# How FedEx (FDX) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/fdx
> 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 FDX alone. It places FDX (FedEx Corporation) 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 FDX stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: FDX'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:** FDX has gone against the market, falling 5.4% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Its freight & logistics peers split over the past 6 months: EXPD (Expeditors International of Washington) rose 33.6%, while XPO (XPO Logistics) fell 18.2%.
- **Stock or market?:** FDX held up far better than its industry: it fell 2.1% over the past 3 months while the freight & logistics ETF IYT (iShares U.S. Transportation ETF) fell 9.3%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its freight & logistics peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: EXPD (Expeditors International of Washington) rose 11.9%, while ODFL (Old Dominion Freight Line) fell 18.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, FDX rose 56.7% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. That said, FDX finished behind the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
- **Long term:** FDX turned $10,000 into $25,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, FDX has typically fallen 1.5 times as far as the S&P 500. In the 2022 bear market, FDX fell 45.3%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than UPS (United Parcel Service, 29.8%) but less than GXO (GXO Logistics, 62.5%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, FDX has a correlation of 0.63 over 5 years, more closely than 94% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. Over 10 years, FDX's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.29: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.2 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.7 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CVX (Chevron, integrated oil & gas) and TTE (TotalEnergies, integrated oil & gas) earned more than FDX with less volatility over the past 5 years. CVX returned 19.5% a year at 25.2% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 32.8%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** The S&P 500 matched FDX's return over the past 5 years (12.7% a year against 12.0%) with 48% less volatility.
  - **Whole market:** 346 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than FDX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway) and BRK-A (Berkshire Hathaway).

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

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

- All eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of FDX, and AMZN finished highest, at $11,484,924.
- $10,000 invested in FDX at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $138,138 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.

## FDX 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.

- FDX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 71.3%, from February 2007 to March 2009. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, FDX's best was 2020, when it returned 74.3%, and its worst was 2018, when it lost 34.7%. It lost money in nine of those years.
- FDX is 11.6% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Industrials (Integrated Freight & Logistics)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $71B
- Volatility (5 years): 32.8%; Sharpe ratio: 0.52
- Worst decline ever: −71.3%, from February 23, 2007 to March 9, 2009; back at its high by September 19, 2013

| Period | FDX total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +1.0% |
| 3 months | −2.1% |
| 6 months | −5.4% |
| year to date | +27.6% |
| 1 year | +56.7% |
| 3 years | +63.1% |
| 5 years | +76.6% |
| 10 years | +156% |

## FDX against the whole market

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

### How does FDX rank among all stocks?

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

- FDX's 1-year return ranks in the top 14% of the 3,287 stocks worth at least $300 million with 1 year of history.

| Measure | FDX | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +56.7% | 459 of 3,287 (top 14%) |
| 3-year return | +63.1% | 1,357 of 3,017 (top 45%) |
| 5-year return | +76.6% | 844 of 2,893 (top 30%) |
| 10-year return | +156% | 1,055 of 2,202 (top 48%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 32.8% | 977 of 2,893 (top 34%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.52 | 889 of 2,893 (top 31%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −66.0% | 1,142 of 2,187 (top 53%) |

### What has beaten FDX 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).

- 207 stocks and 139 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than FDX over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 10% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half FDX's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 24% less than FDX's 32.8%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.52 for FDX.
- None of FDX's popular alternatives made it, but MPLX (oil & gas midstream) did: 23.5% a year at 18.8% volatility, 43% less than FDX's 32.8%.

### Is there a better investment than FDX?

The table below lists investments that beat FDX 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 FDX's popular alternatives, EXPD and AMZN were ahead of FDX in most short and long periods.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CVX (integrated oil & gas) and TTE (integrated oil & gas) earned more than FDX with less volatility over the past 5 years. CVX returned 19.5% a year at 25.2% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 32.8%.
- The S&P 500 matched FDX's return over the past 5 years (12.7% a year against 12.0%) with 48% less volatility.

The 15 strongest of 346 investments that beat FDX 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 FDX | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FDX: FedEx Corporation (this page) |  | +12.0% | 32.8% | 0.52 | −66.0% | +156% |  |  |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.20 | 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% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Banks | +17.3% | 24.3% | 0.78 | −43.6% | +537% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.52 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.28 | 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% | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | +19.6% | 24.9% | 0.85 | −24.9% | +266% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | Banks | +15.8% | 20.0% | 0.84 | −42.0% | +310% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Technology Equity | +18.4% | 26.0% | 0.78 | −35.1% | +779% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CB](https://easycompare.io/research/cb): Chubb Limited | Property & Casualty Insurance | +15.7% | 20.4% | 0.82 | −42.6% | +248% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +22.4% | 22.3% | 1.02 | −46.3% | +347% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## FDX against its popular alternatives

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

### How do FDX'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.

- None of the 18 popular alternatives earned more than FDX over the past 5 years with smaller price swings, so every higher return on the map came with a bumpier ride.
- 11 of the 18 popular alternatives earned less than FDX over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, FDX returned 12.0% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (32.8% against 17.1%).

### Has FDX consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Two of the 19 popular alternatives, EXPD and AMZN, outperformed FDX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- XPO and EXPD earned more for the risk they took than FDX (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 FDX | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FDX: FedEx Corporation (this page) | +56.7% | +63.1% | +76.6% | +156% |  |  | 0.52 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | +66.5% | +78.4% | +76.6% | +349% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.56 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.42 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | +39.6% | +159% | +278% | +1,467% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.80 |
| [NSC](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc): Norfolk Southern Corporation | +13.8% | +72.0% | +29.5% | +328% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.33 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | +73.5% | +39.6% | +56.1% | +633% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.43 |
| [ODFL](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl): Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | +34.7% | −2.5% | +23.4% | +747% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | +7.5% | −12.9% | +25.2% | +1,050% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | +17.6% | −1.6% | +5.2% | +537% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | +37.9% | +32.2% | +21.6% | +220% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | +12.0% | +76.2% | +60.0% | +157% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| RXO: RXO, Inc. | +58.0% | +52.3% | — | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| [CNI](https://easycompare.io/research/cni): Canadian National Railway Company | +30.2% | +21.9% | +3.1% | +124% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.14 |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | +34.6% | +28.2% | +23.3% | +156% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| [UPS](https://easycompare.io/research/ups): United Parcel Service, Inc. | +20.8% | −23.0% | −36.1% | +35.4% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.17 |
| GXO: GXO Logistics, Inc. | −12.3% | −8.0% | −43.8% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |
| SNDR: Schneider National, Inc. | +32.6% | +20.9% | +35.1% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | +7.2% | −17.2% | −29.9% | +66.8% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |
| [BA](https://easycompare.io/research/ba): The Boeing Company | −12.2% | +5.8% | −11.9% | +52.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | −28.8% | −29.8% | −27.6% | +38.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.00 |

### How did FDX do year by year?

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

- FDX finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 15 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, XPO came out ahead of FDX most often, in 14 of the 22 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, FDX finished in the top quarter in six of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 8 of 20.

| Year | FDX | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +5.1% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +13.5% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +49.1% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −31.6% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +0.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +74.3% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | −4.8% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −34.7% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +35.2% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +26.1% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How FDX 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 FDX's worst declines?

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

- In all four of FDX's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: FDX fell 49.7% from May 1999 to March 2000, while the S&P 500 rose 0.6%.
- The slowest recovery came after FDX fell 71.3% from February 2007 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until September 2013, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −71.3% | February 23, 2007 | March 9, 2009 | September 19, 2013 | −51.1% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −66.0% | January 19, 2018 | March 16, 2020 | October 7, 2020 | −11.2% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −60.3% | October 13, 1987 | November 30, 1990 | January 12, 1994 | — |  |
| −53.7% | May 27, 2021 | September 26, 2022 | June 28, 2024 | −11.2% | 2022 bear market |
| −49.7% | May 13, 1999 | March 7, 2000 | December 18, 2001 | +0.6% |  |

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

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

- FDX fell further than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when FDX fell 45.3% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, CHRW held up best, falling less than FDX in all ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | FDX 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 | −67.8% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.3% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −29.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −27.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.0% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −38.1% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −44.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −45.3% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −5.3% | −3.4% |

### How closely does FDX 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.

- 12 of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than FDX's 0.70, led by ODFL, SAIA and XPO.
- ODFL took just 107% of the S&P 500's losses, against 166% for FDX, while still keeping 127% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, FDX captured 116% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 166% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.29. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FDX: FedEx Corporation (this page) | 116% | 166% | 1.29 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | 118% | 135% | 0.95 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | 190% | 185% | 2.03 |
| [NSC](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc): Norfolk Southern Corporation | 123% | 147% | 1.30 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | 155% | 166% | 1.68 |
| [ODFL](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl): Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 127% | 107% | 1.10 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | 169% | 162% | 1.73 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | 150% | 159% | 1.58 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | 109% | 137% | 1.18 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | 87.0% | 106% | 0.84 |
| [CNI](https://easycompare.io/research/cni): Canadian National Railway Company | 80.0% | 105% | 0.89 |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | 111% | 156% | 1.25 |
| [UPS](https://easycompare.io/research/ups): United Parcel Service, Inc. | 85.0% | 149% | 1.08 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | 99.0% | 151% | 1.06 |
| [BA](https://easycompare.io/research/ba): The Boeing Company | 93.0% | 152% | 1.42 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | 100% | 167% | 1.13 |

### What diversifies FDX?

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 FDX into DBMF would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 20% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+12.2% for FDX alone, +13.0% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, SMH, GLD and SPMO have moved largely independently of FDX over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.48 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- XLE made money in six of the nine calendar years in which FDX lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with FDX | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in FDX's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.48 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.27 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.43 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 9 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.41 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 6 of 9 |
| EUFN: iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF | 0.44 | +133% | 21.8% | 0.89 | 1 of 9 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.43 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 3 of 9 |
| DBMF: iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | -0.11 | +59.7% | 12.4% | 0.82 | 1 of 9 |
| [XLK](https://easycompare.io/research/xlk): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.48 | +143% | 26.0% | 0.82 | 5 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was FDX's worst drawdown?

FDX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 71.3%, from February 2007 to March 2009. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, FDX's best year was 2020, when it returned 74.3%. Its worst was 2018, with a return of -34.7%.

### Is there a better investment than FDX?

Among FDX's popular alternatives, EXPD and AMZN were ahead of FDX in most short and long periods. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CVX (integrated oil & gas) and TTE (integrated oil & gas) earned more than FDX with less volatility over the past 5 years. CVX returned 19.5% a year at 25.2% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 32.8%.

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

Yes. FDX's volatility over the past 5 years was 32.8%, about twice the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, FDX's return lands within 32.8% 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 FDX's Sharpe ratio?

FDX's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.52, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so FDX 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 FDX with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, FDX's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.63 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 FDX instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a FDX holding.

### What are the best alternatives to FDX?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed FDX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: EXPD and AMZN.

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

FDX finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 15 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +5.1%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

FDX fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in nine. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when FDX fell 45.3% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies FDX?

These had a low correlation with FDX over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, SMH (correlation 0.48), GLD (correlation 0.27) and SPMO (correlation 0.43); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.20), CLS (correlation 0.24) and FIX (correlation 0.31). 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)
- [Norfolk Southern (NSC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc)
- [Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl)
- [Canadian National Railway (CNI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cni)
- [United Parcel Service (UPS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ups)
- [Boeing (BA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ba)
- [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)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)

## Explore further

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