VBIAX’s worst drop since 2000 was 36%
Vanguard Balanced Index Admiral (VBIAX) fell 36% from Oct 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 3.1 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Nov 2010. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 70th of the 109 mutual funds PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2000 to now
How VBIAX held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VBIAX | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −35.9% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −22.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −21.3% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
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What was VBIAX’s maximum drawdown?
VBIAX’s deepest fall since 2000 was 35.9%, from its high on October 9, 2007 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VBIAX take to recover?
3.1 years. VBIAX first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on November 2, 2010.
Was VBIAX riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VBIAX’s worst drop was 35.9% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −30.4% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, November 14, 2000 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.