QUAL’s worst drop since 2013 was 34%
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) fell 34% from Feb 2020 to Mar 2020. It took 0.5 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Aug 2020. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 34%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 155th of the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2013 to now
How QUAL held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | QUAL | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | not trading yet | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −34.1% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −27.7% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how QUAL behaves inside your whole mix, with the worst 12 months, loss odds and crash replays. Free, no signup, and the math runs in your browser.
Open QUAL in PortfolioAutopsyCheck my whole portfolioQuestions
What was QUAL’s maximum drawdown?
QUAL’s deepest fall since 2013 was 34.1%, from its high on February 12, 2020 to its low on March 23, 2020. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did QUAL take to recover?
0.5 years. QUAL first closed above its Feb 2020 high again on August 12, 2020.
Was QUAL riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, QUAL’s worst drop was 34.1% against 33.7% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −23.4% against −19.7%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, July 19, 2013 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.