# How Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/vong
> 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 VONG alone. It places VONG (Vanguard Russell 1000 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 VONG stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: VONG's full trading record, from September 2010 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:** 56% of VONG sits in technology, against 38% for the S&P 500. A correlation of 0.99 with VUG (Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF) over 5 years: effectively the same bet as the larger fund.
- **Right now:** Over the past 6 months, VONG rose 3.4% against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Even so, VONG has bounced back 23.5% from its April 2025 low after a 23.3% loss from December 2024 to April 2025 after falling while the S&P 500 fell 17.7%.
- **Fund or market?:** VONG rose 2.6% over the past 3 months, in line with the S&P 500, which rose 3.9%: a market move, not its own.
- **Long term:** VONG turned $10,000 into $52,200 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Even so, over 5 years VONG trailed the index: 75.1% against 81.7%.
- **In a crash:** In the 2022 bear market, VONG fell 31.2%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than SPMO (Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF, 22.7%) but less than QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, 33.4%). VONG fell further than the S&P 500 in two of the last three sell-offs, including the 2022 bear market (31.2% against 24.5%).
- **Diversification:** VONG is more of the same, not a cushion: a correlation of 0.94 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.94 with the total US market, more closely than 90% of ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. When the S&P 500 had a down month, VONG usually fell with it (18 of 22 months).
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** VONV (Vanguard Russell 1000 Value ETF) matched VONG's return over the past 5 years (11.5% a year against 11.9%) with 32% less volatility.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** VLUE (iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF, US large-cap value) and XLG (Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF, US large-cap equity) earned more than VONG with less volatility over the past 5 years. VLUE returned 15.9% a year at 18.4% volatility, against 11.9% a year at 21.7%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** The S&P 500 matched VONG's return over the past 5 years (12.7% a year against 11.9%) with 21% less volatility.

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

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

- $10,000 invested in VONG at the end of September 2010 would have grown to $117,107 by September 2026, more than the $88,503 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of VONG, and VGT finished highest, at $211,913.

## VONG 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.

- VONG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2010 was 32.7%, from December 2021 to October 2022. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 15 full calendar years, VONG's best was 2023, when it returned 42.7%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 29.2%. It lost money in two of those years.
- VONG is 5.2% below its all-time high.

- Type: ETF, Broad Market (Asset Management - Global)
- Trading since: September 22, 2010
- Assets: $56B
- Expense ratio: 0.06%
- Volatility (5 years): 21.7%; Sharpe ratio: 0.63
- Worst decline ever: −32.7%, from December 27, 2021 to October 14, 2022; back at its high by December 27, 2023

| Period | VONG total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −3.0% |
| 3 months | +2.6% |
| 6 months | +3.4% |
| year to date | +4.2% |
| 1 year | +4.1% |
| 3 years | +88.3% |
| 5 years | +75.1% |
| 10 years | +422% |

## VONG against the whole market

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

### How does VONG rank among all ETFs?

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

- VONG'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.
- VONG is among the more volatile ETFs: its price swings rank in the bottom 21% of the 1,560 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | VONG | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +4.1% | 1,627 of 2,485 (top 66%) |
| 3-year return | +88.3% | 382 of 1,949 (top 20%) |
| 5-year return | +75.1% | 311 of 1,560 (top 20%) |
| 10-year return | +422% | 33 of 958 (top 4%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 21.7% | 1,240 of 1,560 (top 80%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.63 | 670 of 1,560 (top 43%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −32.7% | 248 of 951 (top 27%) |

### What has beaten VONG 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).

- 14 stocks and 88 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than VONG over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 3% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half VONG's swings, LVHI has the best return for its risk: 17.0% a year at 11.1% volatility, 49% less than VONG's 21.7%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.48 against 0.63 for VONG. DXJ earned the most, 26.6% a year, while still swinging less than VONG (19.1% against 21.7%).
- None of VONG's popular alternatives made it, but PVAL (US large-cap value) did: 16.1% a year at 15.1% volatility, 30% less than VONG's 21.7%.

### Is there a better investment than VONG?

The table below lists investments that beat VONG 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 VONG's popular alternatives, VONV matched VONG's return over the past 5 years (11.5% a year against 11.9%) with 32% less volatility.
- VUG tracks the same thing for 0.03% a year against VONG's 0.06%, and has kept pace over the past decade: about $30 less in fees on $10,000 over 10 years.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, VLUE (US large-cap value) and XLG (US large-cap equity) earned more than VONG with less volatility over the past 5 years. VLUE returned 15.9% a year at 18.4% volatility, against 11.9% a year at 21.7%.

The 15 strongest of 102 investments that beat VONG 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 VONG | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VONG: Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (this page) |  | +11.9% | 21.7% | 0.63 | −32.7% | +422% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.45 | 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% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| BKLC: BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +13.8% | 17.3% | 0.84 | −26.2% | — | 0.96 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.32 | 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% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| FNDF: Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF | International Equity | +13.6% | 16.3% | 0.87 | −40.2% | +194% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| VYMI: Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF | International Equity | +13.2% | 14.8% | 0.92 | −40.0% | +176% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| AVDV: Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF | International Equity | +13.9% | 17.4% | 0.84 | −43.0% | — | 0.54 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| IOO: iShares Global 100 ETF | Global Equity | +15.7% | 17.2% | 0.94 | −31.4% | +361% | 0.91 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| PVAL: Putnam Focused Large Cap Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +16.1% | 15.1% | 1.07 | −41.3% | — | 0.69 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| MLPX: Global X - MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | Energy | +18.6% | 19.7% | 0.97 | −64.6% | +186% | 0.33 | 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% | 0.69 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |

## VONG against its popular alternatives

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

### How do VONG'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.

- Four of the 19 popular alternatives, led by SPMO, SPYG and IUSG, were both more rewarding and calmer than VONG over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, VONG returned 11.9% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (21.7% against 17.1%).

### Has VONG consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- 14 of the 23 popular alternatives, led by SCHG, VGT and QQQ, outperformed VONG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- SCHG, VGT and QQQ outperformed VONG in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SPMO, PWB and SPYG earned more for the risk they took than VONG (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 VONG | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VONG: Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (this page) | +4.1% | +88.3% | +75.1% | +422% |  |  | 0.63 |
| [SCHG](https://easycompare.io/research/schg): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | +10.4% | +99.2% | +85.4% | +451% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.67 |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | +26.7% | +138% | +133% | +779% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.78 |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | +17.9% | +106% | +97.2% | +553% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.71 |
| MGK: Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF | +11.9% | +104% | +88.2% | +464% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.67 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | +18.1% | +156% | +136% | +499% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.93 |
| [VUG](https://easycompare.io/research/vug): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | +10.2% | +100% | +78.6% | +419% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.63 |
| [SPYG](https://easycompare.io/research/spyg): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.8% | +110% | +86.5% | +418% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.69 |
| VOOG: Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.8% | +110% | +86.0% | +416% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.69 |
| [IVW](https://easycompare.io/research/ivw): iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF | +15.7% | +109% | +85.3% | +413% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.68 |
| IUSG: iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | +15.9% | +107% | +83.7% | +405% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.68 |
| IWY: iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF | +4.7% | +90.1% | +83.8% | +466% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.67 |
| [QQQM](https://easycompare.io/research/qqqm): Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | +18.0% | +106% | +98.0% | — | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.71 |
| PWB: Invesco Large Cap Growth ETF | +20.2% | +130% | +99.6% | +409% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.74 |
| FBCG: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF | +14.0% | +114% | +78.6% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.58 |
| CGGR: Capital Group Growth ETF | +5.8% | +97.0% | — | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| FDG: American Century Focused Dynamic Growth ETF | +5.4% | +113% | +52.4% | — | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| VONE: Vanguard Russell 1000 ETF | +15.2% | +88.5% | +75.9% | +312% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| VONV: Vanguard Russell 1000 Value ETF | +27.8% | +85.1% | +72.7% | +208% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.82 |
| [RSP](https://easycompare.io/research/rsp): Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF | +15.5% | +65.4% | +48.6% | +211% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |
| FTC: First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund | +7.9% | +86.4% | +51.5% | +271% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| VOT: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF | +0.1% | +58.0% | +19.6% | +201% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| [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 |
| TCHP: T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth ETF | +2.4% | +86.0% | +49.8% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |

### How did VONG do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2011, along with where VONG ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- VONG finished ahead of the S&P 500 in eight of its 15 full calendar years, and ahead of it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, QQQ came out ahead of VONG most often, in 11 of the 15 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, VONG finished in the top quarter in two of 15 years and in the bottom quarter in one. In 2025, it ranked 12 of 21.

| Year | VONG | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +18.4% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +33.2% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +42.7% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −29.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +27.6% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +38.3% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +36.0% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −1.6% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +30.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +7.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How VONG 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 VONG's worst declines?

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

- In three of VONG's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 14 months, after VONG fell 32.7% from December 2021 to October 2022.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −32.7% | December 27, 2021 | October 14, 2022 | December 27, 2023 | −24.2% | 2022 bear market |
| −31.7% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | June 8, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |
| −23.3% | December 16, 2024 | April 8, 2025 | June 26, 2025 | −17.7% |  |
| −22.0% | October 1, 2018 | December 24, 2018 | April 12, 2019 | −19.2% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −18.0% | July 7, 2011 | October 3, 2011 | February 3, 2012 | −18.4% | 2011 euro debt crisis |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, SPMO held up best, falling less than VONG in three of the five crashes they both traded through.
- VONG began trading after the 2008 financial crisis, but ten 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.
- VONG fell further than the S&P 500 in three of the seven crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when VONG fell 31.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

| Crash | Dates | VONG 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 | not trading | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −17.8% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −13.4% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −22.0% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −31.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −31.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.5% | −3.4% |

### How closely does VONG 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.

- SPMO took just 76% of the S&P 500's losses, against 104% for VONG, while still keeping 102% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, VONG captured 111% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 104% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.10. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- Five of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than VONG's 1.07, led by SPMO, VGT and QQQ.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VONG: Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (this page) | 111% | 104% | 1.10 |
| [SCHG](https://easycompare.io/research/schg): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | 114% | 107% | 1.12 |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | 130% | 104% | 1.22 |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 118% | 102% | 1.13 |
| MGK: Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF | 115% | 107% | 1.14 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 102% | 76.0% | 0.99 |
| [VUG](https://easycompare.io/research/vug): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | 113% | 108% | 1.13 |
| [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 |
| PWB: Invesco Large Cap Growth ETF | 106% | 95.0% | 1.07 |
| VONE: Vanguard Russell 1000 ETF | 100% | 102% | 1.02 |
| VONV: Vanguard Russell 1000 Value ETF | 88.0% | 99.0% | 0.93 |
| [RSP](https://easycompare.io/research/rsp): Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF | 92.0% | 107% | 1.01 |
| FTC: First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund | 98.0% | 103% | 1.08 |
| VOT: Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF | 95.0% | 113% | 1.12 |
| [IWF](https://easycompare.io/research/iwf): iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 110% | 104% | 1.10 |

### What diversifies VONG?

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 VONG into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+13.6% for VONG alone, +15.1% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of VONG over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- Among large stocks, CAH, MCK and MPC have moved largely independently of VONG over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.20 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with VONG | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in VONG's 2 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.32 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 2 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.46 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 1 of 2 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.41 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 2 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.37 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 0 of 2 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.09 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 0 of 2 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.07 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 1 of 2 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.28 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 1 of 2 |
| EFV: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF | 0.43 | +89.0% | 15.9% | 0.88 | 0 of 2 |

## Common questions

### What was VONG's worst drawdown?

VONG's deepest decline since it began trading in 2010 was 32.7%, from December 2021 to October 2022. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because VONG launched in September 2010, that record does not include the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis or the 2010 flash crash.

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

Over 15 full calendar years, VONG's best year was 2023, when it returned 42.7%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -29.2%.

### Is there a better investment than VONG?

Among VONG's popular alternatives, VONV matched VONG's return over the past 5 years (11.5% a year against 11.9%) with 32% less volatility. VUG tracks the same thing for 0.03% a year against VONG's 0.06%, and has kept pace over the past decade: about $30 less in fees on $10,000 over 10 years.

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

Yes. VONG's volatility over the past 5 years was 21.7%, 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, VONG's return lands within 21.7% 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 VONG's Sharpe ratio?

VONG's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.63, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so VONG 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 VONG with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, VONG'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 VONG instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a VONG holding.

### What are the best alternatives to VONG?

Of the 23 popular alternatives we compared, 14 outperformed VONG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: SCHG, VGT and QQQ.

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

VONG finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in eight of 15 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +18.4%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

VONG fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the seven major crashes it has traded through, and further in three. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when VONG fell 31.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies VONG?

These had a low correlation with VONG over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.32), DXJ (correlation 0.46) and EMLP (correlation 0.41); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.20), MCK (correlation 0.06) and MPC (correlation 0.12). 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/vong
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against VONG live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=VONG&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research