VGIT’s worst drop since 2009 was 16%
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (VGIT) fell 16% from Aug 2020 to Oct 2022. It has not closed above that Aug 2020 peak since, 6.2 years later. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 34%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 185th of the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2009 to now
How VGIT held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VGIT | 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 | −2.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −12.7% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VGIT 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 VGIT in PortfolioAutopsyCheck my whole portfolioQuestions
What was VGIT’s maximum drawdown?
VGIT’s deepest fall since 2009 was 16.1%, from its high on August 4, 2020 to its low on October 20, 2022. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VGIT take to recover?
It has not recovered yet. As of October 13, 2026 it sits 4.4% below that Aug 2020 high.
Was VGIT riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VGIT’s worst drop was 16.1% against 33.7% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −13.4% against −19.7%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, November 24, 2009 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.