# How Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/amd
> 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 AMD alone. It places AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, 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 AMD stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: AMD'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:** AMD has run far ahead of the market, rising 94.5% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its semiconductor peers split over the past 6 months: MU (Micron Technology) rose 99.9%, while AVGO (Broadcom) fell 16.0%.
- **Stock or market?:** AMD held up far better than its industry: it rose 6.2% over the past 3 months while the semiconductors ETF SMH (VanEck Semiconductor ETF) fell 2.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its semiconductor peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SWKS (Skyworks Solutions) rose 36.0%, while AVGO (Broadcom) fell 11.4%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, AMD rose 122% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (425% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** AMD turned $10,000 into $768,000 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. AMD's 10-year return of 7,583% puts it among the best of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, AMD has typically fallen 2.1 times as far as the S&P 500. The 2022 bear market took 60.1% off AMD, against 24.5% for the S&P 500, and more than semiconductor peers such as AVGO (Broadcom, 34.3%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, AMD has a correlation of 0.55 over 5 years, more closely than 83% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** DELL (Dell Technologies), AVGO (Broadcom) and NVDA (NVIDIA) earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. DELL returned 55.2% a year at 54.4% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** ASX (ASE Technology Holding, semiconductors) and ANET (Arista Networks, communications equipment) earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 66 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them NVDA (NVIDIA), AVGO (Broadcom) and LLY (Eli Lilly and Company).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in AMD at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $375,764 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of AMD, and AMZN finished highest, at $11,484,924.

## AMD 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.

- AMD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 96.6%, from June 2000 to July 2015. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, AMD's best was 2009, when it returned 348%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 71.2%. It lost money in 14 of those years.
- AMD is 17.7% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Semiconductors)
- Trading since: October 20, 1986
- Market value: $873B
- Volatility (5 years): 57.6%; Sharpe ratio: 0.82
- Worst decline ever: −96.6%, from June 21, 2000 to July 27, 2015; back at its high by January 2, 2020

| Period | AMD total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −13.1% |
| 3 months | +6.2% |
| 6 months | +94.5% |
| year to date | +139% |
| 1 year | +122% |
| 3 years | +425% |
| 5 years | +359% |
| 10 years | +7,583% |

## AMD against the whole market

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

### How does AMD rank among all stocks?

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

- AMD's 10-year return ranks in the top 1% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.
- AMD is among the more volatile stocks: its price swings rank in the bottom 24% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | AMD | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +122% | 117 of 3,287 (top 4%) |
| 3-year return | +425% | 132 of 3,017 (top 5%) |
| 5-year return | +359% | 123 of 2,893 (top 5%) |
| 10-year return | +7,583% | 2 of 2,202 (top 1%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 57.6% | 2,205 of 2,893 (top 77%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.82 | 264 of 2,893 (top 10%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −65.5% | 1,117 of 2,187 (top 52%) |

### What has beaten AMD 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).

- 66 stocks worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than AMD over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 2% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half AMD's swings, FIX has the best return for its risk: 77.0% a year at 46.7% volatility, 19% less than AMD's 57.6%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.46 against 0.82 for AMD. BELFB earned the most, 78.0% a year, while still swinging less than AMD (52.1% against 57.6%).
- Among AMD's popular alternatives, NVDA, AVGO and DELL are in the region. NVDA earned 58.0% a year against 35.7% a year for AMD, at 51.9% volatility, 10% less than AMD's 57.6%.

### Is there a better investment than AMD?

The table below lists investments that beat AMD 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 AMD's popular alternatives, DELL, AVGO and NVDA earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. DELL returned 55.2% a year at 54.4% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ASX (semiconductors) and ANET (communications equipment) earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 66 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them NVDA, AVGO and LLY.

The 15 strongest of 66 investments that beat AMD 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 AMD | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AMD: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (this page) |  | +35.7% | 57.6% | 0.82 | −65.5% | +7,583% |  |  |
| [ASX](https://easycompare.io/research/asx): ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. | Semiconductors | +48.8% | 43.0% | 1.15 | −52.5% | +967% | 0.73 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [DELL](https://easycompare.io/research/dell): Dell Technologies Inc. | Computer Hardware | +55.2% | 54.4% | 1.08 | −59.6% | +3,701% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [FIX](https://easycompare.io/research/fix): Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +77.0% | 46.7% | 1.46 | −49.7% | +5,305% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | 0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | -0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| INSW: International Seaways, Inc. | Oil & Gas | +56.5% | 40.5% | 1.31 | −57.4% | — | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [PWR](https://easycompare.io/research/pwr): Quanta Services, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +39.3% | 37.2% | 1.08 | −45.5% | +2,045% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [VST](https://easycompare.io/research/vst): Vistra Corp. | Independent Power Producers | +53.4% | 48.6% | 1.13 | −53.3% | +1,195% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| ESLT: Elbit Systems Ltd. | Aerospace & Defense | +39.8% | 34.6% | 1.15 | −35.4% | +765% | -0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| EME: EMCOR Group, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +43.0% | 35.3% | 1.20 | −48.0% | +1,202% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| COKE: Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. | Food & Beverages | +41.2% | 38.0% | 1.10 | −51.7% | +1,569% | 0.12 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [ANET](https://easycompare.io/research/anet): Arista Networks, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +49.0% | 49.0% | 1.06 | −52.2% | +3,439% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [AVGO](https://easycompare.io/research/avgo): Broadcom Inc. | Semiconductors | +48.3% | 44.5% | 1.11 | −48.3% | +2,380% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [STX](https://easycompare.io/research/stx): Seagate Technology Holdings plc | Computer Hardware | +57.4% | 48.7% | 1.18 | −57.0% | +2,698% | 0.64 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |

## AMD against its popular alternatives

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

### How do AMD'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.

- Four of the 19 popular alternatives, led by MU, NVDA and DELL, were both more rewarding and calmer than AMD over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, AMD returned 35.7% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (57.6% against 17.1%).

### Has AMD consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Two of the 21 popular alternatives, DELL and MU, outperformed AMD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- MU, AVGO and DELL earned more for the risk they took than AMD (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 AMD | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AMD: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (this page) | +122% | +425% | +359% | +7,583% |  |  | 0.82 |
| [DELL](https://easycompare.io/research/dell): Dell Technologies Inc. | +217% | +636% | +800% | +3,701% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.08 |
| [MU](https://easycompare.io/research/mu): Micron Technology, Inc. | +334% | +1,246% | +1,244% | +5,243% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.20 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | +18.8% | +425% | +884% | +13,019% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.14 |
| [AVGO](https://easycompare.io/research/avgo): Broadcom Inc. | −3.5% | +305% | +617% | +2,380% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 1.11 |
| [MRVL](https://easycompare.io/research/mrvl): Marvell Technology, Inc. | +181% | +390% | +264% | +1,874% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| [ADI](https://easycompare.io/research/adi): Analog Devices, Inc. | +63.3% | +150% | +144% | +652% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| SWKS: Skyworks Solutions, Inc. | +10.2% | −2.8% | −43.5% | +29.2% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.05 |
| [MPWR](https://easycompare.io/research/mpwr): Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. | +21.9% | +204% | +159% | +1,659% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.62 |
| [ASML](https://easycompare.io/research/asml): ASML Holding N.V. | +57.5% | +188% | +123% | +1,628% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.59 |
| LSCC: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation | +52.8% | +46.9% | +58.3% | +1,555% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | +44.3% | +382% | +293% | +1,505% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.91 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.42 |
| ON: ON Semiconductor Corporation | +37.8% | −10.9% | +66.0% | +540% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [TXN](https://easycompare.io/research/txn): Texas Instruments Incorporated | +58.7% | +105% | +60.5% | +424% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| [QCOM](https://easycompare.io/research/qcom): QUALCOMM Incorporated | +7.4% | +72.4% | +48.3% | +239% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| [INTC](https://easycompare.io/research/intc): Intel Corp. | +141% | +167% | +79.8% | +219% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [MCHP](https://easycompare.io/research/mchp): Microchip Technology Incorporated | +16.0% | +8.5% | +13.0% | +207% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| [NXPI](https://easycompare.io/research/nxpi): NXP Semiconductors N.V. | +10.0% | +34.9% | +31.9% | +159% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [ALAB](https://easycompare.io/research/alab): Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock | +82.2% | — | — | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| [ARM](https://easycompare.io/research/arm): Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares | +28.9% | +362% | — | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |

### How did AMD do year by year?

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

- AMD finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, MRVL came out ahead of AMD most often, in 15 of the 25 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, AMD finished in the top quarter in 11 of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in 13. In 2025, it ranked 3 of 22.

| Year | AMD | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +77.3% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −18.1% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +128% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −55.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +56.9% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +100.0% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +148% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +79.6% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | −9.3% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +295% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How AMD 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 AMD's worst declines?

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

- In all four of AMD's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: AMD fell 96.6% from June 2000 to July 2015, while the S&P 500 rose 85.2%.
- The slowest recovery came after AMD fell 96.6% from June 2000 to July 2015; it did not regain that peak until January 2020, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −96.6% | June 21, 2000 | July 27, 2015 | January 2, 2020 | +85.2% | dot-com bust |
| −84.8% | October 2, 1987 | October 17, 1990 | April 7, 1993 | — |  |
| −73.0% | June 23, 1995 | July 25, 1996 | March 7, 1997 | +17.6% |  |
| −72.6% | March 13, 1997 | August 31, 1998 | March 6, 2000 | +23.7% |  |
| −65.5% | November 29, 2021 | October 14, 2022 | January 18, 2024 | −21.9% | 2022 bear market |

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

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

- AMD fell further than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when AMD fell 93.3% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, MSFT held up best, falling less than AMD in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | AMD fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −93.3% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −87.6% | −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 | −41.5% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −40.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.9% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −48.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −34.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −60.1% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.9% | −3.4% |

### How closely does AMD 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.

- Over the past 10 years, AMD captured 254% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 179% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 2.25. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- MU took just 114% of the S&P 500's losses, against 179% for AMD, while still keeping 204% of its gains.
- Eight of the 19 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than AMD's 1.42, led by DELL, AVGO and TSM.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AMD: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (this page) | 254% | 179% | 2.25 |
| [DELL](https://easycompare.io/research/dell): Dell Technologies Inc. | 154% | 43.0% | 1.13 |
| [MU](https://easycompare.io/research/mu): Micron Technology, Inc. | 204% | 114% | 1.75 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | 248% | 140% | 1.83 |
| [AVGO](https://easycompare.io/research/avgo): Broadcom Inc. | 158% | 86.0% | 1.19 |
| [MRVL](https://easycompare.io/research/mrvl): Marvell Technology, Inc. | 167% | 116% | 1.68 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | 127% | 91.0% | 0.96 |
| [ADI](https://easycompare.io/research/adi): Analog Devices, Inc. | 117% | 92.0% | 1.20 |
| SWKS: Skyworks Solutions, Inc. | 88.0% | 149% | 1.31 |
| [MPWR](https://easycompare.io/research/mpwr): Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. | 156% | 107% | 1.31 |
| [ASML](https://easycompare.io/research/asml): ASML Holding N.V. | 170% | 132% | 1.44 |
| LSCC: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation | 156% | 102% | 1.45 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | 138% | 75.0% | 1.15 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| ON: ON Semiconductor Corporation | 161% | 185% | 1.95 |
| [TXN](https://easycompare.io/research/txn): Texas Instruments Incorporated | 113% | 108% | 1.18 |
| [QCOM](https://easycompare.io/research/qcom): QUALCOMM Incorporated | 115% | 139% | 1.51 |
| [INTC](https://easycompare.io/research/intc): Intel Corp. | 98.0% | 100% | 1.43 |
| [MCHP](https://easycompare.io/research/mchp): Microchip Technology Incorporated | 127% | 170% | 1.72 |
| [NXPI](https://easycompare.io/research/nxpi): NXP Semiconductors N.V. | 115% | 157% | 1.63 |

### What diversifies AMD?

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 AMD into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 21% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+42.8% for AMD alone, +46.8% for the mix).
- MCK made money in ten of the 14 calendar years in which AMD lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and PJUL have moved largely independently of AMD over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.45 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with AMD | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in AMD's 14 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.05 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 14 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.22 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 14 |
| PJUL: Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF | 0.45 | +64.4% | 8.6% | 1.20 | 1 of 14 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.03 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 4 of 14 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.00 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 5 of 14 |
| FTLS: First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | 0.46 | +62.9% | 10.4% | 0.99 | 2 of 14 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.37 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 4 of 14 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | -0.09 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 8 of 14 |

## Common questions

### What was AMD's worst drawdown?

AMD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 96.6%, from June 2000 to July 2015. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, AMD's best year was 2009, when it returned 348%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -71.2%.

### Is there a better investment than AMD?

Among AMD's popular alternatives, DELL, AVGO and NVDA earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. DELL returned 55.2% a year at 54.4% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ASX (semiconductors) and ANET (communications equipment) earned more than AMD with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 35.7% a year at 57.6%.

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

Yes. AMD's volatility over the past 5 years was 57.6%, 3.4 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, AMD's return lands within 57.6% 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 AMD's Sharpe ratio?

AMD's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.82, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so AMD earned more 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 AMD with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, AMD's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.55 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against AMD instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a AMD holding.

### What are the best alternatives to AMD?

Of the 21 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed AMD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: DELL and MU.

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

AMD finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +77.3%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

AMD 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 dot-com bust, when AMD fell 93.3% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies AMD?

These had a low correlation with AMD over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.05), DXJ (correlation 0.22) and PJUL (correlation 0.45); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.06), CLS (correlation 0.43) and FIX (correlation 0.43). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Dell Technologies (DELL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/dell)
- [Micron Technology (MU) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mu)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Broadcom (AVGO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/avgo)
- [Marvell Technology (MRVL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mrvl)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Analog Devices (ADI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/adi)
- [Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mpwr)
- [ASML Holding (ASML) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/asml)
- [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Texas Instruments (TXN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/txn)

## Explore further

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