VUSE vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

VUSE and SPY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VUSE is a passively managed fund by Vident that tracks the performance of the Vident U.S. Quality Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 2014. SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993. Both VUSE and SPY 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

VUSE vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VUSE vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VUSE Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF	-3.96%	13.18%	15.77%	24.36%	-9.42%	35.46%	6.76%	20.74%	-15.25%	16.62%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-3.65%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-18.18%	28.73%	18.33%	31.22%	-4.57%	21.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VUSE achieves a -3.96% return, which is significantly lower than SPY's -3.65% return. Over the past 10 years, VUSE has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 10.90%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 14.06% annualized return.

VUSE

• 1D: 0.86%
• 1M: -4.27%
• YTD: -3.96%
• 6M: -4.30%
• 1Y: 12.03%
• 3Y*: 13.27%
• 5Y*: 9.64%
• 10Y*: 10.90%

SPY

• 1D: 0.75%
• 1M: -4.28%
• YTD: -3.65%
• 6M: -1.42%
• 1Y: 18.14%
• 3Y*: 18.48%
• 5Y*: 11.86%
• 10Y*: 14.06%

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

VUSE vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison

VUSE has a 0.50% expense ratio, which is higher than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio.

VUSE

Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF

SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

Return for Risk

VUSE vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

VUSE

VUSE Risk / Return Rank: 37
VUSE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 33
VUSE Sortino Ratio Rank: 35
VUSE Omega Ratio Rank: 35
VUSE Calmar Ratio Rank: 38
VUSE Martin Ratio Rank: 42

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 59
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 58
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 69

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.

VUSE vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). 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.

	VUSE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.67	0.96	-0.29
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.08	1.49	-0.41
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.15	1.23	-0.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.07	1.53	-0.46
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.33	7.27	-2.93
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VUSE vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VUSE Sharpe Ratio is 0.67, which is lower than the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VUSE and SPY, 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

	VUSE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.67	0.96	-0.29
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.55	0.70	-0.15
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.54	0.79	-0.25
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.48	0.56	-0.08

Correlation

The correlation between VUSE and SPY is 0.86, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

VUSE vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

VUSE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.51%, less than SPY's 1.13% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VUSE Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF	0.51%	0.47%	0.84%	1.15%	1.57%	1.16%	1.33%	1.61%	1.55%	1.16%	1.25%	1.73%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.13%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

VUSE vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VUSE drawdown since its inception was -43.92%, smaller than the maximum SPY drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VUSE and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	VUSE	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-43.92%	-55.19%	+11.27%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.57%	-12.05%	+0.48%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-21.34%	-24.50%	+3.16%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-43.92%	-33.72%	-10.20%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.07%	-5.53%	-0.54%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.69%	-9.09%	+3.40%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.86%	2.54%	+0.32%

Volatility

VUSE vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) have volatilities of 5.41% and 5.35%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VUSE	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.41%	5.35%	+0.06%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.87%	9.50%	+0.37%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	18.09%	19.06%	-0.97%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.58%	17.06%	+0.52%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.21%	17.92%	+2.29%