VGHCX’s worst drop since 1999 was 37%
Vanguard Health Care Fund (VGHCX) fell 37% from May 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 3.6 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Dec 2010. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 66th of the 109 mutual funds PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How VGHCX held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VGHCX | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −27.3% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −36.1% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −27.2% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −16.8% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VGHCX 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.
Open VGHCX in PortfolioAutopsyCheck my whole portfolioQuestions
What was VGHCX’s maximum drawdown?
VGHCX’s deepest fall since 1999 was 36.9%, from its high on May 7, 2007 to its low on March 5, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VGHCX take to recover?
3.6 years. VGHCX first closed above its May 2007 high again on December 16, 2010.
Was VGHCX riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VGHCX’s worst drop was 36.9% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −31.9% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, January 5, 1999 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.