VGLT’s worst drop since 2010 was 46%
Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF (VGLT) fell 46% from Aug 2020 to Oct 2023. 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 114th of the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2010 to now
How VGLT held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VGLT | 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 | −14.2% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −33.1% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VGLT 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 VGLT in PortfolioAutopsyCheck my whole portfolioQuestions
What was VGLT’s maximum drawdown?
VGLT’s deepest fall since 2010 was 46.2%, from its high on August 4, 2020 to its low on October 19, 2023. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VGLT take to recover?
It has not recovered yet. As of October 13, 2026 it sits 40.7% below that Aug 2020 high.
Was VGLT riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VGLT’s worst drop was 46.2% against 33.7% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −34.4% against −19.7%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, January 5, 2010 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.