VYMI vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

VYMI and SPY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. VYMI is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index. It was launched on Feb 25, 2016. 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 VYMI 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

VYMI vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VYMI vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
VYMI Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF	6.37%	38.05%	7.06%	17.07%	-7.02%	15.39%	-1.11%	18.43%	-12.65%	22.36%
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, VYMI achieves a 6.37% return, which is significantly higher than SPY's -3.65% return. Over the past 10 years, VYMI has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 10.30%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 14.06% annualized return.

VYMI

• 1D: 0.82%
• 1M: -3.79%
• YTD: 6.37%
• 6M: 13.78%
• 1Y: 33.76%
• 3Y*: 20.74%
• 5Y*: 12.62%
• 10Y*: 10.30%

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)

VYMI vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison

VYMI has a 0.07% expense ratio, which is lower than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

VYMI

Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF

Return for Risk

VYMI vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

VYMI

VYMI Risk / Return Rank: 92
VYMI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
VYMI Sortino Ratio Rank: 92
VYMI Omega Ratio Rank: 94
VYMI Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
VYMI Martin Ratio Rank: 91

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.

VYMI vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) 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.

	VYMI	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.13	0.96	+1.18
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.82	1.49	+1.33
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.44	1.23	+0.21
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.09	1.53	+1.55
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.68	7.27	+5.42
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VYMI vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VYMI Sharpe Ratio is 2.13, which is higher than the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VYMI 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

	VYMI	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.13	0.96	+1.18
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.86	0.70	+0.16
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.61	0.79	-0.18
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.63	0.56	+0.07

Correlation

The correlation between VYMI and SPY is 0.73, 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

VYMI vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

VYMI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.60%, more than SPY's 1.13% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VYMI Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF	3.60%	3.68%	4.84%	4.58%	4.70%	4.30%	3.22%	4.20%	4.29%	3.21%	2.39%	0.00%
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

VYMI vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VYMI drawdown since its inception was -40.00%, smaller than the maximum SPY drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VYMI and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	VYMI	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-40.00%	-55.19%	+15.19%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.08%	-12.05%	+0.97%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-24.05%	-24.50%	+0.45%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-40.00%	-33.72%	-6.28%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.77%	-5.53%	-0.24%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.39%	-9.09%	+2.70%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.70%	2.54%	+0.16%

Volatility

VYMI vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) has a higher volatility of 6.40% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.35%. This indicates that VYMI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VYMI	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.40%	5.35%	+1.05%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.90%	9.50%	+0.40%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.90%	19.06%	-3.16%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.75%	17.06%	-2.31%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.89%	17.92%	-1.03%