# How Digital Realty Trust (DLR) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/dlr
> 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 DLR alone. It places DLR (Digital Realty Trust, Inc.) against 11 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 DLR stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: DLR's full trading record, from October 2004 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** DLR has gone against the market, falling 12.9% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Not every peer went the same way. Over the past 6 months, AMT (American Tower) rose 3.1% and UNIT (Uniti Group) fell 53.8%.
- **Stock or market?:** DLR rose 0.1% over the past 3 months, 5.8 points ahead of the data center reits ETF SRVR (Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF), which fell 5.7%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its data center reit peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: AMT (American Tower) rose 11.1%, while UNIT (Uniti Group) fell 49.7%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, DLR rose 4.3% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (65.7% against 89.3%). DLR led its data center reit peers in 2023, then fell behind EQIX (Equinix) and IRM (Iron Mountain) in 2025.
- **Long term:** DLR turned $10,000 into $25,400 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Even so, over the past decade, only EQIX (Equinix) and IRM (Iron Mountain) of its data center reit peers outpaced DLR.
- **In a crash:** The 2022 bear market took 45.7% off DLR, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than EQIX (Equinix, 36.3%) but less than UNIT (Uniti Group, 51.9%).
- **Diversification:** DLR is more of the same, not a cushion: a correlation of 0.61 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.61 with the total US market, more closely than 91% of stocks worth at least $300 million. DLR cushions stocks less than it used to: its correlation with the S&P 500 rose to 0.61 over the past 5 years, from 0.13 in the 5 years before.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** MSFT (Microsoft) earned more for the risk it took than DLR over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 37.1%, against 48.5% for DLR.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CIBR (First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF, cybersecurity) and LAMR (Lamar Advertising, specialty reits) earned more than DLR with less volatility over the past 5 years. CIBR returned 14.1% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 6.3% a year at 29.4%.
  - **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 6.3% at 29.4% for DLR.

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in DLR over the past 21 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of DLR over the same span and DLR's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in DLR at the end of September 2005 would have grown to $216,443 by September 2026, more than the $90,973 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of DLR, and AMZN finished highest, at $1,097,509.

## DLR 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.

- DLR's deepest decline since it began trading in 2004 was 56.8%, from September to November 2008. It took 12 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 21 full calendar years, DLR's best was 2005, when it returned 77.9%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 41.0%. It lost money in five of those years.
- DLR is 12.9% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Real Estate (REIT - Specialty)
- Trading since: October 29, 2004
- Market value: $65B
- Volatility (5 years): 29.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.35
- Worst decline ever: −56.8%, from September 19, 2008 to November 20, 2008; back at its high by November 11, 2009

| Period | DLR total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −5.9% |
| 3 months | +0.1% |
| 6 months | −12.9% |
| year to date | +15.4% |
| 1 year | +4.3% |
| 3 years | +65.7% |
| 5 years | +35.7% |
| 10 years | +154% |

## DLR against the whole market

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

### How does DLR rank among all stocks?

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

- DLR's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 18% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | DLR | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +4.3% | 1,799 of 3,287 (top 55%) |
| 3-year return | +65.7% | 1,317 of 3,017 (top 44%) |
| 5-year return | +35.7% | 1,267 of 2,893 (top 44%) |
| 10-year return | +154% | 1,062 of 2,202 (top 49%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 29.4% | 669 of 2,893 (top 24%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.35 | 1,381 of 2,893 (top 48%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −48.5% | 402 of 2,187 (top 19%) |

### What has beaten DLR 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).

- 234 stocks and 508 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than DLR over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 20% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half DLR's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 16% less than DLR's 29.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.35 for DLR.
- None of DLR's popular alternatives made it, but KT (data centers theme) did: 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, 23% less than DLR's 29.4%.

### Is there a better investment than DLR?

The table below lists investments that beat DLR 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 DLR's popular alternatives, MSFT earned more for the risk it took than DLR over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 37.1%, against 48.5% for DLR.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CIBR (cybersecurity) and LAMR (specialty reits) earned more than DLR with less volatility over the past 5 years. CIBR returned 14.1% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 6.3% a year at 29.4%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 6.3% at 29.4% for DLR.

The 15 strongest of 742 investments that beat DLR 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 DLR | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DLR: Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (this page) |  | +6.3% | 29.4% | 0.35 | −48.5% | +154% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.61 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.61 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.59 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VXUS](https://easycompare.io/research/vxus): Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | International Equity | +8.2% | 16.4% | 0.57 | −36.0% | +140% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MA](https://easycompare.io/research/ma): Mastercard Incorporated | Payment Processing | +12.4% | 23.8% | 0.61 | −41.0% | +541% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## DLR against its popular alternatives

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

### How do DLR'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.

- Only MSFT and EQIX were both more rewarding and calmer than DLR over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, DLR returned 6.3% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (29.4% against 17.1%).

### Has DLR consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Five of the 11 popular alternatives, led by AMZN, IRM and GOOG, outperformed DLR in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- AMZN and IRM outperformed DLR in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- IRM, ETN and GOOG earned more for the risk they took than DLR (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 DLR | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DLR: Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (this page) | +4.3% | +65.7% | +35.7% | +154% |  |  | 0.35 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.42 |
| IRM: Iron Mountain Incorporated | +10.4% | +110% | +200% | +470% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.88 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | +31.2% | +148% | +138% | +752% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.71 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.56 |
| [EQIX](https://easycompare.io/research/eqix): Equinix, Inc. | +22.2% | +49.1% | +37.4% | +226% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.37 |
| [ETN](https://easycompare.io/research/etn): Eaton Corporation plc | +2.3% | +104% | +153% | +657% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [VRT](https://easycompare.io/research/vrt): Vertiv Holdings Co | +16.0% | +456% | +772% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.01 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | −1.1% | +27.5% | −21.8% | +107% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | −13.7% | +10.7% | −40.6% | +35.4% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.23 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | −6.2% | +0.4% | −41.5% | +79.2% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| UNIT: Uniti Group Inc. | −1.6% | −22.8% | −71.3% | −83.6% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.18 |

### How did DLR do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2005, along with where DLR ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- DLR finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 14 of its 21 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, VRT came out ahead of DLR most often, in five of the seven years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, DLR finished in the top quarter in six of 21 years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 12.

| Year | DLR | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −10.1% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +35.9% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +39.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −41.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +30.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +20.4% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +16.5% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −3.0% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +18.7% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +34.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How DLR 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 DLR's worst declines?

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

- In all five of DLR's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: DLR fell 41.1% from July 2012 to December 2013, while the S&P 500 rose 35.4%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 14 months, after DLR fell 48.5% from December 2021 to May 2023.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −56.8% | September 19, 2008 | November 20, 2008 | November 11, 2009 | −39.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −48.5% | December 31, 2021 | May 24, 2023 | July 16, 2024 | −11.7% | 2022 bear market |
| −41.1% | July 17, 2012 | December 3, 2013 | January 14, 2015 | +35.4% |  |
| −29.4% | November 29, 2024 | April 8, 2025 | April 9, 2026 | −17.1% |  |
| −26.5% | October 31, 2007 | March 10, 2008 | June 19, 2008 | −16.8% | 2008 financial crisis |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, IRM held up best, falling less than DLR in five of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- DLR began trading after the dot-com bust, but seven of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was ETN's 31.6%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.
- DLR fell further than the S&P 500 in four of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when DLR fell 45.7% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

| Crash | Dates | DLR fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −56.8% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.7% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −20.2% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −8.4% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.1% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −14.6% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −24.1% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −45.7% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.1% | −3.4% |

### How closely does DLR 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, DLR captured 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 64% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.60. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- Five of the ten popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than DLR's 1.00, led by ETN, MSFT and GOOG.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DLR: Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (this page) | 64.0% | 64.0% | 0.60 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| IRM: Iron Mountain Incorporated | 98.0% | 83.0% | 0.99 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | 132% | 110% | 1.12 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | 127% | 91.0% | 0.96 |
| [EQIX](https://easycompare.io/research/eqix): Equinix, Inc. | 76.0% | 66.0% | 0.67 |
| [ETN](https://easycompare.io/research/etn): Eaton Corporation plc | 114% | 80.0% | 1.16 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | 61.0% | 79.0% | 0.60 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | 54.0% | 101% | 0.70 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | 55.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| UNIT: Uniti Group Inc. | 47.0% | 186% | 1.20 |

### What diversifies DLR?

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 DLR into LVHI would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+7.6% for DLR alone, +9.9% for the mix).
- FIX made money in four of the five calendar years in which DLR lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of DLR over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with DLR | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in DLR's 5 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.38 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 5 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.36 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 5 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.46 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 5 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.33 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 5 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.48 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 2 of 5 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.48 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 5 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.18 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 2 of 5 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.41 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 5 |

## Common questions

### What was DLR's worst drawdown?

DLR's deepest decline since it began trading in 2004 was 56.8%, from September to November 2008. It took 12 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because DLR launched in October 2004, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

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

Over 21 full calendar years, DLR's best year was 2005, when it returned 77.9%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -41.0%.

### Is there a better investment than DLR?

Among DLR's popular alternatives, MSFT earned more for the risk it took than DLR over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 37.1%, against 48.5% for DLR. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CIBR (cybersecurity) and LAMR (specialty reits) earned more than DLR with less volatility over the past 5 years. CIBR returned 14.1% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 6.3% a year at 29.4%.

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

Yes. DLR's volatility over the past 5 years was 29.4%, 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, DLR's return lands within 29.4% 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 DLR's Sharpe ratio?

DLR's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.35, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so DLR 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 DLR with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, DLR's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.61 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 DLR instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a DLR holding.

### What are the best alternatives to DLR?

Of the 11 popular alternatives we compared, five outperformed DLR in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: AMZN, IRM and GOOG.

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

DLR finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 14 of 21 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -10.1%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

DLR fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when DLR fell 45.7% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies DLR?

These had a low correlation with DLR over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.38), DXJ (correlation 0.36) and EMLP (correlation 0.46); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.13), CLS (correlation 0.42) and FIX (correlation 0.47). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Equinix (EQIX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/eqix)
- [Eaton (ETN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/etn)
- [Vertiv (VRT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vrt)
- [American Tower (AMT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amt)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)
- [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm)

## Explore further

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