VFFSX’s worst drop since 2016 was 34%
Vanguard 500 Index Institutional Select (VFFSX) 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 76th of the 109 mutual funds PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2016 to now
How VFFSX held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VFFSX | 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 | −33.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −24.5% | −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 VFFSX’s maximum drawdown?
VFFSX’s deepest fall since 2016 was 33.8%, from its high on February 19, 2020 to its low on March 23, 2020. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VFFSX take to recover?
0.5 years. VFFSX first closed above its Feb 2020 high again on August 10, 2020.
Was VFFSX riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VFFSX’s worst drop was 33.8% against 33.7% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −19.7% against −19.7%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, March 30, 2016 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.