Benchmark research · Apple
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed AAPL (Apple)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of AAPL (Apple Inc.), we screened AAPL against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs across 8 different time windows from 1 month to 10 years, including reinvested dividends. A contender had to come out ahead in both the short term and the long term to make the list. Data as of October 20, 2026.
Compare the entire market against AAPL live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top AAPL: Apple was difficult to outpace consistently. Of 958 eligible ETFs, 4 (0.4%) outperformed in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, and none were all-weather. Of 1,501 eligible stocks, 99 (6.6%) met the consistency rule, while 14 were all-weather. The screen covered over 10,000 stocks and ETFs.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: None of the popular alternatives made the list. INTC outperformed in 3 of 5 short-term periods but only 1 of 3 long-term periods, while XLK and DXJ each managed 2 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods. VOO, IVV, and SPY, which track the same index, each outperformed in 0 of 5 short-term and 0 of 3 long-term periods.
- Top ETFs: Commodities and energy featured among the leading ETF categories, alongside technology. All 4 qualifying ETFs outperformed in 2 of 3 long-term periods; BNO and CRAK also outperformed in all 5 short-term periods, while EWT and UGA did so in 4 of 5.
- Top stocks: 99 stocks qualified, and 14 were all-weather. The leading names came from healthcare, energy, technology, consumer discretionary, and industrials. NTRA and CORT from healthcare, MPC from energy, and AMD from technology each outperformed in all 3 long-term periods and all but one or fewer short-term periods.
- The risk trade-off: Over 5 years, the top ETFs had median volatility similar to AAPL's, and about half were less volatile. All 4 had higher Sharpe ratios, a measure of return relative to risk. The top stocks had median volatility roughly double or more than AAPL's, and 6 of 10 had higher Sharpe ratios, so the stronger returns often came with a bumpier ride.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against AAPL, sorted by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term.
| Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | ||
| AAPL Apple Inc. (benchmark) | — | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 |
| XLK Fell shortState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 2/5 short2/3 long | −4.8% | +5.7% | +20.3% | +29.0% | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 26.0%0.9× AAPL | 0.82 |
| DXJ Fell shortWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 2/5 short2/3 long | 0.0% | +4.7% | +9.9% | +25.0% | +36.4% | +127% | +225% | +428% | 19.1%0.7× AAPL | 1.34 |
| INTC Fell shortIntel Corp. | 3/5 short1/3 long | −24.7% | −5.5% | +39.6% | +133% | +141% | +167% | +79.8% | +219% | 55.6%2.0× AAPL | 0.49 |
| VGT Fell shortVanguard Information Technology ETF | 2/5 short1/3 long | −4.2% | +6.3% | +19.1% | +27.6% | +26.7% | +138% | +133% | +779% | 26.0%0.9× AAPL | 0.78 |
| AMZN Fell shortAmazon.com, Inc. | 2/5 short1/3 long | +1.6% | +5.1% | +5.8% | +16.0% | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 36.6%1.3× AAPL | 0.42 |
| CSCO Fell shortCisco Systems, Inc. | 2/5 short1/3 long | −3.9% | −3.2% | +22.6% | +42.2% | +53.8% | +118% | +118% | +374% | 26.1%0.9× AAPL | 0.73 |
| QQQ Fell shortInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 0/5 short1/3 long | −3.2% | +3.2% | +11.2% | +17.4% | +17.9% | +106% | +97.2% | +553% | 23.0%0.8× AAPL | 0.71 |
| ONEQ Fell shortFidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF | 0/5 short1/3 long | −2.5% | +3.7% | +8.6% | +14.4% | +15.9% | +107% | +83.6% | +453% | 22.5%0.8× AAPL | 0.65 |
| MSFT Fell shortMicrosoft Corporation | 3/5 short0/3 long | +6.0% | +32.5% | +27.7% | +13.2% | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 28.2%1.0× AAPL | 0.56 |
| VOO Fell shortVanguard S&P 500 ETF | 0/5 short0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 16.9%0.6× AAPL | 0.80 |
| IVV Fell shortiShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 0/5 short0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 17.0%0.6× AAPL | 0.80 |
| SPY Fell shortState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 0/5 short0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.3% | +81.7% | +321% | 17.1%0.6× AAPL | 0.79 |
| VTI Fell shortVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | 0/5 short0/3 long | −0.8% | +3.2% | +8.3% | +13.1% | +15.2% | +87.9% | +72.6% | +302% | 17.5%0.6× AAPL | 0.71 |
ETFs that consistently outperformed AAPL
Top 4 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Green cells outperformed AAPL in that period. Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Fund | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Expense | Assets | |||
| — | AAPL Apple Inc. (benchmark) | — | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 | ||
| 1 | BNO CommoditiesUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP | 5/5 short2/3 long | +13.6% | +35.6% | +40.9% | +137% | +141% | +108% | +196% | +348% | 37.1%1.3× AAPL | 0.77 | 1.15% | $768M |
| 2 | CRAK EnergyVanEck Oil Refiners ETF | 5/5 short2/3 long | +1.6% | +20.3% | +41.5% | +73.9% | +81.5% | +121% | +146% | +336% | 20.9%0.7× AAPL | 0.97 | 0.61% | $810M |
| 3 | EWT TechnologyiShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4/5 short2/3 long | −7.2% | +11.9% | +28.4% | +65.7% | +69.7% | +195% | +153% | +468% | 24.2%0.9× AAPL | 0.89 | 0.59% | $12B |
| 4 | UGA CommoditiesUnited States Gasoline Fund, LP | 4/5 short2/3 long | −0.9% | +16.9% | +40.5% | +130% | +130% | +111% | +221% | +399% | 35.1%1.3× AAPL | 0.84 | 1.08% | $167M |
Stocks that consistently outperformed AAPL
Top 10 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Individual stocks swing far more than funds; check the volatility column.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Company | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Market cap | |||
| — | AAPL Apple Inc. (benchmark) | — | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 | |
| 1 | NTRA Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchNatera, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +9.5% | +54.6% | +95.4% | +77.4% | +115% | +896% | +261% | +3,841% | 57.6%2.1× AAPL | 0.74 | $59B |
| 2 | CORT Medical - PharmaceuticalsCorcept Therapeutics Incorporated | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +2.4% | +27.2% | +151% | +205% | +48.2% | +317% | +498% | +1,593% | 75.9%2.7× AAPL | 0.81 | $13B |
| 3 | CVI Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingCVR Energy, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +16.4% | +79.1% | +106% | +147% | +78.5% | +115% | +304% | +1,424% | 52.3%1.9× AAPL | 0.80 | $6.2B |
| 4 | MPC Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingMarathon Petroleum Corporation | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +18.1% | +51.1% | +123% | +191% | +159% | +234% | +690% | +1,387% | 33.4%1.2× AAPL | 1.41 | $133B |
| 5 | WSM Specialty RetailWilliams-Sonoma, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +12.2% | +14.1% | +26.5% | +37.0% | +35.6% | +238% | +199% | +1,268% | 44.4%1.6× AAPL | 0.71 | $30B |
| 6 | AMD SemiconductorsAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −13.1% | +6.2% | +94.5% | +139% | +122% | +425% | +359% | +7,583% | 57.6%2.1× AAPL | 0.82 | $873B |
| 7 | DELL Computer HardwareDell Technologies Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −19.6% | +21.3% | +127% | +265% | +217% | +636% | +800% | +3,701% | 54.4%1.9× AAPL | 1.08 | $294B |
| 8 | BWLP Marine ShippingBW LPG Limited | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −1.7% | +22.6% | +44.0% | +117% | +136% | +230% | +958% | +2,672% | 50.9%1.8× AAPL | 1.19 | $3.8B |
| 9 | FTNT Software - InfrastructureFortinet, Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −2.5% | +6.6% | +107% | +119% | +101% | +203% | +156% | +2,626% | 44.8%1.6× AAPL | 0.65 | $125B |
| 10 | MRVL SemiconductorsMarvell Technology, Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −6.6% | +23.4% | +62.7% | +169% | +181% | +390% | +264% | +1,874% | 65.2%2.3× AAPL | 0.72 | $211B |
What stands out
The ETF leaders were concentrated in commodities, energy, and technology, while the stocks that stayed ahead came from a broader mix of sectors. The strongest stock results included healthcare companies NTRA and CORT, energy companies CVI and MPC, and technology companies AMD and DELL. Their lead was not only recent: these names outperformed in all 3 long-term periods as well as most or all short-term periods.
The risk figures show a clear difference between the groups. The top ETFs had median volatility similar to AAPL over 5 years, and all had higher Sharpe ratios. The top stocks were much more volatile, though 6 of the 10 shown still had higher Sharpe ratios. That pattern suggests some stock winners earned enough extra return relative to risk to justify the larger swings, but not all did.
Methodology
- Short-term periods: 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y. Long-term periods: 3Y, 5Y, 10Y. An investment outperformed a period when its total return, with dividends reinvested, was higher than AAPL's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of AAPL's (whichever is larger) count as a tie and are shown in gray.
- Consistent means outperforming in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, so a recent hot streak alone is not enough. All-weather means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Rankings use long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then the 10Y return.
- Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
- Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over 5 years. The Sharpe ratio is return above cash divided by volatility over the same period: higher means more return per unit of risk.
- Returns and risk figures are computed from daily adjusted prices and update with each market day. Past performance does not predict future results.