VTI’s worst drop since 2001 was 55%
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) fell 55% from Oct 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 4.4 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Mar 2012. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop ranks 86th deepest among the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 2001 to now
How VTI held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VTI | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −55.4% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −35.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −25.3% | −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 VTI’s maximum drawdown?
VTI’s deepest fall since 2001 was 55.4%, 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 VTI take to recover?
4.4 years. VTI first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on March 13, 2012.
Was VTI riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VTI’s worst drop was 55.4% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −47.4% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, June 18, 2001 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.