FlexShares Emerging Markets Quality Low… (QLVE) Performance
QLVE total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +11.7% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +12.1% total return
- 5 years
- +6.9% a year
- Since first price
- +6.3% a year since 2019
QLVE trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | QLVE total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −5.4% | −5.4% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | −0.9% | −1.9% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +3.3% | +1.6% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +11.7% | +9.9% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +12.1% | +8.5% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +63.4%+17.8%/yr | +50.2% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +39.3%+6.9%/yr | +20.5% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJul 16, 2019 | +56.1%+6.3%/yr | +28.8% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: QLVE vs SPY
From Jul 16, 2019: QLVE grew to $15,612, SPY to $28,154.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
QLVE returns by calendar year
5 of 6 full years positive. Best 2025 (+21.9%), worst 2022 (−13.1%). 2026 is year to date.
QLVE annual returns table
| Year | QLVE | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +11.7% | −11.6% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +21.9% | −9.4% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +10.2% | −8.4% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +8.5% | −8.7% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −13.1% | −23.6% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +0.9% | −9.4% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +4.2% | −30.0% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
QLVE largest drawdowns
Now 6.9% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13, 2020 | −30.0% | Mar 23, 2020 | Nov 27, 2020 | 2 months | 10 months |
| Feb 17, 2021 | −25.8% | Oct 24, 2022 | Sep 19, 2024 | 1.7 years | 3.6 years |
| Sep 26, 2024 | −13.3% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jun 9, 2025 | 6 months | 8 months |
| Feb 25, 2026 | −11.6% | Mar 30, 2026 | May 5, 2026 | 33 days | 2 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
QLVE risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +18.5% | +8.2% | +7.3% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 10.6% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.25 | 0.42 | 0.40 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.27 | 0.65 | 0.58 |
| Best month | +8.9% | +10.5% | +10.5% |
| Worst month | −7.5% | −8.8% | −13.9% |
| Best 12 months | +32.8% | +32.8% | +37.5% |
| Worst 12 months | +8.3% | −20.5% | −20.5% |
| Positive months | 67% | 57% | 62% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.57 | 0.52 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.67 | 0.66 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
QLVE rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 76 | −20.5% | +9.8% | +37.5% | 76% |
| 3-year (a year) | 52 | −4.2% | +2.3% | +18.5% | 71% |
| 5-year (a year) | 28 | +1.8% | +6.0% | +8.2% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2019. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
QLVE performance overview
FlexShares Emerging Markets Quality Low… (QLVE) returned +12.1% over the past year and +6.9% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2019 it has returned +6.3% a year, turning $10,000 into about $15,612. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −30.0%, from Jan 13, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 8 months to get back to the old high. QLVE finished 5 of its 6 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2025 (+21.9%) and the worst 2022 (−13.1%). Volatility has been 13.2% a year.
Related: QLVE chart, QLVE holdings, QLVE dividends. See the QLVE overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
QLVE performance FAQ
What is the QLVE return over the past year?
QLVE returned +12.1% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 8.5%.
What is the average annual return of QLVE?
QLVE has returned +6.9% a year over 5 years, +6.3% a year since July 16, 2019 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in QLVE be worth?
$10,000 invested in QLVE at its first recorded close on July 16, 2019 would be worth about $15,612 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for QLVE?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −13.1%. The best was 2025 at +21.9%.
What is the biggest drawdown of QLVE?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −30.0% between January 13, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on November 27, 2020, 8 months after the bottom.
How volatile is QLVE?
Over the past 3 years QLVE had an annualized volatility of 10.6% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.25 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).