VBIRX’s worst drop since 2001 was 9%
Vanguard Short-Term Bond Index Admiral (VBIRX) fell 9% from Aug 2021 to Oct 2022. It took 3.0 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Jul 2024. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 109th of the 109 mutual funds PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2001 to now
How VBIRX held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VBIRX | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −2.4% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −1.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −7.4% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VBIRX 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.
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What was VBIRX’s maximum drawdown?
VBIRX’s deepest fall since 2001 was 8.6%, from its high on August 2, 2021 to its low on October 20, 2022. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VBIRX take to recover?
3.0 years. VBIRX first closed above its Aug 2021 high again on July 31, 2024.
Was VBIRX riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VBIRX’s worst drop was 8.6% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −7.9% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, November 13, 2001 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.