SPYU.DE vs. VPU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF (SPYU.DE) and Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU).

SPYU.DE and VPU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SPYU.DE is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the MSCI Europe Utilities 20/35 Capped. It was launched on Dec 5, 2014. VPU is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index. It was launched on Jan 26, 2004. Both SPYU.DE and VPU are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a €10,000 investment in SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF (SPYU.DE) and Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SPYU.DE SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF	16.09%	34.39%	0.99%	13.57%	-7.97%	8.80%	11.01%	31.91%	2.41%	9.05%
VPU Vanguard Utilities ETF	9.90%	2.64%	31.16%	-10.22%	7.33%	26.18%	-8.92%	27.72%	9.28%	-1.38%

Different Trading Currencies

SPYU.DE is traded in EUR, while VPU is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the VPU values have been converted to EUR using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SPYU.DE achieves a 16.09% return, which is significantly higher than VPU's 9.90% return. Over the past 10 years, SPYU.DE has outperformed VPU with an annualized return of 11.44%, while VPU has yielded a comparatively lower 9.50% annualized return.

SPYU.DE

• 1D: 2.04%
• 1M: -0.80%
• YTD: 16.09%
• 6M: 26.88%
• 1Y: 39.69%
• 3Y*: 18.31%
• 5Y*: 12.35%
• 10Y*: 11.44%

VPU

• 1D: 0.31%
• 1M: -1.02%
• YTD: 9.90%
• 6M: 7.19%
• 1Y: 11.38%
• 3Y*: 11.53%
• 5Y*: 10.98%
• 10Y*: 9.50%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Expense Ratio Comparison

SPYU.DE has a 0.18% expense ratio, which is higher than VPU's 0.10% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

SPYU.DE

SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF

VPU

Vanguard Utilities ETF

Return for Risk

SPYU.DE vs. VPU — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

SPYU.DE

SPYU.DE Risk / Return Rank: 94
SPYU.DE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
SPYU.DE Sortino Ratio Rank: 93
SPYU.DE Omega Ratio Rank: 94
SPYU.DE Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
SPYU.DE Martin Ratio Rank: 94

VPU

VPU Risk / Return Rank: 65
VPU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 69
VPU Sortino Ratio Rank: 65
VPU Omega Ratio Rank: 60
VPU Calmar Ratio Rank: 79
VPU Martin Ratio Rank: 52

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF (SPYU.DE) and Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	SPYU.DE	VPU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.39	0.67	+1.72
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.93	0.99	+1.93
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.45	1.13	+0.32
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.81	1.22	+2.59
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	15.04	2.59	+12.45
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SPYU.DE Sharpe Ratio is 2.39, which is higher than the VPU Sharpe Ratio of 0.67. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SPYU.DE and VPU, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SPYU.DE	VPU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.39	0.67	+1.72
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.77	0.64	+0.13
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.67	0.48	+0.19
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.59	0.47	+0.12

Correlation

The correlation between SPYU.DE and VPU is 0.32, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Dividend Comparison

SPYU.DE has not paid dividends to shareholders, while VPU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.56%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SPYU.DE SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VPU Vanguard Utilities ETF	2.56%	2.73%	3.02%	3.49%	2.98%	2.70%	3.17%	2.83%	3.23%	3.18%	3.19%	3.63%

Drawdowns

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SPYU.DE drawdown since its inception was -32.98%, smaller than the maximum VPU drawdown of -38.39%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SPYU.DE and VPU.

Drawdown Indicators

	SPYU.DE	VPU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-32.98%	-46.31%	+13.33%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.25%	-8.90%	-1.35%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-22.28%	-25.15%	+2.87%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-32.98%	-36.42%	+3.44%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.46%	-2.71%	+1.25%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.67%	-7.82%	+2.15%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.60%	3.74%	-1.14%

Volatility

SPYU.DE vs. VPU - Volatility Comparison

SPDR MSCI Europe Utilities UCITS ETF (SPYU.DE) has a higher volatility of 7.11% compared to Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU) at 5.33%. This indicates that SPYU.DE's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VPU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SPYU.DE	VPU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.11%	5.33%	+1.78%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.07%	10.68%	+0.39%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.54%	16.99%	-0.45%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.84%	17.22%	-1.38%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.98%	19.76%	-2.78%