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ETFsInsight
AVUV ETF vs the S&P 500: Returns, Risk and Crash History
Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (market value $32.6 billion): how it compared with the S&P 500, how it behaved in every crash since 2008, its risk‑adjusted returns. Data as of Oct 30, 2026.
What changed since Oct 26
Exent re-checks this page every day.
+27.9% 1‑year return through Oct 30 (was +19.9%)
Key takeaways
- AVUV returned +70.9% over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026 versus +75.9% for the S&P 500: it lagged the index.
- Its 5-year Sharpe ratio was 0.43 against 0.58 for the S&P 500.
- Its deepest crisis drawdown was −22.9% in the 2025 tariff selloff (S&P 500: −19.0%).
- Five‑year volatility was 22.0% and beta 1.03.
What is your own portfolio exposed to? Check it with Exent →
In this article
- Did AVUV beat the S&P 500?
- Is AVUV good for retirement?
- AVUV returns by year vs the S&P 500
- AVUV risk-adjusted returns: Sharpe, Sortino and volatility
- How AVUV behaved in past crashes
- What moves with AVUV, and what doesn’t
- What does AVUV hold?
- The right benchmark for AVUV
- Other popular ETFs
- Data and methodology
Did AVUV beat the S&P 500?
Over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026, Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV) returned +70.9% including dividends, versus +75.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY). It lagged the index by 5.0 percentage points, or +11.3% a year against +12.0%.
| Period | AVUV | S&P 500 | AVUV per year | S&P 500 per year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | +27.9% | +12.0% | +27.9% | +12.0% | Beat |
| 3 years | +74.9% | +87.4% | +20.5% | +23.3% | Lagged |
| 5 years | +70.9% | +75.9% | +11.3% | +12.0% | Lagged |
| Period | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVUV | +27.9% | +74.9% | +70.9% |
| S&P 500 | +12.0% | +87.4% | +75.9% |
| AVUV per year | +27.9% | +20.5% | +11.3% |
| S&P 500 per year | +12.0% | +23.3% | +12.0% |
| Result | Beat | Lagged | Lagged |
Total return with dividends reinvested, from month-end prices to Oct 30, 2026. Beating the index on raw return is only half the story: the next section adjusts for the risk taken. See also how to beat the S&P 500.
Is AVUV good for retirement?
AVUV can be a core retirement holding. It is Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value: active small value with a profitability screen. About 800 small US companies at low valuations and higher profitability; a popular small-value tilt for long horizons.
Pros
- Screens for profitability as well as valuation, and returned 11.17% a year over five years versus 8.70% for VBR (NAV).
Cons
- 0.25%, five times VBR; outperformance in one five-year window is no promise for the next.
- Active fund: holdings can drift from its Russell 2000 Value comparison benchmark.
When it is the wrong choice: If it would be more than a modest slice: a small-value fund as your main stock holding is a concentrated factor bet.
Similar ETFs to compare
| ETF | Expense ratio | Why consider it |
|---|---|---|
| AVUV | 0.25% | this fund |
| VBR | 0.05% | index small value |
| DFAT | 0.33% | Dimensional targeted value |
| IJR | 0.06% | S&P 600 small blend |
Fits: Investing for retirement in your 20s · Retirement ETFs in your 30s and 40s · ETFs for a Roth IRA · Early retirement (FIRE). How to choose: Best ETFs for Retirement in 2026: How to Choose by Age and Situation.
Source: the fund’s active strategy and mechanics were checked on the Avantis AVUV fact sheet on Oct 25, 2026. Expense ratios are from the issuers; trailing returns quoted here are issuer NAV returns to September 30, 2026, and drawdowns, calendar-year returns and trailing yields are Exent market data (daily total return, distributions reinvested) over the same period. Educational, not a recommendation for your situation.
AVUV returns by year vs the S&P 500
AVUV beat the S&P 500 in 2 of the 6 full calendar years shown.
| Year | AVUV | S&P 500 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Oct 30, 2026) | +22.2% | +11.7% | +10.5% |
| 2025 | +7.4% | +17.7% | −10.3% |
| 2024 | +9.3% | +24.9% | −15.6% |
| 2023 | +22.8% | +26.2% | −3.4% |
| 2022 | −4.9% | −18.2% | +13.3% |
| 2021 | +42.2% | +28.7% | +13.5% |
| 2020 | +6.4% | +18.3% | −11.9% |
AVUV risk-adjusted returns: Sharpe, Sortino and volatility
Over 5 years, AVUV had a Sharpe ratio of 0.43 against 0.58 for the S&P 500, so it earned less return per unit of risk than the index. Its annualized volatility was 21.5% and its beta 1.03: it tended to move about 1.0× as much as the market.
| Metric | AVUV | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual return | +11.3% | +12.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 21.5% | 15.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.43 | 0.58 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.72 | 0.91 |
| Max drawdown (month-end) | −21.1% | −23.9% |
| Beta to the S&P 500 | 1.03 | 1.00 |
Sharpe divides return above cash by total volatility; Sortino counts only downside volatility. Both use monthly returns and the 1–3 month T‑bill ETF (BIL) as the risk‑free rate.
How AVUV behaved in past crashes
AVUV’s deepest fall in the crises below was −22.9% in the 2025 tariff selloff, against −19.0% for the S&P 500. The last column turns that into money: what a $100,000 position would have lost from peak to trough.
| Crisis | AVUV | S&P 500 | Loss on $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 inflation bear market | −20.8% | −25.4% | −$20,770 |
| 2025 tariff selloff | −22.9% | −19.0% | −$22,860 |
| Window | AVUV max drawdown |
|---|---|
| Last 1 year | −8.2% |
| Last 3 years | −28.8% |
| Last 5 years | −28.8% |
| Last 10 years | −49.6% |
Peak‑to‑trough declines from daily prices inside each crisis window. A crash replay does not predict the next crisis; it shows how much room a holding needs. Run the same replay on a whole portfolio with the crash test.
What moves with AVUV, and what doesn’t
Correlation runs from −1 (moves opposite) to +1 (moves in lockstep). Over the last 60 months of monthly returns, AVUV’s correlation with the S&P 500 was 0.74, with the Nasdaq‑100 0.52, with long Treasuries (TLT) 0.43 and with gold (GLD) 0.06.
Adding a 5% AVUV position to an S&P 500 portfolio would have moved its 5‑year volatility from 15.5% to 15.5%.
| Least correlated large caps | Correlation | Most correlated large caps | Correlation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRWD | −0.07 | PNC | 0.83 |
| LLY | −0.07 | USB | 0.81 |
| CME | 0.06 | BAC | 0.78 |
| NOW | 0.06 | GS | 0.77 |
| PLTR | 0.07 | JPM | 0.74 |
Holdings that are highly correlated behave like one position in a selloff. See how to find hidden overlap.
What does AVUV hold?
As of Oct 20, 2026, AVUV held 783 positions; its 10 largest made up 8.2% of the fund. The largest was MATX (Matson, Inc.) at 1.08%.
| Holding | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| MATX | Matson, Inc. | 1.08% |
| ANF | Abercrombie & Fitch Co. | 0.95% |
| GATX | GATX Corporation | 0.87% |
| SM | SM Energy Company | 0.86% |
| M | Macy's, Inc. | 0.78% |
| MUR | Murphy Oil Corporation | 0.74% |
| LNTH | Lantheus Holdings, Inc. | 0.74% |
| LYFT | Lyft, Inc. | 0.73% |
| LEA | Lear Corporation | 0.73% |
| CAKE | The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated | 0.72% |
From the fund’s latest published holdings. Overlap by weight adds up, for every stock both funds hold, the smaller of its two weights: 100% would mean the same portfolio. How much do VOO, QQQ and VTI overlap?
The right benchmark for AVUV
Exent matches every holding to the index with the most similar risk. For AVUV that is SPY (the S&P 500). Comparing a holding with an index that carries very different risk makes good results look bad and risky ones look clever. Read why the S&P 500 is the wrong benchmark for most portfolios.
Other popular ETFs
| Ticker | Name | 5‑year return | Volatility (5y) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPCX | SPAC and New Issue ETF | +455.5% | 8.3% |
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares | +68.1% | 17.4% |
| VOO | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | +76.5% | 16.8% |
| IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | +76.5% | 16.9% |
| SPY | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | +75.9% | 17.0% |
| 1557.T | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | +78.6% | 20.7% |
| VXUS | Vanguard Total Intl Stock Idx Fund | +47.5% | 16.0% |
| QQQ | Invesco QQQ Trust | +84.3% | 22.3% |
Data and methodology
Returns are total returns from month‑end adjusted closing prices (dividends reinvested) through Oct 30, 2026. Crisis drawdowns and trailing maximum drawdowns use daily prices. Analyst coverage counts ratings published in the last 12 months, shown with a 30‑day delay. Full method: Exent methodology.
Holdings and weights are the fund’s latest published holdings; ETF overlap compares those holdings stock by stock.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. Historical figures are calculated by Exent from market data and are for education only; they are not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
See what AVUV does to your own portfolio
- Upload a screenshot of your holdings (or a CSV, Excel, PDF or Google Sheet); no brokerage login.
- Exent replays your whole portfolio, AVUV included, through the 2008, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2025 selloffs and shows which holdings drive the losses.
- It finds holdings that move together with AVUV and compares your portfolio with a risk‑matched benchmark, Sharpe and Sortino included.
- Use the what‑if simulator to change weights and see the effect before you trade.
Frequently asked questions
AVUV can be a core retirement holding. It is Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value: active small value with a profitability screen. About 800 small US companies at low valuations and higher profitability; a popular small-value tilt for long horizons. It is a poor fit if it would be more than a modest slice: a small-value fund as your main stock holding is a concentrated factor bet.
AVUV charges 0.25% a year. Lower-cost ETFs to compare: VBR at 0.05% (index small value); IJR at 0.06% (S&P 600 small blend). Expense ratios as of Oct 25, 2026 (issuer data where available, otherwise Exent market data); check that the exposure, not just the fee, matches what you want.
No. AVUV returned +70.9% (+11.3% a year) over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026, versus +75.9% (+12.0% a year) for the S&P 500, including dividends.
AVUV fell −20.8% from peak to trough during the 2022 inflation bear market, versus −25.4% for the S&P 500.
Over the 5 years to Oct 30, 2026, AVUV’s Sharpe ratio was 0.43 and its Sortino ratio 0.72, versus 0.58 and 0.91 for the S&P 500.
AVUV’s 5‑year annualized volatility was 22.0%, higher than the S&P 500’s 17.0%, with a beta of 1.03.
Among large US stocks, the lowest correlations with AVUV over the last 60 months were CRWD (−0.07), LLY (−0.07), CME (0.06). Its correlation with long Treasuries (TLT) was 0.43 and with gold (GLD) 0.06.
Sources
- Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV) fact sheet — Avantis, Oct 25, 2026
What would AVUV do to your portfolio?
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Educational content, not investment advice. Examples are illustrative; past performance does not guarantee future results.