EasyCompare

Relative Intelligence · Banks

How Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on BNY alone. It places BNY (Bank of New York Mellon Corp) against 9 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 BNY stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

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

Data as of October 20, 2026. Full tables and charts read best on a larger screen.

Rank the market against BNY →Chart BNY vs. 9 alternatives →
On this page12 sections

Key findings

How much would $10,000 in BNY have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in BNY over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of BNY over the same span and BNY's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period. A second view covers the past 5 years, the period the better options further down the page are judged on. It shows not only where each investment ended up but also how smooth or uneven the path was.

Choose a period

From the end of September 1997 to the end of September 2026. The scale is logarithmic, so equal steps up the chart are equal percentage gains. Hover over a fund in the key to pick out its line. 461 of the 1,042 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million that traded the whole period ended ahead of BNY; the chart shows 5, closest alternatives first. The other 3 lines are popular alternatives, shown for context.

$1,000$10,000$100,000199720022007201220172022$1,000$10,000$100,00019972004201120182025
  • LLY$396,376+3,864% total · +13.5% a year
  • MCK$208,304+1,983% total · +11.0% a year
  • JPM$189,407+1,794% total · +10.7% a year
  • SCHW$171,783+1,618% total · +10.3% a year
  • CIB$157,654+1,477% total · +10.0% a year
  • SPY (S&P 500)$132,907+1,229% total · +9.3% a year
  • BNY$121,131+1,111% total · +9.0% a year
  • NTRS$104,731+947% total · +8.4% a year
  • STT$96,326+863% total · +8.1% a year
  • C$11,853+18.5% total · +0.6% a year
Change the dates or add tickers to this chart in EasyCompare

From the end of September 2021 to the end of September 2026. Hover over a fund in the key to pick out its line. 310 of the 3,628 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million that traded the whole period ended ahead of BNY; the chart shows 5, closest alternatives first. The other 3 lines are popular alternatives, shown for context.

$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000202120222023202420252026$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000202120222023202420252026
  • BBVA$57,750+478% total · +42.0% a year
  • SMFG$44,827+348% total · +35.0% a year
  • MUFG$44,537+345% total · +34.8% a year
  • CIB$41,844+318% total · +33.1% a year
  • KB$32,844+228% total · +26.9% a year
  • BNY$31,954+220% total · +26.2% a year
  • STT$23,984+140% total · +19.1% a year
  • JPM$22,905+129% total · +18.0% a year
  • SPY (S&P 500)$19,000+90.0% total · +13.7% a year
  • BLK$14,247+42.5% total · +7.3% a year
Change the dates or add tickers to this chart in EasyCompare

BNY 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. These figures serve as the baseline for every comparison that follows.

The company

Market value
$98B
Industry
Investment - Banking & Investment Services
Price history from
October 1986

Returns

Past 1 year
+35.3%total return
Past 3 years
+272%+55.0% a year
Past 5 years
+179%+22.7% a year
Past 10 years
+341%+16.0% a year
Best calendar year
+75.3%1997
Worst calendar year
−40.4%2008
Losing years
8 of 29full calendar years

Risk

Volatility
24.4%typical yearly swing, 5 years
Sharpe ratio
0.97return per unit of risk, 5 years
Worst decline ever
−72.3%Aug 1989 to Oct 1990
From its all-time high
−12.5%below the peak

BNY against the whole market

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

How does BNY rank among all stocks?

This section ranks BNY on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history. Where the comparisons with its popular alternatives show how BNY stacks up against its peers, these rankings show where it stands in the market as a whole.

Ranked against U.S.-listed stocks worth at least $300M that have enough history for each measure, so the count changes from row to row; smaller stocks are left out. Lower volatility and smaller declines rank higher.

MeasureBNYRankStanding
1-year return+35.3%845 of 3,287top 26%
3-year return+272%261 of 3,017top 9%
5-year return+179%368 of 2,893top 13%
10-year return+341%500 of 2,202top 23%
Volatility, 5 years24.4%285 of 2,893top 10%
Sharpe ratio, 5 years0.97118 of 2,893top 4%
Worst decline, past 10 years−50.5%475 of 2,187top 22%

What has beaten BNY 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). BNY sits where the dashed lines cross. Anything in the green box above and to the left earned more than BNY with smaller swings, a better trade-off over this period on both counts. Past results are no promise, but a name in the box is worth a closer look.

Annual return is the annualized total return with dividends reinvested, and volatility the annualized swing in daily prices, both over 5 years. Labeled dots are the strongest picks from the table below and the names called out above, colored by how close they sit to BNY. 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million were screened. Hover over a dot for its figures.

15.0%17.5%20.0%22.5%25.0%27.5%30.0%32.5%35.0%37.5%10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%40.0%45.0%Volatility over 5 years (annualized)Annual return over 5 yearsMore return, less volatility than BNYBNY: +22.7% a year, volatility 24.4%SPY (S&P 500): +12.7% a year, volatility 17.1%MUFG: +33.2% a year, volatility 29.4%BBVA: +38.7% a year, volatility 33.3%SMFG: +33.7% a year, volatility 29.4%CIB: +32.9% a year, volatility 32.9%KB: +25.3% a year, volatility 34.4%HSBC: +33.1% a year, volatility 25.9%DXJ: +26.6% a year, volatility 19.1%LLY: +40.7% a year, volatility 32.8%ABBV: +26.1% a year, volatility 23.4%MCK: +38.7% a year, volatility 25.0%NHC: +32.0% a year, volatility 28.5%COR: +24.2% a year, volatility 22.8%MPLX: +23.5% a year, volatility 18.8%DBJP: +20.9% a year, volatility 19.2%BNYSPY (S&P 500)MUFGBBVASMFGCIBKBHSBCDXJLLYABBVMCKNHCCORMPLXDBJP15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%40.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%Volatility over 5 years (annualized)Annual return over 5 yearsMore return, less volatility than BNYBNY: +22.7% a year, volatility 24.4%SPY (S&P 500): +12.7% a year, volatility 17.1%MUFG: +33.2% a year, volatility 29.4%BBVA: +38.7% a year, volatility 33.3%SMFG: +33.7% a year, volatility 29.4%CIB: +32.9% a year, volatility 32.9%KB: +25.3% a year, volatility 34.4%HSBC: +33.1% a year, volatility 25.9%DXJ: +26.6% a year, volatility 19.1%LLY: +40.7% a year, volatility 32.8%ABBV: +26.1% a year, volatility 23.4%MCK: +38.7% a year, volatility 25.0%NHC: +32.0% a year, volatility 28.5%COR: +24.2% a year, volatility 22.8%MPLX: +23.5% a year, volatility 18.8%DBJP: +20.9% a year, volatility 19.2%BNYSPY (S&P 500)MUFGBBVASMFGCIBKBHSBCDXJLLYABBVMCKCORMPLXDBJP
  • Same and neighboring categories, and shared themes
  • The whole market

Is there a better investment than BNY?

Investments that beat BNY over the past 5 years on return, volatility, drawdowns, consistency, crash losses or fees, from its popular alternatives out to the whole market.

How this works

The table below lists investments that beat BNY 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. It checks BNY's popular alternatives first, then the rest of its own and neighboring categories, then every stock and fund worth at least $500 million, and shows the strongest few in each group. The full list of those with a higher return and lower volatility than BNY follows the table.

Annual return is the annualized total return with dividends reinvested. Annual return, volatility and the Sharpe ratio cover 5 years; the worst decline covers the past 10 years. Green marks a better figure than BNY's. "On the frontier" means no other option shown or tested earned more with less volatility. Funds that hold the same thing are shown once. Beyond the popular alternatives, nothing with more than 1.5× BNY's volatility counts as better.

These figures cover the past 5 years. Green marks a better figure than BNY's.

Screen the whole market against BNY for any period in BetterThanSPYOpen these 15 in EasyCompare
InvestmentWhy it is betterPast 5 yearsDownsideLong runFit
Annual return?higher is betterVolatility?lower is calmerSharpe?return per unit of riskWorst decline?past 10 years10Y returntotalCorr. with BNY?lower diversifies moreExpenseper year
BNYBank of New York Mellon Corp · this page
+22.7%24.4%0.97−50.5%+341%1.00—
SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF · S&P 500
+12.7%17.1%0.79−33.7%+321%0.680.09%
Same and neighboring categories, and shared themesbest 6 shownEverything else in Banks and the categories next to it (Regional Banks, Capital Markets, Payment Processing, Asset Management), plus BNY's specific themes. 7 of 134 passed at least one test.
MUFGMitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. · Banks
Higher return in most periods+33.2%29.4%1.13−54.9%+483%0.40—
BBVABanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. · Banks
Higher return in most periods+38.7%33.3%1.16−69.6%+542%0.64—
SMFGSumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. · Banks
Higher return in most periods+33.7%29.4%1.14−47.6%+474%0.40—
CIBGrupo Cibest S.A. · Banks
Higher return in most periods+32.9%32.9%1.03−70.4%+345%0.40—
KBKB Financial Group Inc. · Banks
Higher return in most periods+25.3%34.4%0.83−64.1%+390%0.53—
HSBCHSBC Holdings plc · Banks
Higher return, similar volatility+33.1%25.9%1.24−62.3%+319%0.57—
The whole marketbest 8 shownEvery other stock and fund worth at least $500 million. 46 of 3,490 passed at least one test.
DXJWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund · International Equity
On the frontierHigher return, lower volatilityHigher Sharpe, smaller worst declineHigher return in most periods+26.6%19.1%1.34−39.1%+428%0.300.48%
LLYEli Lilly and Company · Pharmaceuticals
Higher Sharpe, smaller worst declineHigher return in most periodsSmaller losses in recent crashes+40.7%32.8%1.21−34.5%+1,807%-0.05—
ABBVAbbVie Inc. · Pharmaceuticals
Higher return, similar volatilityHigher Sharpe, smaller worst declineHigher return in most periods+26.1%23.4%1.11−45.1%+603%0.19—
MCKMcKesson Corporation · Health Care Distribution
Higher return, similar volatilityHigher Sharpe, smaller worst declineHigher return in most periods+38.7%25.0%1.44−38.1%+586%0.10—
NHCNational HealthCare Corporation · Medical - Care Facilities
Higher Sharpe, smaller worst declineHigher return in most periodsSmaller losses in recent crashes+32.0%28.5%1.12−35.3%+394%0.24—
CORCencora, Inc. · Health Care Distribution
Higher return, lower volatilityHigher Sharpe, smaller worst decline+24.2%22.8%1.07−32.4%+406%0.35—
MPLXMPLX Lp · Oil & Gas Midstream
On the frontierSimilar return, lower volatility+23.5%18.8%1.22−75.2%+350%0.51—
DBJPXtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF · International
Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline+20.9%19.2%1.09−31.3%+348%0.320.45%
What these numbers mean for BNY
Annual return
BNY returned 22.7% a year over the past 5 years with dividends reinvested, against 12.7% a year for the S&P 500. At that pace, $10,000 became about $27,900. Annual return is the steady yearly rate that would produce the same total result, so investments held over the same span compare fairly. Guide: What is performance and return? →
Volatility
BNY's volatility over the past 5 years was 24.4%, 1.4 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, BNY's return lands within 24.4% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump. Guide: Understanding and measuring risk (volatility) →
Sharpe ratio
BNY's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.97, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so BNY 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. Guide: Balancing reward with risk (Sharpe ratio) →
Worst decline
BNY's worst fall from a peak to a low over the past 10 years was 50.5%, against 33.7% for the S&P 500. Losses and gains are not symmetric: climbing back from a 50.5% fall takes a 102% gain. Guide: Market crash risk and tail risk →
Correlation
Over the past 5 years, BNY's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.68 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 BNY instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a BNY holding. Guide: Correlation and diversification →
Show all 2 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million that earned more than BNY with less volatility

Out of 3,633 tested over 5 years. Best first; funds that hold the same thing are listed once.

#InvestmentFound inAnnual returnVolatilitySharpeWorst decline10Y returnCorr. with BNYExpense
1
DXJWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund · International Equity
Whole market+26.6%19.1%1.34−39.1%+428%0.300.48%
2
CORCencora, Inc. · Health Care Distribution
Whole market+24.2%22.8%1.07−32.4%+406%0.35—

BNY against its popular alternatives

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

How do BNY'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. Investments toward the upper left earned more for a smoother ride, and those toward the lower right earned less for a rougher one. The dashed lines cross at BNY, which divides the map into what did better or worse on each measure.

Green points earned more than BNY with less volatility; red points earned less with more. Hover over a point for its figures. Total returns with dividends reinvested, annualized.

15.0%17.5%20.0%22.5%25.0%27.5%30.0%32.5%35.0%−20.0%−10.0%0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%Volatility over 5 years (annualized)Annual return over 5 yearsHigher return, lower volatilityLower return, higher volatilityBNY: 22.7% a year, volatility 24.4%SPY (S&P 500): 12.7% a year, volatility 17.1%BLK: 7.1% a year, volatility 27.1%STT: 14.4% a year, volatility 29.9%SSNC: 4.7% a year, volatility 25.2%C: 15.1% a year, volatility 29.4%FIS: −19.7% a year, volatility 33.9%SCHW: 3.6% a year, volatility 31.9%NTRS: 8.9% a year, volatility 29.3%JPM: 17.3% a year, volatility 24.3%ICE: 5.4% a year, volatility 21.8%BNYSPY (S&P 500)BLKSTTSSNCCFISSCHWNTRSJPMICE15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%−20.0%−10.0%0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%Volatility over 5 years (annualized)Annual return over 5 yearsHigher return, lower volatilityLower return, higher volatilityBNY: 22.7% a year, volatility 24.4%SPY (S&P 500): 12.7% a year, volatility 17.1%BLK: 7.1% a year, volatility 27.1%STT: 14.4% a year, volatility 29.9%SSNC: 4.7% a year, volatility 25.2%C: 15.1% a year, volatility 29.4%FIS: −19.7% a year, volatility 33.9%SCHW: 3.6% a year, volatility 31.9%NTRS: 8.9% a year, volatility 29.3%JPM: 17.3% a year, volatility 24.3%ICE: 5.4% a year, volatility 21.8%BNYSPY (S&P 500)BLKSTTSSNCCFISSCHWNTRSJPMICE
All figures
InvestmentAnnual returnVolatility
BNY This pageBank of New York Mellon Corp+22.7%24.4%
JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co.+17.3%24.3%
C Citigroup Inc.+15.1%29.4%
STT State Street Corporation+14.4%29.9%
SPY S&P 500State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF+12.7%17.1%
NTRS Northern Trust Corporation+8.9%29.3%
BLK BlackRock, Inc.+7.1%27.1%
ICE Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.+5.4%21.8%
SSNC SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.+4.7%25.2%
SCHW The Charles Schwab Corporation+3.6%31.9%
FIS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.−19.7%33.9%
Open these 11 in EasyCompare

Has BNY consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares BNY with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years. Counting how often an alternative earned more than BNY helps separate lasting outperformance from a single strong stretch.

A green cell means the alternative earned more than BNY over that period. "Qualified" marks those that did so in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods.

InvestmentPeriods outperformed Short termLong termRisk · 5 yearsFund
1M3M6MYTD1Y3Y5Y10YVolatilitylower is calmerSharpehigher is betterWorst declinepast 10 yearsExpenseAssetsOverlapsame sectors
BNY Bank of New York Mellon Corp (this page)—−6.3%−7.7%+7.4%+24.8%+35.3%+272%+179%+341%24.4%0.97−50.5%—$98B—
JPM Banks - DiversifiedJPMorgan Chase & Co.2/5 short1/3 long−4.3%−0.6%+6.8%+5.0%+13.0%+150%+122%+537%24.3%0.78−43.6%—$891B—
BLK Asset ManagementBlackRock, Inc.3/5 short0/3 long+3.5%+7.6%+8.8%+5.7%−0.6%+96.3%+41.1%+313%27.1%0.39−43.9%—$175B—
STT Asset ManagementState Street Corporation3/5 short0/3 long−9.2%−8.3%+12.1%+31.3%+47.9%+181%+96.2%+212%29.9%0.60−59.6%—$46B—
SSNC Software - ApplicationSS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.3/5 short0/3 long+8.1%+25.5%+22.8%+2.5%+8.3%+81.0%+26.0%+200%25.2%0.31−48.9%—$20B—
ICE Financial - Data & Stock ExchangesIntercontinental Exchange, Inc.2/5 short0/3 long+2.1%+12.4%−0.6%+0.1%+3.5%+52.4%+30.0%+240%21.8%0.35−34.3%—$89B—
C Banks - DiversifiedCitigroup Inc.1/5 short0/3 long−9.3%−4.3%−7.0%+4.8%+26.0%+238%+102%+234%29.4%0.63−56.5%—$206B—
FIS Information Technology ServicesFidelity National Information Services, Inc.1/5 short0/3 long+3.5%−12.8%−22.9%−42.7%−44.3%−21.6%−66.6%−41.3%33.9%-0.47−76.0%—$19B—
SCHW Financial - Capital MarketsThe Charles Schwab Corporation0/5 short0/3 long−15.0%−11.1%−1.8%−9.6%−3.1%+86.2%+19.1%+221%31.9%0.27−51.1%—$157B—
NTRS Asset ManagementNorthern Trust Corporation0/5 short0/3 long−7.5%−9.1%+5.0%+20.6%+31.1%+180%+52.9%+205%29.3%0.44−50.0%—$30B—
Open these 10 in EasyCompare

How did BNY do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where BNY ranked among its popular alternatives each year. Annual results reveal how consistently each one kept pace with BNY and how far its good and bad years diverged, detail that multiyear averages tend to smooth over.

Newest year first. Green marks a year in which the fund came out ahead of BNY; gray means the two finished within a fraction of a point. The rank row places BNY among the alternatives that traded the full year; dark green is the top quarter and red the bottom quarter.

InvestmentYears ahead of BNY20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000199919981997
BNY This pageBank of New York Mellon Corp—+54.4%+51.9%+18.5%−19.1%+40.6%−12.9%+9.6%−10.8%+15.7%+17.1%+3.3%+18.3%+38.6%+32.1%−32.8%+9.3%+0.9%−40.4%+20.0%+26.8%−1.2%+4.8%+45.2%−38.9%−23.4%+42.7%+1.6%+41.6%+75.3%
Rank among alternativesTop quarter in 7 of 292 of 101 of 105 of 104 of 102 of 109 of 1010 of 105 of 109 of 106 of 106 of 102 of 107 of 104 of 108 of 103 of 98 of 96 of 96 of 94 of 98 of 85 of 82 of 87 of 85 of 74 of 76 of 62 of 65 of 6
SPY S&P 500State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF15 of 29+17.7%+24.9%+26.2%−18.2%+28.7%+18.3%+31.2%−4.6%+21.7%+12.0%+1.2%+13.5%+32.3%+16.0%+1.9%+15.1%+26.4%−36.8%+5.1%+15.9%+4.8%+10.7%+28.2%−21.6%−11.7%−9.8%+20.4%+28.7%+33.5%
JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co.18 of 29+37.3%+44.3%+30.6%−12.6%+27.8%−5.5%+47.3%−6.6%+26.8%+34.5%+8.4%+9.9%+36.7%+36.2%−19.9%+2.3%+34.4%−25.1%−6.9%+25.7%+5.7%+10.0%+60.5%−30.7%−17.4%−10.1%+11.7%+32.9%+25.5%
BLK BlackRock, Inc.14 of 26+6.6%+29.3%+17.9%−20.4%+29.4%+47.2%+31.9%−21.6%+38.2%+14.6%−2.4%+15.7%+57.0%+19.8%−3.6%−15.9%+76.6%−37.0%+45.1%+41.8%+42.4%+47.6%+35.9%−5.5%−0.7%+144%———
STT State Street Corporation15 of 29+35.5%+30.2%+3.5%−13.8%+31.0%−4.8%+29.3%−34.0%+27.8%+19.8%−13.9%+8.7%+58.6%+19.2%−11.4%+6.6%+10.8%−50.7%+21.9%+23.2%+14.5%−4.4%+35.4%−24.5%−15.2%+71.1%+5.0%+21.5%+81.6%
SSNC SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.9 of 15+16.8%+25.8%+19.2%−35.7%+13.7%+19.5%+37.2%+12.1%+42.5%−15.6%+17.7%+32.5%+91.6%+27.9%−11.9%——————————————
ICE Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.11 of 20+9.9%+17.5%+27.1%−23.9%+19.9%+26.2%+24.5%+8.1%+26.6%+11.5%+18.3%−1.3%+82.2%+2.7%+1.2%+6.1%+36.2%−57.2%+78.4%+197%—————————
C Citigroup Inc.10 of 29+70.4%+41.9%+19.0%−22.1%+0.9%−19.7%+57.9%−28.5%+27.0%+15.9%−4.1%+3.9%+31.8%+50.5%−44.3%+42.9%−50.6%−75.9%−44.8%+19.6%+4.6%+2.8%+41.6%−20.4%+0.1%+23.6%+70.2%−6.8%+79.9%
FIS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.14 of 24−15.8%+37.0%−8.2%−36.5%−21.9%+2.7%+37.2%+10.3%+26.1%+26.6%−1.0%+17.8%+57.4%+34.1%−2.2%+17.7%+45.4%+282%+4.7%+19.1%+15.6%+9.6%+34.5%−28.1%—————
SCHW The Charles Schwab Corporation17 of 29+36.6%+9.2%−16.0%+0.1%+60.2%+13.6%+16.4%−18.4%+31.1%+21.0%+9.9%+17.2%+83.3%+29.8%−33.1%−7.8%+18.1%−36.1%+40.0%+32.8%+23.5%+1.7%+9.5%−29.5%−45.4%+11.4%+36.3%+102%+97.6%
NTRS Northern Trust Corporation13 of 29+36.9%+25.6%−1.0%−23.8%+31.6%−9.3%+30.6%−14.7%+14.2%+26.1%+9.1%+11.1%+26.1%+29.9%−26.5%+8.1%+2.7%−30.8%+28.2%+19.1%+8.6%+6.7%+34.5%−40.9%−25.4%+55.1%+22.5%+26.7%+95.2%
Open these 11 in EasyCompare

Risk and diversification

How BNY 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 BNY's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high. This section presents BNY's five deepest drawdowns since it began trading in 1986, alongside the S&P 500's return over the same dates, and how long each took to recover. Together, these figures show how much an investor could have lost and how long it took to get back to even.

Green means BNY fell less than the S&P 500 over the same dates. Based on daily closing prices with dividends reinvested.

DuringBNY fellS&P 500, same datesPeakLowTime to the lowBack at the peakTime to recover
No named crash−72.3%—Aug 1989Oct 199014 monthsOct 19922 years
Dot-com bust−63.2%−41.8%Nov 2000Mar 20032.3 yearsOct 20074.6 years
2008 financial crisis−62.4%−53.3%Dec 2007Mar 200915 monthsMay 20156.2 years
Late-2018 sell-off−50.5%−16.2%Jan 2018Mar 20202.2 yearsAug 202117 months
No named crash−43.9%—Aug 1987Dec 19874 monthsFeb 198914 months

How did BNY do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far BNY, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000. A smaller decline means an investment held up better, and comparing results across crashes shows whether that resilience was consistent or a one-off.

Newest crash first. Each figure is the fund's deepest fall within the crash window; green means a smaller fall than BNY.

InvestmentHeld up better2023 regional bank crisisMar 20232022 bear marketJan 2022Covid crashFeb 2020Late-2018 sell-offSep 2018February 2018 volatility shockFeb 20182015 China and oil sell-offAug 20152011 euro debt crisisJul 20112010 flash crashMay 20102008 financial crisisOct 2007Dot-com bustMar 2000
BNY This pageBank of New York Mellon Corp—−11.4%−40.5%−40.1%−16.2%−5.4%−27.0%−30.9%−0.5%−62.4%−62.6%
SPY S&P 500State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF7 of 10−3.4%−24.5%−33.7%−19.3%−6.5%−12.8%−17.9%−1.5%−55.2%−47.5%
JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co.3 of 10−5.4%−37.9%−42.5%−21.3%−5.6%−22.0%−32.1%−0.1%−67.7%−74.0%
BLK BlackRock, Inc.6 of 10−7.2%−40.8%−42.3%−25.2%−7.1%−19.9%−23.9%0.0%−60.4%−33.0%
STT State Street Corporation2 of 10−14.6%−41.4%−45.1%−32.3%−8.3%−34.1%−28.3%−1.9%−82.3%−50.7%
SSNC SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.3 of 8−7.1%−44.3%−47.2%−26.7%−3.3%−26.4%−30.9%−0.9%——
ICE Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.6 of 9−7.0%−33.8%−33.0%−13.3%−9.4%−12.7%−19.3%−2.0%−73.9%—
C Citigroup Inc.2 of 10−11.7%−39.2%−54.8%−33.1%−6.7%−40.3%−42.6%−1.0%−97.7%−52.7%
FIS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.7 of 9−20.2%−38.5%−34.7%−13.1%−8.0%−23.4%−23.3%0.0%−46.4%—
SCHW The Charles Schwab Corporation3 of 10−31.9%−36.9%−41.5%−26.5%−8.2%−37.0%−28.9%−5.5%−56.0%−83.1%
NTRS Northern Trust Corporation6 of 10−10.7%−36.0%−39.0%−27.2%−8.1%−29.9%−25.4%0.0%−60.5%−65.2%
Open these 11 in EasyCompare

How closely does BNY 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. An investment that captures more of the gains than the losses has compounded ahead of the market over time. This section compares BNY with its popular alternatives on both measures, and on beta (how strongly each has moved with the market), over the past 10 years.

Monthly total returns over the past 10 years, measured against SPY. 100% capture or a beta of 1.00 means moving in line with the S&P 500. Green marks a better figure than BNY's: more upside, less downside or a higher capture ratio. Sorted by capture ratio.

InvestmentUpside captureDownside captureCapture ratioBeta
BNY This pageBank of New York Mellon Corp115%120%0.961.08
JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co.117%103%1.141.09
SCHW The Charles Schwab Corporation89%90%0.990.91
ICE Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.88%94%0.940.84
NTRS Northern Trust Corporation111%136%0.821.18
BLK BlackRock, Inc.127%157%0.811.30
C Citigroup Inc.131%165%0.801.49
STT State Street Corporation128%166%0.771.48
SSNC SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.113%153%0.741.32
FIS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.54%150%0.360.82
Open these 10 in EasyCompare

What diversifies BNY?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions). This section lists large ETFs and stocks whose returns have had a low correlation with BNY's. Because such investments tend not to fall at the same time, pairing BNY with them can reduce a portfolio's overall swings.

Only ETFs with at least $1.0B in assets and stocks worth at least $10B, with a correlation below 0.5 over the past 5 years and a positive return, are included, ranked by Sharpe ratio; funds that hold the same thing are shown once. The year columns are the years in which BNY lost money. The last two columns show a portfolio that is 80% BNY and 20% the other investment, rebalanced monthly.

ETFs

InvestmentCorrelation5Y returnSharpe2022202020182011200820052002200180/20 mix volatility80/20 mix annual return
BNY Bank of New York Mellon Corp (this page)1.00+179%0.97−19.1%−12.9%−10.8%−32.8%−40.4%−1.2%−38.9%−23.4%24.5%+26.2%
DXJ InternationalWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund0.30+225%1.34+6.0%+3.9%−19.8%−16.1%−20.8%———20.5%+26.9%
SMH TechnologyVanEck Semiconductor ETF0.40+323%0.97−33.5%+55.5%−9.1%+6.8%−44.7%+10.8%−47.0%−14.6%23.3%+29.4%
GLD CommoditiesSPDR Gold Shares0.09+126%0.96−0.8%+24.8%−1.9%+9.6%+4.9%+17.8%——20.2%+25.3%
XLE EnergyState Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF0.38+177%0.93+64.4%−32.7%−18.2%+2.8%−39.0%+40.1%−14.8%−18.2%22.1%+26.3%
EWT TechnologyiShares MSCI Taiwan ETF0.42+153%0.89−28.9%+31.5%−9.9%−21.8%−45.3%+4.7%−24.4%+2.1%22.2%+25.9%
EDIV InternationalState Street SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF0.41+69.9%0.84−15.3%−10.0%−6.2%—————20.8%+23.5%
DBMF AlternativesiMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF-0.32+59.7%0.82+21.6%+1.8%——————18.9%+23.7%
DBA AlternativesInvesco DB Agriculture Fund0.16+66.4%0.81+2.5%−2.5%−8.7%−10.7%−19.1%———20.1%+23.5%

Stocks

InvestmentCorrelation5Y returnSharpe2022202020182011200820052002200180/20 mix volatility80/20 mix annual return
BNY Bank of New York Mellon Corp (this page)1.00+179%0.97−19.1%−12.9%−10.8%−32.8%−40.4%−1.2%−38.9%−23.4%24.5%+26.2%
CAH Medical - DistributionCardinal Health, Inc.0.15+479%1.55+54.1%+10.1%−24.5%+8.1%−39.6%+18.7%−8.3%−2.5%21.0%+29.5%
CLS Hardware, Equipment & PartsCelestica Inc.0.40+3,143%1.47+1.3%−2.4%−16.3%−24.4%−20.5%−25.2%−65.1%−25.6%26.5%+42.6%
FIX Engineering & ConstructionComfort Systems USA, Inc.0.42+1,636%1.46+17.0%+6.7%+0.8%−17.0%−15.2%+20.1%−9.4%+73.7%24.7%+38.4%
MCK Medical - DistributionMcKesson Corporation0.10+413%1.44+51.8%+27.1%−28.4%+11.8%−40.4%+64.9%−27.2%+4.9%20.7%+28.9%
MPC Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingMarathon Petroleum Corporation0.30+690%1.41+86.6%−27.4%−8.2%—————22.4%+31.5%
Open these 14 in EasyCompare

Common questions

What was BNY's worst drawdown?

BNY's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 72.3%, from August 1989 to October 1990. It took 24 months from the low to climb back to its old high.

What were BNY's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, BNY's best year was 1997, when it returned 75.3%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -40.4%.

Is there a better investment than BNY?

Looking beyond its popular alternatives, HSBC (banks) earned more than BNY over the past 5 years with similar volatility: 33.1% a year at 25.9% volatility, against 22.7% a year at 24.4%. Few investments have done better on both counts: only two of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than BNY with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them COR and DXJ.

Is BNY more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. BNY's volatility over the past 5 years was 24.4%, 1.4 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, BNY's return lands within 24.4% 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 BNY's Sharpe ratio?

BNY's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.97, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so BNY 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 BNY with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, BNY's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.68 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 BNY instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a BNY holding.

What are the best alternatives to BNY?

None of the nine popular alternatives we compared outperformed BNY in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, which says more about BNY's strength than about its alternatives.

Did BNY outperform the S&P 500?

BNY finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 14 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +54.4%, against +17.7% for the index.

How did BNY do in stock market crashes?

BNY fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when BNY fell 40.5% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

What diversifies BNY?

These had a low correlation with BNY over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.30), SMH (correlation 0.40) and GLD (correlation 0.09); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.15), CLS (correlation 0.40) and FIX (correlation 0.42). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

How we measure

More research

Popular alternatives to BNY

Other stocks and ETFs