# How American International Group (AIG) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/aig
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on AIG alone. It places AIG (American International Group, Inc.) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where AIG stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: AIG's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** The slide is AIG's own: it is 92.0% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500. Its property & casualty insurance peers split over the past 6 months: TRV (Travelers Companies) rose 32.6%, while HIG (Hartford Insurance Group) fell 0.9%.
- **Stock or market?:** AIG rose 3.3% over the past 3 months, 4.5 points ahead of the property & casualty insurance ETF KIE (State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF), which fell 1.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Last month cut against the tape: AIG rose 9.8% while the S&P 500 fell 0.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, AIG rose 8.0% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (47.1% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** AIG turned $10,000 into $17,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, AIG has typically fallen 1.5 times as far as the S&P 500. In the Covid crash, AIG fell 61.8%, against 33.7% for the S&P 500, and more than property & casualty insurance peers such as CB (Chubb, 42.2%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, AIG has a correlation of 0.35 over 5 years, less closely than 60% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge. Over 10 years, AIG's beta versus the S&P 500 was 0.91: 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 93% of its losses in falling ones.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway, insurance) and MFC (Manulife Financial, life insurance) earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years. BRK-B returned 13.4% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 9.0% a year at 25.9%.
  - **Whole market:** 392 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway).

## How much would $10,000 in AIG have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in AIG over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of AIG over the same span and AIG's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in AIG at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $2,068 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- All eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of AIG, and PGR finished highest, at $454,424.

## AIG at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- AIG is still 92.0% below its all-time high.
- AIG's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 99.6%, from December 2000 to March 2009. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.
- Over 29 full calendar years, AIG's best was 2010, when it returned 92.2%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 97.2%. It lost money in ten of those years.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Insurance - Diversified)
- Trading since: October 20, 1986
- Market value: $43B
- Volatility (5 years): 25.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.47
- Worst decline ever: −99.6%, from December 8, 2000 to March 5, 2009; not yet back at its high

| Period | AIG total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +9.8% |
| 3 months | +3.3% |
| 6 months | +5.6% |
| year to date | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +8.0% |
| 3 years | +47.1% |
| 5 years | +54.1% |
| 10 years | +75.5% |

## AIG against the whole market

Where AIG ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does AIG rank among all stocks?

This section ranks AIG on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- AIG is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 14% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | AIG | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +8.0% | 1,662 of 3,287 (top 51%) |
| 3-year return | +47.1% | 1,594 of 3,017 (top 53%) |
| 5-year return | +54.1% | 1,060 of 2,893 (top 37%) |
| 10-year return | +75.5% | 1,446 of 2,202 (top 66%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 25.9% | 405 of 2,893 (top 14%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.47 | 1,029 of 2,893 (top 36%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −69.6% | 1,275 of 2,187 (top 59%) |

### What has beaten AIG on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 86 stocks and 306 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than AIG over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 11% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half AIG's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 27% less than AIG's 25.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.47 for AIG.
- Among AIG's popular alternatives, TRV, ACGL and WRB are in the region. TRV earned 22.4% a year against 9.0% a year for AIG, at 22.3% volatility, 14% less than AIG's 25.9%.

### Is there a better investment than AIG?

The table below lists investments that beat AIG over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among AIG's popular alternatives, TRV, CB and THG earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years. TRV returned 22.4% a year at 22.3% volatility, against 9.0% a year at 25.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, BRK-B (insurance) and MFC (life insurance) earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years. BRK-B returned 13.4% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 9.0% a year at 25.9%.
- Across the whole market, 392 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 392 investments that beat AIG over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with AIG | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AIG: American International Group, Inc. (this page) |  | +9.0% | 25.9% | 0.47 | −69.6% | +75.5% |  |  |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.56 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +12.1% | 13.7% | 0.90 | −36.8% | +235% | 0.58 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SPYM](https://easycompare.io/research/spym): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −33.9% | +324% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VIG](https://easycompare.io/research/vig): Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF | US Dividend Equity | +10.4% | 14.1% | 0.78 | −31.7% | +258% | 0.48 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CTAS](https://easycompare.io/research/ctas): Cintas Corporation | Business Services | +16.5% | 23.1% | 0.78 | −48.4% | +808% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | US Dividend Equity | +12.9% | 13.0% | 1.00 | −37.0% | +172% | 0.54 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| DGX: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Medical Diagnostics | +12.3% | 22.5% | 0.63 | −36.6% | +243% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| RWL: Invesco S&P 500 Revenue ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +13.7% | 14.4% | 0.97 | −36.1% | +287% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| IOO: iShares Global 100 ETF | Global Equity | +15.7% | 17.2% | 0.94 | −31.4% | +361% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## AIG against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against AIG, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do AIG's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- 16 of the 23 popular alternatives, led by TRV, PGR and ACGL, were both more rewarding and calmer than AIG over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, AIG returned 9.0% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (25.9% against 17.1%).

### Has AIG consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares AIG with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Nine of the 24 popular alternatives, led by TRV, AFG and THG, outperformed AIG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- TRV, AFG and THG outperformed AIG in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- TRV, PGR and WRB earned more for the risk they took than AIG (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of AIG | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AIG: American International Group, Inc. (this page) | +8.0% | +47.1% | +54.1% | +75.5% |  |  | 0.47 |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | +51.5% | +158% | +174% | +347% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.02 |
| AFG: American Financial Group, Inc. | +20.4% | +66.9% | +59.7% | +321% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.53 |
| THG: The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. | +37.7% | +115% | +95.9% | +291% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.70 |
| [MET](https://easycompare.io/research/met): MetLife, Inc. | +32.2% | +84.0% | +76.5% | +240% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.58 |
| RNR: RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. | +43.3% | +66.5% | +149% | +215% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.80 |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | +7.7% | +56.8% | +162% | +816% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.89 |
| [ALL](https://easycompare.io/research/all): The Allstate Corporation | +31.5% | +116% | +119% | +356% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.73 |
| [CB](https://easycompare.io/research/cb): Chubb Limited | +35.0% | +78.9% | +107% | +248% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.82 |
| EG: Everest Group, Ltd. | +14.8% | +6.0% | +57.0% | +155% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.48 |
| WRB: W. R. Berkley Corporation | +2.3% | +87.3% | +138% | +443% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| HIG: The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. | +12.1% | +105% | +106% | +294% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.77 |
| CINF: Cincinnati Financial Corporation | +13.6% | +87.6% | +62.7% | +203% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| WTM: White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. | +14.6% | +51.0% | +104% | +169% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.73 |
| AXS: AXIS Capital Holdings Limited | +11.1% | +90.4% | +116% | +137% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| ORI: Old Republic International Corporation | +3.6% | +81.5% | +119% | +349% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.82 |
| [AJG](https://easycompare.io/research/ajg): Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | −6.1% | +17.3% | +68.0% | +516% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| ACGL: Arch Capital Group Ltd. | +16.5% | +28.7% | +150% | +309% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| CNA: CNA Financial Corporation | +15.2% | +56.4% | +55.2% | +183% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.52 |
| CRBG: Corebridge Financial, Inc. | +13.8% | +98.8% | — | — | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| RLI: RLI Corp. | +14.2% | +8.4% | +47.7% | +206% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| SIGI: Selective Insurance Group, Inc. | +9.1% | −9.1% | +24.1% | +160% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| BRO: Brown & Brown, Inc. | −18.2% | +7.9% | +13.8% | +317% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| [AON](https://easycompare.io/research/aon): Aon plc | −13.0% | −3.1% | −1.6% | +195% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| MKL: Markel Corporation | −1.2% | +29.8% | +42.3% | +110% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.43 |

### How did AIG do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where AIG ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, AIG finished in the top quarter in five of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in 13. In 2025, it ranked 8 of 25.
- AIG finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, PGR came out ahead of AIG most often, in 20 of the 29 years both traded.

| Year | AIG | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +20.0% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +9.8% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +9.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +13.8% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +53.9% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −23.1% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +33.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −32.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | −6.9% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +7.8% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How AIG has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were AIG's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all three of AIG's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 12 months, after AIG fell 39.1% from August 1987 to April 1988.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −99.6% | December 8, 2000 | March 5, 2009 | not yet | −40.7% | dot-com bust |
| −39.1% | August 26, 1987 | April 22, 1988 | April 18, 1989 | — |  |
| −34.7% | July 27, 1998 | October 8, 1998 | January 7, 1999 | −15.7% |  |
| −33.9% | December 4, 1989 | October 11, 1990 | February 11, 1991 | — |  |
| −28.6% | January 14, 2000 | March 7, 2000 | April 3, 2000 | −6.8% |  |

### How did AIG do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far AIG, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- AIG fell further than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when AIG fell 99.5% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, AFG held up best, falling less than AIG in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | AIG fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −50.5% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −99.5% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | 0.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −30.6% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −21.1% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −7.6% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −32.5% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −61.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −25.5% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −12.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does AIG move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- 22 of the 22 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than AIG's 0.68, led by WRB, RNR and AJG.
- PGR took just -5% of the S&P 500's losses, against 93% for AIG, while still keeping 72% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, AIG captured 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 93% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.91. Its share of the market's losses was larger than its share of the gains.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AIG: American International Group, Inc. (this page) | 64.0% | 93.0% | 0.91 |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | 70.0% | 48.0% | 0.59 |
| AFG: American Financial Group, Inc. | 84.0% | 75.0% | 0.78 |
| THG: The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. | 64.0% | 37.0% | 0.60 |
| [MET](https://easycompare.io/research/met): MetLife, Inc. | 91.0% | 97.0% | 1.03 |
| RNR: RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. | 46.0% | 20.0% | 0.31 |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | 72.0% | −5.0% | 0.36 |
| [ALL](https://easycompare.io/research/all): The Allstate Corporation | 68.0% | 41.0% | 0.49 |
| [CB](https://easycompare.io/research/cb): Chubb Limited | 63.0% | 48.0% | 0.54 |
| EG: Everest Group, Ltd. | 46.0% | 32.0% | 0.46 |
| WRB: W. R. Berkley Corporation | 68.0% | 26.0% | 0.55 |
| HIG: The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. | 83.0% | 77.0% | 0.78 |
| CINF: Cincinnati Financial Corporation | 66.0% | 63.0% | 0.60 |
| WTM: White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. | 48.0% | 36.0% | 0.39 |
| AXS: AXIS Capital Holdings Limited | 55.0% | 53.0% | 0.67 |
| ORI: Old Republic International Corporation | 82.0% | 61.0% | 0.70 |
| [AJG](https://easycompare.io/research/ajg): Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | 80.0% | 46.0% | 0.61 |
| ACGL: Arch Capital Group Ltd. | 74.0% | 57.0% | 0.57 |
| CNA: CNA Financial Corporation | 57.0% | 45.0% | 0.54 |
| RLI: RLI Corp. | 57.0% | 54.0% | 0.39 |
| SIGI: Selective Insurance Group, Inc. | 56.0% | 51.0% | 0.56 |
| BRO: Brown & Brown, Inc. | 78.0% | 69.0% | 0.66 |
| [AON](https://easycompare.io/research/aon): Aon plc | 79.0% | 89.0% | 0.78 |
| MKL: Markel Corporation | 65.0% | 88.0% | 0.68 |

### What diversifies AIG?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in AIG into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+8.7% for AIG alone, +11.3% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and SMH have moved largely independently of AIG over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.44 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- FIX made money in seven of the ten calendar years in which AIG lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with AIG | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in AIG's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.34 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 10 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.44 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.06 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 10 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.48 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.05 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 6 of 10 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.30 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 10 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.45 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 4 of 10 |
| VLUE: iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | 0.39 | +109% | 18.4% | 0.90 | 1 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was AIG's worst drawdown?

AIG's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 99.6%, from December 2000 to March 2009. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.

### What were AIG's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, AIG's best year was 2010, when it returned 92.2%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -97.2%.

### Is there a better investment than AIG?

Among AIG's popular alternatives, TRV, CB and THG earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years. TRV returned 22.4% a year at 22.3% volatility, against 9.0% a year at 25.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, BRK-B (insurance) and MFC (life insurance) earned more than AIG with less volatility over the past 5 years. BRK-B returned 13.4% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 9.0% a year at 25.9%.

### Is AIG more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. AIG's volatility over the past 5 years was 25.9%, 1.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, AIG's return lands within 25.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is AIG's Sharpe ratio?

AIG's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.47, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so AIG earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is AIG with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, AIG's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.35 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against AIG instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a AIG holding.

### What are the best alternatives to AIG?

Of the 24 popular alternatives we compared, nine outperformed AIG in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: TRV, AFG and THG.

### Did AIG outperform the S&P 500?

AIG finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +20.0%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did AIG do in stock market crashes?

AIG fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in nine. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when AIG fell 99.5% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies AIG?

These had a low correlation with AIG over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.34), EMLP (correlation 0.44) and SMH (correlation 0.06); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.33), CLS (correlation 0.12) and FIX (correlation 0.05). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Travelers Companies (TRV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/trv)
- [MetLife (MET) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/met)
- [Progressive (PGR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr)
- [Allstate (ALL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/all)
- [Chubb (CB) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cb)
- [Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ajg)
- [AON Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aon)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/aig
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against AIG live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=AIG&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research