# How Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT (ELC) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/elc
> 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 ELC alone. It places ELC (Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where ELC stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ELC's full trading record, from August 2016 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:** ELC has gone against the market, falling 9.5% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%.
- **Stock or market?:** Beta versus the S&P 500 is 0.34, which would have pointed to 1.3% over the past 3 months. ELC fell 7.7% instead.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, ELC fell 10.3% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (7.6% against 89.3%). ELC led its investment grade bond peers in 2023, then fell behind VCIT (Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF) and VCSH (Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF) in 2025.
- **Long term:** ELC turned $10,000 into $12,200 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. ELC's 10-year return of 21.9% puts it behind 78% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** The 2022 bear market took 11.2% off ELC, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than VCSH (Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF, 7.6%) but less than VCIT (Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF, 17.4%).
- **Diversification:** ELC fell in 17 of the 22 months the S&P 500 fell over the past 5 years: it usually fell with it. ELC is some diversification, but not a hedge: a correlation of 0.42 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.41 with the total US market, more closely than 56% of stocks worth at least $300 million.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** BIL (State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF, treasury bonds) and NEAR (iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF, short-term bonds) earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years. BIL returned 3.7% a year at 0.3% volatility, against a loss of 1.1% a year at 12.1%.
  - **Whole market:** 219 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BNDX (Vanguard Total International Bond ETF), SGOV (iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF) and EP-PC (El Paso Energy Capital Trust I PFD CV TR SECS).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in ELC at the end of September 2016 would have grown to $12,477 by September 2026, less than the $41,286 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- All eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ELC, and ETR finished highest, at $37,684.

## ELC 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.

- ELC's deepest decline since it began trading in 2016 was 21.1%, from February to March 2020. It took two months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over nine full calendar years, ELC's best was 2017, when it returned 23.6%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 15.6%. It lost money in four of those years.
- ELC is 12.8% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Utilities (Regulated Electric)
- Trading since: August 18, 2016
- Market value: $46B
- Volatility (5 years): 12.1%; Sharpe ratio: -0.03
- Worst decline ever: −21.1%, from February 20, 2020 to March 18, 2020; back at its high by May 29, 2020

| Period | ELC total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −5.9% |
| 3 months | −7.7% |
| 6 months | −9.5% |
| year to date | −7.9% |
| 1 year | −10.3% |
| 3 years | +7.6% |
| 5 years | −5.4% |
| 10 years | +21.9% |

## ELC against the whole market

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

### How does ELC rank among all stocks?

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

- ELC's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 1% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.
- On return for the risk taken (the Sharpe ratio), ELC ranks in the bottom 17% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | ELC | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −10.3% | 2,353 of 3,287 (top 72%) |
| 3-year return | +7.6% | 2,201 of 3,017 (top 73%) |
| 5-year return | −5.4% | 1,792 of 2,893 (top 62%) |
| 10-year return | +21.9% | 1,724 of 2,202 (top 79%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 12.1% | 10 of 2,893 (top 1%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | -0.03 | 2,412 of 2,893 (top 84%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −21.1% | 1 of 2,187 (top 1%) |

### What has beaten ELC 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).

- Three stocks and 216 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ELC over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 6% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half ELC's swings, LVHI has the best return for its risk: 17.0% a year at 11.1% volatility, 8% less than ELC's 12.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.48 against -0.03 for ELC.
- Among ELC's popular alternatives, SLQD, IGSB and VCSH are in the region. SLQD earned 2.5% a year against a loss of 1.1% a year for ELC, at 2.5% volatility, 79% less than ELC's 12.1%.

### Is there a better investment than ELC?

The table below lists investments that beat ELC 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 ELC's popular alternatives, VCSH and USIG earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years. VCSH returned 2.3% a year at 2.9% volatility, against a loss of 1.1% a year at 12.1%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, BIL (treasury bonds) and NEAR (short-term bonds) earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years. BIL returned 3.7% a year at 0.3% volatility, against a loss of 1.1% a year at 12.1%.
- Across the whole market, 219 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BNDX, SGOV and EP-PC.

The 15 strongest of 219 investments that beat ELC 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 ELC | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ELC: Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT (this page) |  | −1.1% | 12.1% | -0.03 | −21.1% | +21.9% |  |  |
| [BIL](https://easycompare.io/research/bil): State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | Treasury Bonds | +3.7% | 0.3% | 14.05 | −0.2% | +25.8% | 0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| VRIG: Invesco Variable Rate Investment Grade ETF | Bonds | +4.7% | 1.3% | 3.51 | −13.1% | +40.5% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| FLOT: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF | Floating Rate Bonds | +4.5% | 1.8% | 2.48 | −13.5% | +35.9% | 0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| JAAA: Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF | CLO Bonds | +5.1% | 1.7% | 2.98 | −2.6% | — | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| FLRN: State Street SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF | Bonds | +4.5% | 1.7% | 2.58 | −14.7% | +35.9% | 0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| NEAR: iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | Short-Term Bonds | +3.9% | 1.4% | 2.71 | −9.6% | +31.8% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| LMBS: First Trust Low Duration Opportunities ETF | Mortgage-Backed Securities | +3.0% | 2.6% | 1.14 | −6.5% | +25.6% | 0.49 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| RAVI: Northern Trust Ultra-Short Fixed Income ETF | Bonds | +3.8% | 1.4% | 2.61 | −3.7% | +30.8% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTIP](https://easycompare.io/research/vtip): Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF | Treasury Bonds | +2.7% | 2.9% | 0.94 | −6.3% | +32.7% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| SPSB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF | Investment Grade Bonds | +2.8% | 2.0% | 1.38 | −11.8% | +29.2% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| STIP: iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF | Treasury Bonds | +2.6% | 2.8% | 0.94 | −6.5% | +32.4% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| BALT: Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | Crypto | +6.3% | 3.3% | 1.85 | −4.9% | — | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LDUR: PIMCO Enhanced Low Duration Active Exchange-Traded Fund | Bonds | +2.4% | 2.1% | 1.13 | −8.7% | +26.7% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| FJAN: FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January | Multi-Asset | +11.1% | 10.5% | 1.05 | −13.6% | — | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JEPI](https://easycompare.io/research/jepi): JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF | Equity Income | +7.5% | 11.0% | 0.71 | −13.7% | — | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## ELC against its popular alternatives

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

### How do ELC'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.

- 13 of the 19 popular alternatives, led by SLQD, IGSB and SPIB, were both more rewarding and calmer than ELC over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, ELC returned -1.1% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with lower volatility (12.1% against 17.1%).

### Has ELC consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- 16 of the 20 popular alternatives, led by ETR, XLU and PFF, outperformed ELC in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- ETR, XLU and PFF outperformed ELC in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SLQD, IGSB and VCSH earned more for the risk they took than ELC (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 ELC | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ELC: Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT (this page) | −10.3% | +7.6% | −5.4% | +21.9% |  |  | -0.03 |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | +11.4% | +149% | +141% | +311% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.90 |
| XLU: State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | −5.9% | +57.9% | +45.4% | +138% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.52 |
| PFF: iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | −3.8% | +21.6% | −0.9% | +29.6% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.04 |
| IGSB: iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | +0.7% | +17.3% | +12.4% | +29.4% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.80 |
| IGIB: iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | −2.7% | +21.9% | +3.9% | +28.8% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.15 |
| SLQD: iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | +1.3% | +16.4% | +13.3% | +28.6% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.02 |
| [VCSH](https://easycompare.io/research/vcsh): Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF | +0.7% | +17.0% | +12.1% | +28.6% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.80 |
| SPIB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Intermediate Term Corporate Bond ETF | −0.4% | +19.4% | +8.1% | +28.4% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.37 |
| [VCIT](https://easycompare.io/research/vcit): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF | −2.6% | +21.5% | +3.2% | +26.4% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.13 |
| CORP: PIMCO Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index Exchange-Traded Fund | −2.2% | +20.0% | +1.4% | +25.9% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.07 |
| SPBO: State Street SPDR Portfolio Corporate Bond ETF | −2.2% | +20.5% | +0.4% | +25.1% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.05 |
| USIG: iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | −2.5% | +19.7% | +0.3% | +23.5% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.04 |
| LQD: iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | −3.9% | +19.7% | −4.3% | +20.5% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | -0.06 |
| [AGG](https://easycompare.io/research/agg): iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | −1.9% | +16.2% | −1.5% | +13.3% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | -0.02 |
| IG: Principal Investment Grade Corporate Active ETF | −2.2% | +19.8% | −2.9% | — | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | -0.04 |
| IGEB: iShares Investment Grade Systematic Bond ETF | −2.1% | +21.3% | +2.6% | — | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.11 |
| IGLB: iShares 10+ Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | −6.3% | +21.1% | −14.4% | +14.1% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.19 |
| VCLT: Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF | −6.9% | +20.0% | −15.2% | +13.7% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| SPLB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF | −6.6% | +20.4% | −15.3% | +12.9% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| PFFD: Global X - U.S. Preferred ETF | −5.7% | +17.9% | −9.4% | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.12 |

### How did ELC do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2017, along with where ELC ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- ELC finished ahead of the S&P 500 in three of its nine full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, ETR came out ahead of ELC most often, in six of the nine years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ELC finished in the top quarter in three of nine years and in the bottom quarter in one. In 2025, it ranked 20 of 20.

| Year | ELC | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −0.4% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +8.1% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +10.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −15.7% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −1.2% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +8.7% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +17.8% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −2.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +23.6% | +21.7% |

## Risk and diversification

How ELC 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 ELC's worst declines?

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

- In four of ELC's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: ELC fell 17.5% from September to December 2016, while the S&P 500 rose 5.6%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 15 months, after ELC fell 18.0% from August to December 2022.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −21.1% | February 20, 2020 | March 18, 2020 | May 29, 2020 | −28.8% | Covid crash |
| −18.0% | August 4, 2022 | December 28, 2022 | March 8, 2024 | −8.3% | 2022 bear market |
| −17.5% | September 26, 2016 | December 12, 2016 | July 7, 2017 | +5.6% |  |
| −13.2% | August 30, 2018 | November 20, 2018 | January 11, 2019 | −8.6% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −13.2% | October 16, 2024 | October 12, 2026 | not yet | +36.7% |  |

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

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

- ELC fell less than the S&P 500 in all five crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when ELC fell 11.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, IGSB held up best, falling less than ELC in all five crashes they both traded through.
- ELC began trading after the 2008 financial crisis, but eight of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was IGSB's 11.5%, against 55.2% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | ELC 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 | not trading | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | not trading | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | not trading | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | not trading | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −0.9% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −9.3% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −21.1% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −11.3% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −2.8% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ELC 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, ELC captured 25% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 35% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.24. Its share of the market's losses was slightly larger than its share of the gains.
- Nine of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ELC's 0.71, led by ETR, SLQD and IGSB.
- ETR took just 24% of the S&P 500's losses, against 35% for ELC, while still keeping 58% of its gains.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ELC: Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT (this page) | 25.0% | 35.0% | 0.24 |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | 58.0% | 24.0% | 0.53 |
| XLU: State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | 48.0% | 42.0% | 0.48 |
| PFF: iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | 39.0% | 59.0% | 0.50 |
| IGSB: iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 13.0% | 8.0% | 0.11 |
| IGIB: iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 22.0% | 29.0% | 0.27 |
| SLQD: iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 11.0% | 6.0% | 0.09 |
| SPIB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Intermediate Term Corporate Bond ETF | 17.0% | 18.0% | 0.18 |
| [VCIT](https://easycompare.io/research/vcit): Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF | 22.0% | 29.0% | 0.26 |
| CORP: PIMCO Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index Exchange-Traded Fund | 22.0% | 30.0% | 0.26 |
| SPBO: State Street SPDR Portfolio Corporate Bond ETF | 22.0% | 31.0% | 0.27 |
| USIG: iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 22.0% | 31.0% | 0.27 |
| LQD: iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 25.0% | 39.0% | 0.33 |
| [AGG](https://easycompare.io/research/agg): iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | 12.0% | 17.0% | 0.14 |
| IGLB: iShares 10+ Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 33.0% | 58.0% | 0.46 |
| VCLT: Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF | 33.0% | 59.0% | 0.46 |
| SPLB: State Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF | 33.0% | 60.0% | 0.47 |

### What diversifies ELC?

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 ELC into LVHI would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 14% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-0.5% for ELC alone, +2.9% for the mix).
- FIX made money in four of the four calendar years in which ELC lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of ELC over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.37 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with ELC | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ELC's 4 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.37 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 4 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.31 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 4 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.23 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 4 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.20 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 4 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.42 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 2 of 4 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.45 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 4 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.15 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 4 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.23 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 4 |

## Common questions

### What was ELC's worst drawdown?

ELC's deepest decline since it began trading in 2016 was 21.1%, from February to March 2020. It took two months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because ELC launched in August 2016, that record does not include the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis or three other sell-offs.

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

Over nine full calendar years, ELC's best year was 2017, when it returned 23.6%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -15.6%.

### Is there a better investment than ELC?

Among ELC's popular alternatives, VCSH and USIG earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years. VCSH returned 2.3% a year at 2.9% volatility, against a loss of 1.1% a year at 12.1%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, BIL (treasury bonds) and NEAR (short-term bonds) earned more than ELC with less volatility over the past 5 years. BIL returned 3.7% a year at 0.3% volatility, against a loss of 1.1% a year at 12.1%.

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

No. ELC's volatility over the past 5 years was 12.1%, 70% of the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, ELC's return lands within 12.1% 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 ELC's Sharpe ratio?

ELC's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was -0.03, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so ELC 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 ELC with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ELC's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.42 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 ELC instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ELC holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ELC?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, 16 outperformed ELC in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: ETR, XLU and PFF.

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

ELC finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of nine full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -0.4%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

ELC fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in five of the five major crashes it has traded through, and further in no. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when ELC fell 11.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies ELC?

These had a low correlation with ELC over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.37), DXJ (correlation 0.31) and EMLP (correlation 0.23); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.03), CLS (correlation 0.19) and FIX (correlation 0.19). 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/elc
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against ELC live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=ELC&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research