Which Asset Class Had the Best Performance During the 2008 Financial Crisis?

In this article, I want to explore which asset, ETFs, MFs, Stocks, did best during the 2008 financial crisis. I will compare the investment results against the result of SPY, since it represents the overall market. The scenario is investing right at the highest point of S&P 500 index right before it crashed during the crisis. The date is Oct 9, 2007 when the index reached 1,565.15.

I will compare the returns of each asset against SPY in the following order:

1. Investing until the bottom of the crisis at 676.53 on Mar 09, 2009 in order to simulate downside risk.
2. Investing until the S&P 500 index closed above the previous high at 1,568.61 on Apr 09, 2013 in order to simulate recover ability.
3. Investing until the bottom of the Covid crisis at 2,304.92 on Mar 20, 2020 in order to simulate a series of market crashes.

Performance By Ranks

Oct 9, 2007 to Mar 09, 2009

1. SHY return is 8.848%
2. AGG return is 7.390%
3. LQD return is -6.793%
4. HYG return is -32.864%
5. FKINX return is -44.255%
6. IWF return is -51.006%
7. SPY return is -55.201%

Oct 9, 2007 to Apr 09, 2013

1. LQD return is 50.084%
2. HYG return is 42.068%
3. AGG return is 36.809%
4. FKINX return is 24.798%
5. IWF return is 21.978%
6. SHY return is 14.425%
7. SPY return is 12.755%

Oct 9, 2007 to Mar 20, 2020

1. IWF return is 150.881%
2. SPY return is 89.275%
3. LQD return is 67.536%
4. AGG return is 61.141%
5. HYG return is 52.196%
6. FKINX return is 37.036%
7. SHY return is 25.593%

FKINX VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and FKINX return is -44.255%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and FKINX return is 24.798%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and FKINX return is 37.036%.

LQD VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and LQD return is -6.793%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and LQD return is 50.084%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and LQD return is 67.536%.

HYG VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and HYG return is -32.864%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and HYG return is 42.068%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and HYG return is 52.196%.

AGG VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and AGG return is 7.390%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and AGG return is 36.809%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and AGG return is 61.141%.

SHY VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and SHY return is 8.848%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and SHY return is 14.425%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and SHY return is 25.593%.

IWF VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and IWF return is -51.006%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and IWF return is 21.978%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and IWF return is 150.881%.

VTV VS. SPY

1. SPY return is -55.201% and VTV return is -59.154%.
2. SPY return is 12.755% and VTV return is 5.170%.
3. SPY return is 89.275% and VTV return is 51.767%.