# How Ecolab (ECL) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/ecl
> 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 ECL alone. It places ECL (Ecolab Inc.) 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 ECL stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ECL'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:** Not every peer went the same way. Over the past 6 months, NEU (NewMarket) rose 37.8% and DOW fell 14.7%. ECL has trailed the market, rising 5.1% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Stock or market?:** ECL rose 7.5% over the past 3 months, 4.7 points ahead of the specialty chemicals ETF XLB (State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF), which rose 2.9%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its specialty chemical peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SXT (Sensient Technologies) rose 23.7%, while PPG (PPG Industries) fell 5.5%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, ECL rose 4.0% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (85.8% against 89.3%). ECL finished behind the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
- **Long term:** ECL turned $10,000 into $27,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. That said, over the past decade, only SHW (Sherwin-Williams) and HWKN (Hawkins) of its specialty chemical peers outpaced ECL.
- **In a crash:** In the 2022 bear market, ECL fell 39.2%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than PPG (PPG Industries, 36.8%) but less than AVNT (Avient, 46.6%). ECL fell further than the S&P 500 in three of the last four sell-offs, including the 2022 bear market (39.2% against 24.5%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, ECL has a correlation of 0.61 over 5 years, more closely than 91% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. When the S&P 500 had a down month, ECL usually fell with it (17 of 22 months).
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** CTAS (Cintas) earned more than ECL over the past 5 years with similar volatility: 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** LIN (Linde, chemicals) earned more than ECL with less volatility over the past 5 years: 11.5% a year at 20.9% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%.
  - **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 6.7% at 24.1% for ECL.

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

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

- $10,000 invested in ECL at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $316,339 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ECL, and SXT finished highest, at $619,532.

## ECL 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.

- ECL's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 47.1%, from September 1989 to October 1990. It took 11 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, ECL's best was 1997, when it returned 49.7%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 37.1%. It lost money in three of those years.
- ECL is 5.8% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Materials (Chemicals - Specialty)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $81B
- Volatility (5 years): 24.1%; Sharpe ratio: 0.39
- Worst decline ever: −47.1%, from September 5, 1989 to October 9, 1990; back at its high by September 5, 1991

| Period | ECL total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +6.7% |
| 3 months | +7.5% |
| 6 months | +5.1% |
| year to date | +10.6% |
| 1 year | +4.0% |
| 3 years | +85.8% |
| 5 years | +38.1% |
| 10 years | +176% |

## ECL against the whole market

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

### How does ECL rank among all stocks?

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

- ECL is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 9% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | ECL | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +4.0% | 1,812 of 3,287 (top 56%) |
| 3-year return | +85.8% | 1,064 of 3,017 (top 36%) |
| 5-year return | +38.1% | 1,241 of 2,893 (top 43%) |
| 10-year return | +176% | 968 of 2,202 (top 44%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 24.1% | 269 of 2,893 (top 10%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.39 | 1,260 of 2,893 (top 44%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −43.7% | 249 of 2,187 (top 12%) |

### What has beaten ECL 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).

- 75 stocks and 433 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ECL over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 14% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half ECL's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 21% less than ECL's 24.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.39 for ECL.
- None of ECL's popular alternatives made it, but TJX (specialty retail) did: 19.9% a year at 22.3% volatility, 7% less than ECL's 24.1%.

### Is there a better investment than ECL?

The table below lists investments that beat ECL 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 ECL's popular alternatives, CTAS earned more than ECL over the past 5 years with similar volatility: 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, LIN (chemicals) earned more than ECL with less volatility over the past 5 years: 11.5% a year at 20.9% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 6.7% at 24.1% for ECL.

The 15 strongest of 508 investments that beat ECL 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 ECL | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ECL: Ecolab Inc. (this page) |  | +6.7% | 24.1% | 0.39 | −43.7% | +176% |  |  |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.45 | 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% | 0.66 | 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% | 0.62 | 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 |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.48 | 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% | 0.43 | 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% | 0.45 | 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% | 0.49 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| PTLC: Pacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF | Broad Market | +9.5% | 11.8% | 0.83 | −26.6% | +188% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +12.1% | 13.7% | 0.90 | −36.8% | +235% | 0.64 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VUG](https://easycompare.io/research/vug): Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | US Large-Cap Growth | +12.3% | 22.5% | 0.63 | −35.6% | +419% | 0.52 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| PTNQ: Pacer Trendpilot 100 ETF | Technology | +9.7% | 14.1% | 0.73 | −28.1% | +305% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VIG](https://easycompare.io/research/vig): Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF | US Dividend Equity | +10.4% | 14.1% | 0.78 | −31.7% | +258% | 0.70 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [SCHD](https://easycompare.io/research/schd): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US Dividend Equity | +9.7% | 14.3% | 0.72 | −33.4% | +252% | 0.57 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## ECL against its popular alternatives

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

### How do ECL'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 CTAS was both more rewarding and calmer than ECL over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 11 of the 18 popular alternatives earned less than ECL over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, ECL returned 6.7% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (24.1% against 17.1%).

### Has ECL consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Three of the 19 popular alternatives, CTAS, NEU and SXT, outperformed ECL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- NEU earned more for the risk it took than ECL (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in its worst decline of the past 10 years.
- HWKN outperformed ECL over all three long-term periods but in none of the five short-term ones, so ECL has had the better of it lately.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of ECL | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ECL: Ecolab Inc. (this page) | +4.0% | +85.8% | +38.1% | +176% |  |  | 0.39 |
| [CTAS](https://easycompare.io/research/ctas): Cintas Corporation | +14.0% | +78.9% | +115% | +808% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.78 |
| NEU: NewMarket Corporation | +19.2% | +107% | +159% | +165% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.85 |
| SXT: Sensient Technologies Corporation | +41.9% | +149% | +56.2% | +133% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.44 |
| HWKN: Hawkins, Inc. | −19.3% | +138% | +259% | +627% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.89 |
| DD: DuPont de Nemours, Inc. | +33.2% | +53.7% | +59.2% | +65.8% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [SHW](https://easycompare.io/research/shw): The Sherwin-Williams Company | +2.4% | +45.2% | +16.5% | +300% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.25 |
| IOSP: Innospec Inc. | +36.5% | +6.6% | +24.0% | +85.1% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| AVNT: Avient Corporation | +30.3% | +36.9% | −12.1% | +64.2% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| KWR: Quaker Houghton | +21.1% | +14.1% | −29.0% | +65.5% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.02 |
| ASH: Ashland Inc. | +47.6% | +0.5% | −18.2% | +53.4% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.03 |
| DOW: Dow Inc. | +48.8% | −25.6% | −32.7% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |
| BCPC: Balchem Corp | +14.5% | +42.5% | +14.3% | +140% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| VLTO: Veralto Corporation | −2.0% | +46.9% | — | — | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| PPG: PPG Industries, Inc. | +9.1% | −6.6% | −24.7% | +41.7% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |
| RPM: RPM International Inc. | −8.7% | +13.5% | +28.5% | +153% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.32 |
| XYL: Xylem Inc. | −27.4% | +18.7% | −11.7% | +143% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| AWK: American Water Works Company, Inc. | −4.1% | +26.2% | −13.1% | +131% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |
| PNR: Pentair plc | −51.0% | −12.3% | −23.3% | +57.3% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.03 |
| MTX: Minerals Technologies Inc. | +3.7% | +21.3% | −9.2% | −4.5% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |

### How did ECL do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ECL finished in the top quarter in nine of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 6 of 20.
- ECL finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 17 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, BCPC came out ahead of ECL most often, in 18 of the 29 years both traded.

| Year | ECL | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +13.2% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +19.3% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +37.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −37.1% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +9.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +13.2% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +32.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +11.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +15.8% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +3.7% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How ECL 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 ECL's worst declines?

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

- In two of ECL's three worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 20 months, after ECL fell 43.9% from August to December 1987.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −47.1% | September 5, 1989 | October 9, 1990 | September 5, 1991 | — |  |
| −43.9% | August 26, 1987 | December 7, 1987 | August 28, 1989 | — |  |
| −43.7% | December 29, 2021 | November 3, 2022 | March 22, 2024 | −21.4% | 2022 bear market |
| −41.9% | December 24, 2007 | March 9, 2009 | September 20, 2010 | −53.3% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −40.3% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | May 28, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, AWK held up best, falling less than ECL in six of the eight crashes they both traded through.
- ECL fell less than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when ECL fell 30.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

| Crash | Dates | ECL fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −30.0% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −41.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | 0.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −16.1% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −16.3% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.8% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −13.8% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −40.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −39.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.3% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ECL 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.

- HWKN took just 47% of the S&P 500's losses, against 86% for ECL, while still keeping 89% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, ECL captured 75% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 86% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.94. Its share of the market's losses was larger than its share of the gains.
- Four of the 17 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ECL's 0.87, led by HWKN, NEU and CTAS.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ECL: Ecolab Inc. (this page) | 75.0% | 86.0% | 0.94 |
| [CTAS](https://easycompare.io/research/ctas): Cintas Corporation | 128% | 110% | 1.20 |
| NEU: NewMarket Corporation | 52.0% | 40.0% | 0.44 |
| SXT: Sensient Technologies Corporation | 65.0% | 78.0% | 0.87 |
| HWKN: Hawkins, Inc. | 89.0% | 47.0% | 0.81 |
| DD: DuPont de Nemours, Inc. | 96.0% | 151% | 1.28 |
| [SHW](https://easycompare.io/research/shw): The Sherwin-Williams Company | 114% | 132% | 1.09 |
| IOSP: Innospec Inc. | 96.0% | 147% | 1.13 |
| AVNT: Avient Corporation | 107% | 179% | 1.46 |
| KWR: Quaker Houghton | 112% | 182% | 1.45 |
| ASH: Ashland Inc. | 70.0% | 114% | 0.82 |
| BCPC: Balchem Corp | 78.0% | 98.0% | 0.72 |
| PPG: PPG Industries, Inc. | 80.0% | 143% | 1.11 |
| RPM: RPM International Inc. | 90.0% | 122% | 1.01 |
| XYL: Xylem Inc. | 90.0% | 123% | 1.03 |
| AWK: American Water Works Company, Inc. | 48.0% | 45.0% | 0.44 |
| PNR: Pentair plc | 89.0% | 148% | 1.11 |
| MTX: Minerals Technologies Inc. | 89.0% | 175% | 1.30 |

### What diversifies ECL?

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 ECL into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 16% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+6.8% for ECL alone, +9.6% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of ECL over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.49 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in two of the three calendar years in which ECL lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with ECL | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ECL's 3 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.49 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 3 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.46 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 1 of 3 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.49 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 3 |
| FDL: First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund | 0.48 | +91.8% | 14.4% | 0.98 | 1 of 3 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.49 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 0 of 3 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.37 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 0 of 3 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.18 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 3 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.13 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 1 of 3 |

## Common questions

### What was ECL's worst drawdown?

ECL's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 47.1%, from September 1989 to October 1990. It took 11 months from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, ECL's best year was 1997, when it returned 49.7%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -37.1%.

### Is there a better investment than ECL?

Among ECL's popular alternatives, CTAS earned more than ECL over the past 5 years with similar volatility: 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, LIN (chemicals) earned more than ECL with less volatility over the past 5 years: 11.5% a year at 20.9% volatility, against 6.7% a year at 24.1%.

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

Yes. ECL's volatility over the past 5 years was 24.1%, 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, ECL's return lands within 24.1% 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 ECL's Sharpe ratio?

ECL's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.39, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so ECL 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 ECL with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ECL'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 ECL instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ECL holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ECL?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed ECL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: CTAS, NEU and SXT.

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

ECL finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 17 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +13.2%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

ECL fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in six of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in three. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when ECL fell 30.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies ECL?

These had a low correlation with ECL over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.49), DXJ (correlation 0.46) and EMLP (correlation 0.49); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.44), CLS (correlation 0.12) and FIX (correlation 0.42). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

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- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)
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- [Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/spcx)
- [Meta Platforms (META) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/meta)

## Explore further

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