# How Barclays (BCS) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/bcs
> 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 BCS alone. It places BCS (Barclays PLC) 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 BCS stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: BCS'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:** Over the past 3 months, BCS fell 17.1% while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. The slide is BCS's own: it is 29.3% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is BCS's own: it fell 17.1% over the past 3 months while the banks ETF KBE (State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF) fell 6.8%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** BCS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025. BCS lagged its bank peers in 2023, then moved up the pack in 2025.
- **Long term:** BCS turned $10,000 into $33,800 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. On the flip side, the past 5 years have been the better stretch: BCS rose 134% against 81.7% for the S&P 500, after trailing over the decade.
- **In a crash:** BCS has tended to fall harder than the S&P 500 in crashes, about about twice the index's decline. In the 2022 bear market, BCS fell harder than most of its bank peers, including JPM (JPMorgan Chase & Co.), BAC and HSBC.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, BCS has a correlation of 0.51 over 5 years, more closely than 75% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge. Over 10 years, BCS's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.26: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.1 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.3 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** UBS (UBS Group), HSBC and GS (Goldman Sachs Group) earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UBS returned 25.4% a year at 30.4% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MFG (Mizuho Financial Group, banks) and BNY (Bank of New York Mellon, banks) earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MFG returned 33.6% a year at 30.6% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%.
  - **Whole market:** 113 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT (Walmart), XOM (Exxonmobil) and ABBV (AbbVie).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in BCS at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $24,345 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 BCS, and RY finished highest, at $442,765.

## BCS 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.

- BCS is still 29.3% below its all-time high.
- BCS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 94.4%, from February 2007 to January 2009. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.
- Over 29 full calendar years, BCS's best was 2025, when it returned 96.5%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 73.6%. It lost money in 13 of those years.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Banks - Diversified)
- Trading since: October 20, 1986
- Market value: $75B
- Volatility (5 years): 34.1%; Sharpe ratio: 0.67
- Worst decline ever: −94.4%, from February 23, 2007 to January 23, 2009; not yet back at its high

| Period | BCS total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −11.7% |
| 3 months | −17.1% |
| 6 months | −6.2% |
| year to date | −13.3% |
| 1 year | +15.1% |
| 3 years | +242% |
| 5 years | +134% |
| 10 years | +238% |

## BCS against the whole market

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

### How does BCS rank among all stocks?

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

- BCS's 3-year return ranks in the top 10% of the 3,017 stocks worth at least $300 million with 3 years of history.

| Measure | BCS | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +15.1% | 1,399 of 3,287 (top 43%) |
| 3-year return | +242% | 308 of 3,017 (top 11%) |
| 5-year return | +134% | 511 of 2,893 (top 18%) |
| 10-year return | +238% | 749 of 2,202 (top 35%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 34.1% | 1,081 of 2,893 (top 38%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.67 | 521 of 2,893 (top 19%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −66.0% | 1,143 of 2,187 (top 53%) |

### What has beaten BCS 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).

- 95 stocks and 18 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than BCS over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 3% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half BCS's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 28% less than BCS's 34.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.67 for BCS.
- Among BCS's popular alternatives, HSBC, UBS and ING are in the region. HSBC earned 33.1% a year against 18.5% a year for BCS, at 25.9% volatility, 24% less than BCS's 34.1%.

### Is there a better investment than BCS?

The table below lists investments that beat BCS 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 BCS's popular alternatives, UBS, HSBC and GS earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UBS returned 25.4% a year at 30.4% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MFG (banks) and BNY (banks) earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MFG returned 33.6% a year at 30.6% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%.
- Across the whole market, 113 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT, XOM and ABBV.

The 15 strongest of 113 investments that beat BCS 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 BCS | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BCS: Barclays PLC (this page) |  | +18.5% | 34.1% | 0.67 | −66.0% | +238% |  |  |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | Electronic Components | +33.8% | 32.2% | 1.07 | −37.5% | +965% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | +19.6% | 24.9% | 0.85 | −24.9% | +266% | 0.18 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VRTX](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx): Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | Biotechnology | +22.6% | 29.1% | 0.85 | −41.6% | +521% | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +22.4% | 22.3% | 1.02 | −46.3% | +347% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TT](https://easycompare.io/research/tt): Trane Technologies plc | Building Products | +22.7% | 27.7% | 0.88 | −40.5% | +955% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CMI](https://easycompare.io/research/cmi): Cummins Inc. | Industrial Machinery | +19.9% | 29.0% | 0.77 | −44.0% | +444% | 0.58 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CCEP](https://easycompare.io/research/ccep): Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC | Food & Beverages | +19.7% | 23.2% | 0.90 | −48.8% | +292% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| ACGL: Arch Capital Group Ltd. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +20.1% | 24.5% | 0.87 | −53.8% | +309% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| IRM: Iron Mountain Incorporated | Specialty REITs | +24.6% | 30.3% | 0.88 | −39.0% | +470% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| RS: Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. | Metals & Mining | +24.8% | 28.1% | 0.93 | −40.8% | +626% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mfg): Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. | Banks | +33.6% | 30.6% | 1.10 | −45.7% | +345% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | International Equity | +20.4% | 24.2% | 0.89 | −38.9% | +468% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## BCS against its popular alternatives

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

### How do BCS'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.

- Eight of the 20 popular alternatives, led by BBVA, HSBC and SAN, were both more rewarding and calmer than BCS over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, BCS returned 18.5% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (34.1% against 17.1%).

### Has BCS consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Seven of the 20 popular alternatives, led by BBVA, CM and SAN, outperformed BCS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- BBVA, CM and SAN outperformed BCS in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- HSBC, RY and CM earned more for the risk they took than BCS (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 BCS | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BCS: Barclays PLC (this page) | +15.1% | +242% | +134% | +238% |  |  | 0.67 |
| [BBVA](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva): Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | +35.2% | +281% | +413% | +542% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.16 |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | +44.4% | +261% | +141% | +395% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.93 |
| [SAN](https://easycompare.io/research/san): Banco Santander, S.A. | +35.9% | +305% | +295% | +332% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.99 |
| [GS](https://easycompare.io/research/gs): The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | +18.2% | +215% | +145% | +521% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.77 |
| [UBS](https://easycompare.io/research/ubs): UBS Group AG | +26.3% | +116% | +210% | +374% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.90 |
| [ING](https://easycompare.io/research/ing): ING Groep N.V. | +42.5% | +209% | +201% | +339% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.87 |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | +47.7% | +201% | +318% | +319% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.24 |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | +39.2% | +173% | +122% | +352% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.97 |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | +57.5% | +141% | +109% | +310% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.84 |
| [BMO](https://easycompare.io/research/bmo): Bank of Montreal | +37.6% | +146% | +89.4% | +295% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [LYG](https://easycompare.io/research/lyg): Lloyds Banking Group plc | +22.4% | +207% | +152% | +213% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | +13.0% | +150% | +122% | +537% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.78 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | −0.6% | +96.3% | +41.1% | +313% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.39 |
| [MS](https://easycompare.io/research/ms): Morgan Stanley | +13.9% | +170% | +110% | +627% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.66 |
| [AXP](https://easycompare.io/research/axp): American Express Company | −7.9% | +133% | +88.5% | +446% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.58 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | −0.6% | +107% | +21.6% | +282% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| [DB](https://easycompare.io/research/db): Deutsche Bank AG | −3.1% | +244% | +171% | +165% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [BNS](https://easycompare.io/research/bns): The Bank of Nova Scotia | +50.0% | +162% | +83.1% | +187% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [C](https://easycompare.io/research/c): Citigroup Inc. | +26.0% | +238% | +102% | +234% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| [WFC](https://easycompare.io/research/wfc): Wells Fargo & Company | −2.4% | +119% | +85.0% | +141% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |

### How did BCS do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, BCS finished in the top quarter in six of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in nine. In 2025, it ranked 5 of 21.
- BCS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years, and ahead of it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, BNS came out ahead of BCS most often, in 17 of the 26 years both traded.

| Year | BCS | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +96.5% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +76.2% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +6.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −21.9% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +31.6% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −12.8% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +31.9% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −29.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +0.5% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −12.8% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How BCS 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 BCS's worst declines?

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

- In all four of BCS's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: BCS fell 53.0% from February to October 1998, while the S&P 500 slipped only 0.9%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 16 months, after BCS fell 38.1% from March 1991 to April 1992.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −94.4% | February 23, 2007 | January 23, 2009 | not yet | −40.4% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −53.0% | February 4, 1998 | October 5, 1998 | April 14, 1999 | −0.9% |  |
| −40.9% | May 17, 2002 | March 12, 2003 | October 10, 2003 | −26.0% | dot-com bust |
| −38.1% | March 14, 1991 | April 2, 1992 | August 26, 1993 | — |  |
| −34.1% | April 25, 2001 | September 21, 2001 | January 4, 2002 | −20.5% | dot-com bust |

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

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

- BCS fell further than the S&P 500 in eight of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when BCS fell 93.9% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, RY held up best, falling less than BCS in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | BCS fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −38.4% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −93.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −4.8% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −44.9% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −50.6% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −4.1% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −22.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −57.1% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −48.1% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −10.2% | −3.4% |

### How closely does BCS 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.

- 14 of the 20 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than BCS's 0.86, led by HSBC, BBVA and JPM.
- RY took just 88% of the S&P 500's losses, against 131% for BCS, while still keeping 97% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, BCS captured 113% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 131% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.26. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BCS: Barclays PLC (this page) | 113% | 131% | 1.26 |
| [BBVA](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva): Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | 121% | 97.0% | 1.11 |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | 108% | 106% | 1.07 |
| [SAN](https://easycompare.io/research/san): Banco Santander, S.A. | 101% | 92.0% | 1.02 |
| [GS](https://easycompare.io/research/gs): The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | 136% | 133% | 1.39 |
| [UBS](https://easycompare.io/research/ubs): UBS Group AG | 116% | 120% | 1.18 |
| [ING](https://easycompare.io/research/ing): ING Groep N.V. | 136% | 155% | 1.36 |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | 79.0% | 53.0% | 0.58 |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | 97.0% | 88.0% | 0.88 |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | 89.0% | 80.0% | 0.88 |
| [BMO](https://easycompare.io/research/bmo): Bank of Montreal | 104% | 112% | 1.12 |
| [LYG](https://easycompare.io/research/lyg): Lloyds Banking Group plc | 106% | 130% | 1.20 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 117% | 103% | 1.09 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | 127% | 157% | 1.30 |
| [MS](https://easycompare.io/research/ms): Morgan Stanley | 142% | 137% | 1.39 |
| [AXP](https://easycompare.io/research/axp): American Express Company | 117% | 113% | 1.16 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | 127% | 146% | 1.36 |
| [DB](https://easycompare.io/research/db): Deutsche Bank AG | 102% | 118% | 1.21 |
| [BNS](https://easycompare.io/research/bns): The Bank of Nova Scotia | 97.0% | 120% | 1.05 |
| [C](https://easycompare.io/research/c): Citigroup Inc. | 131% | 165% | 1.49 |
| [WFC](https://easycompare.io/research/wfc): Wells Fargo & Company | 96.0% | 129% | 1.13 |

### What diversifies BCS?

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 BCS into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+22.6% for BCS alone, +22.9% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and SMH have moved largely independently of BCS over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.44 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in eight of the 13 calendar years in which BCS lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with BCS | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in BCS's 13 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.32 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 13 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.44 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 13 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.36 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 7 of 13 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.10 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 7 of 13 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.45 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 13 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.28 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 6 of 13 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.42 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 6 of 13 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.38 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 4 of 13 |

## Common questions

### What was BCS's worst drawdown?

BCS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 94.4%, from February 2007 to January 2009. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, BCS's best year was 2025, when it returned 96.5%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -73.6%.

### Is there a better investment than BCS?

Among BCS's popular alternatives, UBS, HSBC and GS earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UBS returned 25.4% a year at 30.4% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MFG (banks) and BNY (banks) earned more than BCS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MFG returned 33.6% a year at 30.6% volatility, against 18.5% a year at 34.1%.

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

Yes. BCS's volatility over the past 5 years was 34.1%, about twice the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, BCS's return lands within 34.1% 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 BCS's Sharpe ratio?

BCS's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.67, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so BCS 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 BCS with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, BCS's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.51 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 BCS instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a BCS holding.

### What are the best alternatives to BCS?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, seven outperformed BCS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: BBVA, CM and SAN.

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

BCS finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +96.5%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

BCS fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in two of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in eight. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when BCS fell 93.9% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies BCS?

These had a low correlation with BCS over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.32), EMLP (correlation 0.44) and SMH (correlation 0.36); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.20), CLS (correlation 0.29) and FIX (correlation 0.28). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva)
- [Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cm)
- [Banco Santander (SAN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/san)
- [Goldman Sachs Group (GS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/gs)
- [UBS Group (UBS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ubs)
- [ING Groep (ING) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ing)
- [HSBC Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc)
- [Royal Bank of Canada (RY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ry)
- [Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/td)
- [Bank of Montreal (BMO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bmo)
- [Lloyds Banking Group (LYG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/lyg)
- [JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm)

## Explore further

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