# How Walt Disney (DIS) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/dis
> 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 DIS alone. It places DIS (The Walt Disney Company) against 19 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 DIS stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: DIS'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:** DIS is 43.0% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. Even so, over the past 3 months, DIS rose 15.8% against 3.9% for the S&P 500 and 3.2% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Stock or market?:** DIS held up far better than its industry: it rose 15.8% over the past 3 months while the entertainment ETF XLC (State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF) fell 0.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its entertainment peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SONY (Sony Group) rose 19.7%, while CMCSA (Comcast) fell 4.5%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** DIS has trailed the market, rising 1.2% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (39.3% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** DIS turned $10,000 into $13,200 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. DIS's 10-year return of 31.7% puts it behind 76% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** DIS fell harder than the S&P 500 in five of seven sell-offs. The late-2018 sell-off was the exception: DIS fell 14.9%, less than the S&P 500's 19.3%.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, DIS has a correlation of 0.67 over 5 years, more closely than 97% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. Over 10 years, DIS's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.32: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 90% as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.6 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** MSGS (Madison Square Garden Sports) earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CHT (Chunghwa Telecom, integrated telecommunications) and VRSN (VeriSign, internet services) earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years. CHT returned 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 7.6% at 29.5% for DIS.

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

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

- $10,000 invested in DIS at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $52,341 by September 2026, less 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 DIS, and AMZN finished highest, at $11,484,924.

## DIS 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.

- DIS is still 43.0% below its all-time high.
- DIS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 67.6%, from April 2000 to August 2002. It took about eight years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, DIS's best was 2013, when it returned 55.3%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 43.9%. It lost money in ten of those years.

- Type: Stock, Communication (Entertainment)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $193B
- Volatility (5 years): 29.5%; Sharpe ratio: -0.12
- Worst decline ever: −67.6%, from April 28, 2000 to August 13, 2002; back at its high by January 4, 2011

| Period | DIS total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +7.1% |
| 3 months | +15.8% |
| 6 months | +5.8% |
| year to date | +0.6% |
| 1 year | +1.2% |
| 3 years | +39.3% |
| 5 years | −32.5% |
| 10 years | +31.7% |

## DIS against the whole market

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

### How does DIS rank among all stocks?

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

- DIS is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 24% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.
- On return for the risk taken (the Sharpe ratio), DIS ranks in the bottom 11% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | DIS | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +1.2% | 1,942 of 3,287 (top 60%) |
| 3-year return | +39.3% | 1,707 of 3,017 (top 57%) |
| 5-year return | −32.5% | 2,193 of 2,893 (top 76%) |
| 10-year return | +31.7% | 1,674 of 2,202 (top 77%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 29.5% | 680 of 2,893 (top 24%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | -0.12 | 2,573 of 2,893 (top 89%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −60.7% | 907 of 2,187 (top 42%) |

### What has beaten DIS 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).

- 510 stocks and 930 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than DIS over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 40% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half DIS's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 16% less than DIS's 29.5%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against -0.12 for DIS.
- Among DIS's popular alternatives, MSGS and FOX are in the region. MSGS earned 18.4% a year against a loss of 7.6% a year for DIS, at 25.6% volatility, 13% less than DIS's 29.5%.

### Is there a better investment than DIS?

The table below lists investments that beat DIS 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 DIS's popular alternatives, MSGS earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CHT (integrated telecommunications) and VRSN (internet services) earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years. CHT returned 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 7.6% at 29.5% for DIS.

The 15 strongest of 1,440 investments that beat DIS 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 DIS | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DIS: The Walt Disney Company (this page) |  | −7.6% | 29.5% | -0.12 | −60.7% | +31.7% |  |  |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +16.3% | 24.8% | 0.74 | −43.4% | +241% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PG](https://easycompare.io/research/pg): The Procter & Gamble Company | Household & Personal Products | +5.1% | 18.3% | 0.37 | −23.8% | +145% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CME](https://easycompare.io/research/cme): CME Group Inc. | Capital Markets | +11.2% | 20.8% | 0.62 | −37.4% | +319% | 0.20 | 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% | 0.23 | 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% | 0.39 | 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% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MDLZ](https://easycompare.io/research/mdlz): Mondelez International, Inc. | Packaged Foods | +4.0% | 20.2% | 0.29 | −29.8% | +93.4% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RELX](https://easycompare.io/research/relx): RELX Plc | Business Services | +7.0% | 24.1% | 0.40 | −49.9% | +167% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MDT](https://easycompare.io/research/mdt): Medtronic Plc | Medical Devices | −1.8% | 22.5% | 0.03 | −45.1% | +46.7% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | Computer Hardware | +18.5% | 28.0% | 0.75 | −38.5% | +1,168% | 0.29 | 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% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| USMV: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | US Low-Volatility Equity | +7.6% | 12.3% | 0.66 | −33.1% | +176% | 0.51 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [KDP](https://easycompare.io/research/kdp): Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. | Food & Beverages | +2.5% | 22.1% | 0.23 | −36.9% | +281% | 0.15 | 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% | 0.68 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## DIS against its popular alternatives

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

### How do DIS'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 MSGS, FOXA and FOX, were both more rewarding and calmer than DIS over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, DIS returned -7.5% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (29.5% against 17.1%).

### Has DIS consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Five of the 19 popular alternatives, led by IMAX, LYV and MSGS, outperformed DIS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- IMAX outperformed DIS in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- MSGS, GOOG and FOXA earned more for the risk they took than DIS (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 DIS | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DIS: The Walt Disney Company (this page) | +1.2% | +39.3% | −32.5% | +31.7% |  |  | -0.12 |
| IMAX: IMAX Corporation | +61.7% | +191% | +151% | +65.3% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.66 |
| [LYV](https://easycompare.io/research/lyv): Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. | +11.5% | +119% | +74.3% | +538% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.50 |
| MSGS: Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. | +86.0% | +139% | +133% | +432% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.79 |
| CNK: Cinemark Holdings, Inc. | +52.3% | +160% | +103% | +16.0% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.55 |
| MSGE: Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. | +81.3% | +170% | +15.2% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.32 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | +31.2% | +148% | +138% | +752% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.42 |
| [RCL](https://easycompare.io/research/rcl): Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. | −3.1% | +272% | +255% | +359% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.77 |
| [SONY](https://easycompare.io/research/sony): Sony Group Corporation | −13.2% | +54.0% | +15.4% | +309% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| FOX: Fox Corporation | +15.2% | +118% | +58.3% | +162% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.47 |
| TKO: TKO Group Holdings, Inc. | −2.3% | +136% | +221% | +941% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.88 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | −44.5% | +71.3% | +9.9% | +457% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| FOXA: Fox Corporation | +15.7% | +125% | +64.3% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| SPHR: Sphere Entertainment Co. | +78.9% | +234% | +249% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| MAT: Mattel, Inc. | −7.5% | −17.0% | −14.5% | −44.8% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| ROKU: Roku, Inc. | +63.7% | +163% | −53.5% | — | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.10 |
| AMC: AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. | +11.2% | −66.1% | −99.2% | −98.8% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.46 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | −20.3% | −41.4% | −51.6% | −9.9% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.39 |
| FUBO: fuboTV Inc. | −81.2% | −70.9% | −97.7% | −99.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |

### How did DIS do year by year?

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

- DIS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, LYV came out ahead of DIS most often, in 14 of the 20 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, DIS finished in the top quarter in three of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in three. In 2025, it ranked 17 of 20.

| Year | DIS | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +3.3% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +24.4% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +4.3% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −43.9% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −14.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +25.3% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +33.5% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +3.6% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +4.8% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +0.7% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How DIS 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 DIS's worst declines?

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

- In all four of DIS's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: DIS fell 60.7% from March 2021 to October 2023, while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%.
- The slowest recovery came after DIS fell 67.6% from April 2000 to August 2002; it did not regain that peak until January 2011, eight years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −67.6% | April 28, 2000 | August 13, 2002 | January 4, 2011 | −37.0% | dot-com bust |
| −60.7% | March 8, 2021 | October 4, 2023 | not yet | +15.8% | 2022 bear market |
| −44.4% | May 4, 1998 | October 8, 1998 | April 3, 2000 | −13.4% |  |
| −43.8% | August 25, 1987 | October 19, 1987 | April 17, 1989 | — |  |
| −43.1% | November 26, 2019 | March 23, 2020 | November 24, 2020 | −28.2% | Covid crash |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, TKO held up best, falling less than DIS in seven of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- DIS fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when DIS fell 67.6% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

| Crash | Dates | DIS fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −67.6% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −54.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.8% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −28.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −25.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.8% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −14.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −39.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −41.8% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −6.8% | −3.4% |

### How closely does DIS 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.

- Ten of the 14 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than DIS's 0.56, led by MSGS, TKO and GOOG.
- MSGS took just 75% of the S&P 500's losses, against 162% for DIS, while still keeping 94% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, DIS captured 90% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 162% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.32. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DIS: The Walt Disney Company (this page) | 90.0% | 162% | 1.32 |
| IMAX: IMAX Corporation | 70.0% | 95.0% | 1.02 |
| [LYV](https://easycompare.io/research/lyv): Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. | 127% | 123% | 1.23 |
| MSGS: Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. | 94.0% | 75.0% | 1.02 |
| CNK: Cinemark Holdings, Inc. | 87.0% | 160% | 1.71 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | 132% | 110% | 1.12 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| [RCL](https://easycompare.io/research/rcl): Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. | 171% | 231% | 2.24 |
| [SONY](https://easycompare.io/research/sony): Sony Group Corporation | 96.0% | 99.0% | 0.86 |
| FOX: Fox Corporation | 84.0% | 102% | 0.78 |
| TKO: TKO Group Holdings, Inc. | 135% | 110% | 1.04 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | 122% | 105% | 1.18 |
| MAT: Mattel, Inc. | 66.0% | 182% | 1.11 |
| AMC: AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. | 11.0% | 307% | 1.84 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | 65.0% | 139% | 0.87 |

### What diversifies DIS?

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 DIS into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-8.6% for DIS alone, -2.7% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and GCOW have moved largely independently of DIS over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.42 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in seven of the ten calendar years in which DIS lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with DIS | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in DIS's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.40 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 10 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.42 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 10 |
| GCOW: Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF | 0.35 | +93.4% | 13.6% | 1.04 | 2 of 10 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.49 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.41 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.10 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 10 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.35 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 6 of 10 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.39 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 4 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was DIS's worst drawdown?

DIS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 67.6%, from April 2000 to August 2002. It took about eight years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, DIS's best year was 2013, when it returned 55.3%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -43.9%.

### Is there a better investment than DIS?

Among DIS's popular alternatives, MSGS earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CHT (integrated telecommunications) and VRSN (internet services) earned more than DIS with less volatility over the past 5 years. CHT returned 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against a loss of 7.6% a year at 29.5%.

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

Yes. DIS's volatility over the past 5 years was 29.5%, 1.7 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, DIS's return lands within 29.5% 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 DIS's Sharpe ratio?

DIS's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was -0.12, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so DIS 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 DIS with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, DIS's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.67 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 DIS instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a DIS holding.

### What are the best alternatives to DIS?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, five outperformed DIS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: IMAX, LYV and MSGS.

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

DIS finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +3.3%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

DIS fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when DIS fell 67.6% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies DIS?

These had a low correlation with DIS over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.40), DXJ (correlation 0.42) and GCOW (correlation 0.35); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.35), CLS (correlation 0.39) and FIX (correlation 0.38). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

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