did SCHG do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2010, along with where SCHG ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, SCHG finished in the top quarter in four of 16 years and in the bottom quarter in one. In 2025, it ranked 14 of 18.
- SCHG finished ahead of the S&P 500 in ten of its 16 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, QQQ came out ahead of SCHG most often, in 12 of the 16 years both traded.

| Year | SCHG | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +17.4% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +34.9% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +50.1% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −31.8% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +28.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +39.1% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +35.9% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −1.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +27.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +8.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How SCHG has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were SCHG's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In four of SCHG's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- None of these declines kept SCHG below its old high for long; the longest climb back took 11 months.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −34.5% | November 19, 2021 | January 5, 2023 | December 18, 2023 | −17.5% | 2022 bear market |
| −32.3% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | June 10, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |
| −23.4% | December 16, 2024 | April 8, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | −17.7% |  |
| −21.6% | October 1, 2018 | December 24, 2018 | April 12, 2019 | −19.2% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −20.6% | July 7, 2011 | October 3, 2011 | February 3, 2012 | −18.4% | 2011 euro debt crisis |

### How did SCHG do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far SCHG, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- Among its popular alternatives, SPYG held up best, falling less than SCHG in six of the eight crashes they both traded through.
- SCHG began trading after the 2008 financial crisis, but six of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was VUG's 50.7%, against 55.2% for the S&P 500.
- SCHG fell further than the S&P 500 in four of the eight crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when SCHG fell 32.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

| Crash | Dates | SCHG fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | not trading | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.8% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −20.2% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −16.2% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −21.6% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −32.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −32.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.6% | −3.4% |

### How closely does SCHG move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Seven of the 12 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than SCHG's 1.06, led by SPMO, XLK and QQQ.
- SPMO took just 76% of the S&P 500's losses, against 107% for SCHG, while still keeping 102% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, SCHG captured 114% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 107% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.12. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SCHG: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (this page) | 114% | 107% | 1.12 |
| [XLK](https://easycompare.io/research/xlk): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 128% | 100% | 1.19 |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 118% | 102% | 1.13 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 102% | 76.0% | 0.99 |
| MGK: Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF | 115% | 107% | 1.14 |
| [SPYG](https://easycompare.io/research/spyg): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF | 109% | 102% | 1.08 |
| IUSG: iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | 109% | 103% | 1.08 |
| IWY: iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF | 113% | 102% | 1.09 |
| [SCHX](https://easycompare.io/research/schx): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | 100% | 101% | 1.01 |
| SCHV: Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | 84.0% | 95.0% | 0.91 |
| [VONG](https://easycompare.io/research/vong): Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 111% | 104% | 1.10 |
| [VUG](https://easycompare.io/research/vug): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | 113% | 108% | 1.13 |
| VOT: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF | 95.0% | 113% | 1.12 |

### What diversifies SCHG?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in SCHG into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 16% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+14.7% for SCHG alone, +16.0% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of SCHG over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.45 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- XLE made money in two of the three calendar years in which SCHG lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with SCHG | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in SCHG's 3 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.33 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 3 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.45 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 1 of 3 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.41 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 3 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.37 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 0 of 3 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.10 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 3 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 2 of 3 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.30 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 2 of 3 |
| EFV: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF | 0.44 | +89.0% | 15.9% | 0.88 | 0 of 3 |

## Common questions

### What was SCHG's worst drawdown?

SCHG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2009 was 34.5%, from November 2021 to January 2023. It took 11 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because SCHG launched in December 2009, that record does not include the dot-com bust or the 2008 financial crisis.

### What were SCHG's best and worst years?

Over 16 full calendar years, SCHG's best year was 2023, when it returned 50.1%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -31.8%.

### Is there a better investment than SCHG?

Among SCHG's popular alternatives, SPMO earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.7% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, VLUE (US large-cap value) and PVAL (US large-cap value) earned more than SCHG with less volatility over the past 5 years. VLUE returned 15.9% a year at 18.4% volatility, against 13.1% a year at 22.4%.

### Is SCHG more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. SCHG's volatility over the past 5 years was 22.4%, 1.3 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, SCHG's return lands within 22.4% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is SCHG's Sharpe ratio?

SCHG's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.67, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so SCHG earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is SCHG with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, SCHG's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.94 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They move almost in lockstep, so holding both adds little diversification. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against SCHG instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a SCHG holding.

### What are the best alternatives to SCHG?

Of the 21 popular alternatives we compared, five outperformed SCHG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: XLK, QQQ and SPMO.

### Did SCHG outperform the S&P 500?

SCHG finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in ten of 16 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +17.5%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did SCHG do in stock market crashes?

SCHG fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the eight major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when SCHG fell 32.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies SCHG?

These had a low correlation with SCHG over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.33), DXJ (correlation 0.45) and EMLP (correlation 0.41); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.18), MCK (correlation 0.09) and MPC (correlation 0.14). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/schg
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against SCHG live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=SCHG&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research