VYM’s worst drop since 2006 was 57%
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) fell 57% 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 82nd deepest among the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 2006 to now
How VYM held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VYM | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | not trading yet | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −57.0% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −35.2% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −15.9% | −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 VYM’s maximum drawdown?
VYM’s deepest fall since 2006 was 57.0%, from its high on October 9, 2007 to its low on March 5, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VYM take to recover?
4.4 years. VYM first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on March 13, 2012.
Was VYM riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VYM’s worst drop was 57.0% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −49.6% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, November 17, 2006 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.