VIG’s worst drop since 2006 was 47%
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) fell 47% from Oct 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 3.4 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Feb 2011. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 109th of the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 2006 to now
How VIG held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VIG | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −46.8% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −31.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −20.4% | −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 VIG’s maximum drawdown?
VIG’s deepest fall since 2006 was 46.8%, from its high on October 9, 2007 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VIG take to recover?
3.4 years. VIG first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on February 16, 2011.
Was VIG riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VIG’s worst drop was 46.8% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −39.9% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, May 3, 2006 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.