VEA’s worst drop since 2007 was 61%
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) fell 61% from Oct 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 6.6 years from that peak to close at a new high, in May 2014. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop ranks 63rd deepest among the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 2007 to now
How VEA held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VEA | 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 | −35.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −28.8% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VEA 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 VEA’s maximum drawdown?
VEA’s deepest fall since 2007 was 60.7%, from its high on October 31, 2007 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VEA take to recover?
6.6 years. VEA first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on May 27, 2014.
Was VEA riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VEA’s worst drop was 60.7% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −53.2% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, July 27, 2007 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.