VBR’s worst drop since 2004 was 62%
Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR) fell 62% from Jun 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 3.7 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Feb 2011. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop ranks 56th deepest among the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 2004 to now
How VBR held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VBR | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −61.6% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −45.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −20.4% | −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 VBR’s maximum drawdown?
VBR’s deepest fall since 2004 was 62.0%, from its high on June 4, 2007 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VBR take to recover?
3.7 years. VBR first closed above its Jun 2007 high again on February 14, 2011.
Was VBR riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VBR’s worst drop was 62.0% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −51.6% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, February 2, 2004 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.