# How Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/fitb
> 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 FITB alone. It places FITB (Fifth Third Bancorp) 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 FITB stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: FITB'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:** FITB has gone against the market, falling 7.9% over the past 3 months while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. That said, after a 29.9% loss from November 2024 to April 2025, FITB has bounced 27.1% off the low.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the regional banks ETF KRE (State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF) fell 6.4% over the past 3 months, with USB (U.S. Bancorp, down 5.5%) and PNC (PNC Financial Services Group, down 10.8%), while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, FITB rose 29.6% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (151% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** FITB turned $10,000 into $35,500 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, FITB has typically fallen 1.6 times as far as the S&P 500. The Covid crash took 60.9% off FITB, against 33.7% for the S&P 500. That was more than USB (U.S. Bancorp, 47.2%) but less than WTFC (Wintrust Financial, 62.7%).
- **Diversification:** FITB is some diversification, but not a hedge: a correlation of 0.51 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.55 with the total US market, more closely than 75% of stocks worth at least $300 million.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** V (Visa), JPM (JPMorgan Chase & Co.) and ONB (Old National Bancorp) earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. V returned 12.8% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** RY (Royal Bank of Canada, banks) and MA (Mastercard, payment processing) earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. RY returned 17.3% a year at 18.2% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%.
  - **Whole market:** 775 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), MSFT (Microsoft) and VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in FITB at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $38,728 by September 2026, less 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 FITB, and JPM finished highest, at $189,407.

## FITB 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.

- FITB's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 98.1%, from April 2002 to February 2009. It took about 12 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, FITB's best was 1997, when it returned 97.8%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 65.6%. It lost money in ten of those years.
- FITB is 11.0% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Banks - Regional)
- Trading since: October 20, 1986
- Market value: $48B
- Volatility (5 years): 31.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.37
- Worst decline ever: −98.1%, from April 12, 2002 to February 20, 2009; back at its high by April 29, 2021

| Period | FITB total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −0.9% |
| 3 months | −7.9% |
| 6 months | +4.4% |
| year to date | +12.5% |
| 1 year | +29.6% |
| 3 years | +151% |
| 5 years | +38.9% |
| 10 years | +255% |

## FITB against the whole market

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

### How does FITB rank among all stocks?

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

- FITB's 3-year return ranks in the top 20% of the 3,017 stocks worth at least $300 million with 3 years of history.

| Measure | FITB | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +29.6% | 986 of 3,287 (top 30%) |
| 3-year return | +151% | 593 of 3,017 (top 20%) |
| 5-year return | +38.9% | 1,229 of 2,893 (top 43%) |
| 10-year return | +255% | 698 of 2,202 (top 32%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 31.4% | 857 of 2,893 (top 30%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.37 | 1,333 of 2,893 (top 47%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −64.0% | 1,045 of 2,187 (top 48%) |

### What has beaten FITB 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).

- 299 stocks and 476 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than FITB over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 21% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half FITB's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 21% less than FITB's 31.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.37 for FITB.
- Among FITB's popular alternatives, JPM, V and ONB are in the region. JPM earned 17.3% a year against 6.8% a year for FITB, at 24.3% volatility, 23% less than FITB's 31.4%.

### Is there a better investment than FITB?

The table below lists investments that beat FITB 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 FITB's popular alternatives, V, JPM and ONB earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. V returned 12.8% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, RY (banks) and MA (payment processing) earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. RY returned 17.3% a year at 18.2% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%.
- Across the whole market, 775 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, MSFT and VTI.

The 15 strongest of 775 investments that beat FITB 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 FITB | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FITB: Fifth Third Bancorp (this page) |  | +6.8% | 31.4% | 0.37 | −64.0% | +255% |  |  |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | -0.03 | 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% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.51 | 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% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.73 | 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% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +16.8% | 26.1% | 0.73 | −42.0% | +374% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.10 | 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% | 0.24 | 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% | 0.26 | 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% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MNST](https://easycompare.io/research/mnst): Monster Beverage Corporation | Food & Beverages | +17.2% | 24.9% | 0.77 | −30.4% | +285% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [AFL](https://easycompare.io/research/afl): Aflac Incorporated | Life Insurance | +19.0% | 20.8% | 0.95 | −54.9% | +335% | 0.50 | 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% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## FITB against its popular alternatives

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

### How do FITB'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.

- Eight of the 22 popular alternatives, led by JPM, V and WTFC, were both more rewarding and calmer than FITB over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, FITB returned 6.8% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (31.4% against 17.1%).

### Has FITB consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- EWBC outperformed FITB in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- Two of the 22 popular alternatives, EWBC and V, outperformed FITB in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- JPM, V and ONB earned more for the risk they took than FITB (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 FITB | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FITB: Fifth Third Bancorp (this page) | +29.6% | +151% | +38.9% | +255% |  |  | 0.37 |
| EWBC: East West Bancorp, Inc. | +33.8% | +170% | +70.1% | +304% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.48 |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | +19.0% | +78.2% | +82.5% | +429% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.64 |
| CFG: Citizens Financial Group, Inc. | +31.5% | +205% | +55.0% | +266% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.43 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | +13.0% | +150% | +122% | +537% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.78 |
| RF: Regions Financial Corporation | +20.5% | +120% | +45.7% | +278% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| ONB: Old National Bancorp | +25.7% | +98.4% | +65.7% | +144% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | −0.6% | +107% | +21.6% | +282% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| WTFC: Wintrust Financial Corporation | +17.3% | +107% | +73.1% | +212% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| MTB: M&T Bank Corporation | +23.4% | +111% | +59.3% | +143% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| BOKF: BOK Financial Corporation | +17.3% | +85.5% | +42.1% | +128% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| FHN: First Horizon Corporation | +15.4% | +141% | +58.2% | +113% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |
| CFR: Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. | +28.4% | +99.0% | +39.9% | +181% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.38 |
| CBSH: Commerce Bancshares, Inc. | +10.3% | +50.5% | +7.4% | +119% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.18 |
| [USB](https://easycompare.io/research/usb): U.S. Bancorp | +30.3% | +117% | +17.6% | +94.6% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.26 |
| KEY: KeyCorp | +24.6% | +143% | +11.9% | +143% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.25 |
| KBE: State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF | +15.3% | +99.4% | +30.0% | +140% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.33 |
| WAL: Western Alliance Bancorporation | +1.9% | +89.9% | −29.5% | +133% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.20 |
| [TFC](https://easycompare.io/research/tfc): Truist Financial Corporation | +13.6% | +102% | −5.7% | +82.7% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| [PNC](https://easycompare.io/research/pnc): The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. | +25.3% | +120% | +25.1% | +230% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| [SCHW](https://easycompare.io/research/schw): The Charles Schwab Corporation | −3.1% | +86.2% | +19.1% | +221% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| ZION: Zions Bancorporation, National Association | +28.1% | +139% | +17.9% | +167% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| HBAN: Huntington Bancshares Incorporated | +1.9% | +82.4% | +16.1% | +132% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.25 |

### How did FITB do year by year?

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

- FITB finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, V came out ahead of FITB most often, in 12 of the 17 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, FITB finished in the top quarter in six of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in seven. In 2025, it ranked 11 of 23.

| Year | FITB | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +14.8% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +27.2% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +10.4% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −21.9% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +62.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −5.4% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +35.2% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −20.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +15.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +37.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How FITB 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 FITB's worst declines?

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

- In all four of FITB's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: FITB fell 39.8% from November 1999 to March 2000, while the S&P 500 slipped only 2.9%.
- The slowest recovery came after FITB fell 98.1% from April 2002 to February 2009; it did not regain that peak until April 2021, 12 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −98.1% | April 12, 2002 | February 20, 2009 | April 29, 2021 | −21.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −51.7% | January 14, 2022 | May 4, 2023 | October 17, 2024 | −11.1% | 2022 bear market |
| −39.8% | November 16, 1999 | March 8, 2000 | September 11, 2000 | −2.9% |  |
| −39.2% | October 3, 1989 | September 24, 1990 | February 15, 1991 | — |  |
| −29.9% | November 25, 2024 | April 21, 2025 | December 10, 2025 | −13.5% |  |

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

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

- FITB fell further than the S&P 500 in eight of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when FITB fell 96.9% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, CBSH held up best, falling less than FITB in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | FITB fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −22.0% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −96.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.3% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −28.9% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −34.9% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.1% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −23.8% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −60.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −36.5% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −22.1% | −3.4% |

### How closely does FITB 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.

- V took just 79% of the S&P 500's losses, against 114% for FITB, while still keeping 93% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, FITB captured 102% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 114% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.22. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- Six of the 22 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than FITB's 0.89, led by V, JPM and SCHW.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FITB: Fifth Third Bancorp (this page) | 102% | 114% | 1.22 |
| EWBC: East West Bancorp, Inc. | 111% | 118% | 1.39 |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | 93.0% | 79.0% | 0.87 |
| CFG: Citizens Financial Group, Inc. | 118% | 140% | 1.37 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 117% | 103% | 1.09 |
| RF: Regions Financial Corporation | 113% | 127% | 1.26 |
| ONB: Old National Bancorp | 75.0% | 89.0% | 0.89 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | 127% | 146% | 1.36 |
| WTFC: Wintrust Financial Corporation | 97.0% | 117% | 1.20 |
| MTB: M&T Bank Corporation | 75.0% | 86.0% | 0.86 |
| BOKF: BOK Financial Corporation | 92.0% | 123% | 1.13 |
| FHN: First Horizon Corporation | 66.0% | 79.0% | 1.03 |
| CFR: Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. | 75.0% | 77.0% | 0.97 |
| CBSH: Commerce Bancshares, Inc. | 59.0% | 64.0% | 0.77 |
| [USB](https://easycompare.io/research/usb): U.S. Bancorp | 89.0% | 130% | 1.05 |
| KEY: KeyCorp | 100% | 132% | 1.28 |
| KBE: State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF | 92.0% | 121% | 1.15 |
| WAL: Western Alliance Bancorporation | 117% | 169% | 1.52 |
| [TFC](https://easycompare.io/research/tfc): Truist Financial Corporation | 86.0% | 126% | 1.11 |
| [PNC](https://easycompare.io/research/pnc): The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. | 108% | 127% | 1.15 |
| [SCHW](https://easycompare.io/research/schw): The Charles Schwab Corporation | 89.0% | 90.0% | 0.91 |
| ZION: Zions Bancorporation, National Association | 97.0% | 122% | 1.17 |
| HBAN: Huntington Bancshares Incorporated | 89.0% | 116% | 1.13 |

### What diversifies FITB?

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 FITB into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+7.6% for FITB alone, +10.7% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, SMH and DBEF have moved largely independently of FITB 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 six of the ten calendar years in which FITB lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with FITB | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in FITB's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.21 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.33 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 10 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.49 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | -0.01 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 10 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.44 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 10 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.36 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 5 of 10 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.35 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 5 of 10 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.47 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 3 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was FITB's worst drawdown?

FITB's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 98.1%, from April 2002 to February 2009. It took about 12 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, FITB's best year was 1997, when it returned 97.8%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -65.6%.

### Is there a better investment than FITB?

Among FITB's popular alternatives, V, JPM and ONB earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. V returned 12.8% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, RY (banks) and MA (payment processing) earned more than FITB with less volatility over the past 5 years. RY returned 17.3% a year at 18.2% volatility, against 6.8% a year at 31.4%.

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

Yes. FITB's volatility over the past 5 years was 31.4%, 1.8 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, FITB's return lands within 31.4% 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 FITB's Sharpe ratio?

FITB's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.37, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so FITB 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 FITB with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, FITB's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.51 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 FITB instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a FITB holding.

### What are the best alternatives to FITB?

Of the 22 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed FITB in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: EWBC and V.

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

FITB finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +14.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

FITB fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in eight. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when FITB fell 96.9% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies FITB?

These had a low correlation with FITB over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.21), SMH (correlation 0.33) and DBEF (correlation 0.49); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.24), CLS (correlation 0.29) and FIX (correlation 0.30). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Visa (V) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/v)
- [JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm)
- [Bank of America (BAC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bac)
- [U.S. Bancorp (USB) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/usb)
- [Truist Financial (TFC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tfc)
- [PNC Financial Services Group (PNC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/pnc)
- [Charles Schwab (SCHW) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schw)
- [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)

## Explore further

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