# How Corning (GLW) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/glw
> 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 GLW alone. It places GLW (Corning Inc) against 19 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where GLW stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: GLW'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:** GLW has gone against the market, falling 19.7% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. GLW is 48.1% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is GLW's own: it fell 13.3% over the past 3 months while the electronic components ETF XLK (State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF) rose 5.7%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its electronic component peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: LITE (Lumentum) rose 7.4%, while FN (Fabrinet) fell 28.1%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, GLW rose 56.6% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (419% against 89.3%). GLW finished ahead of the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
- **Long term:** GLW turned $10,000 into $71,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. GLW's 10-year return of 616% puts it ahead of 90% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, GLW has typically fallen 1.4 times as far as the S&P 500. The 2022 bear market took 30.9% off GLW, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than APH (Amphenol, 27.8%) but less than LITE (Lumentum, 36.3%).
- **Diversification:** GLW's link to the S&P 500 has loosened: a correlation of 0.39 over the past 5 years, down from 0.69 in the 5 years before. Over 10 years, GLW's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.14: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.1 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 67% as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** SMH (VanEck Semiconductor ETF, semiconductors) earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years: 33.4% a year at 36.9% volatility, against 31.4% a year at 42.1%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 42 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them LLY (Eli Lilly and Company), HSBC and GE (GE Aerospace).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in GLW at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $155,950 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of GLW, and AAPL finished highest, at $20,534,853.

## GLW 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.

- GLW is still 48.1% below its all-time high.
- GLW's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 99.0%, from September 2000 to October 2002. It took about 23 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, GLW's best was 2003, when it returned 215%, and its worst was 2001, when it lost 83.0%. It lost money in 12 of those years.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Hardware, Equipment & Parts)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $114B
- Volatility (5 years): 42.1%; Sharpe ratio: 0.86
- Worst decline ever: −99.0%, from September 1, 2000 to October 8, 2002; back at its high by September 10, 2025

| Period | GLW total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −16.7% |
| 3 months | −13.3% |
| 6 months | −19.7% |
| year to date | +46.8% |
| 1 year | +56.6% |
| 3 years | +419% |
| 5 years | +292% |
| 10 years | +616% |

## GLW against the whole market

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

### How does GLW rank among all stocks?

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

- GLW's 3-year return ranks in the top 5% of the 3,017 stocks worth at least $300 million with 3 years of history.

| Measure | GLW | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +56.6% | 460 of 3,287 (top 14%) |
| 3-year return | +419% | 137 of 3,017 (top 5%) |
| 5-year return | +292% | 182 of 2,893 (top 7%) |
| 10-year return | +616% | 230 of 2,202 (top 11%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 42.1% | 1,557 of 2,893 (top 54%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.86 | 215 of 2,893 (top 8%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −51.5% | 516 of 2,187 (top 24%) |

### What has beaten GLW 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).

- 41 stocks and one ETF worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than GLW over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half GLW's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 41% less than GLW's 42.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.86 for GLW. PBR-A earned the most, 51.8% a year, while still swinging less than GLW (37.5% against 42.1%).
- Among GLW's popular alternatives, APH and JBL are in the region. APH earned 33.8% a year against 31.4% a year for GLW, at 32.2% volatility, 23% less than GLW's 42.1%.

### Is there a better investment than GLW?

The table below lists investments that beat GLW 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 GLW's popular alternatives, APH and JBL earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years. APH returned 33.8% a year at 32.2% volatility, against 31.4% a year at 42.1%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, SMH (semiconductors) earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years: 33.4% a year at 36.9% volatility, against 31.4% a year at 42.1%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 42 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them LLY, HSBC and GE.

The 15 strongest of 42 investments that beat GLW 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 GLW | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GLW: Corning Inc (this page) |  | +31.4% | 42.1% | 0.86 | −51.5% | +616% |  |  |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | 0.00 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PWR](https://easycompare.io/research/pwr): Quanta Services, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +39.3% | 37.2% | 1.08 | −45.5% | +2,045% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| ESLT: Elbit Systems Ltd. | Aerospace & Defense | +39.8% | 34.6% | 1.15 | −35.4% | +765% | -0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | Oil & Gas | +51.2% | 33.4% | 1.41 | −79.7% | +1,387% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [PBR-A](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr-a): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | Integrated Oil & Gas | +51.8% | 37.5% | 1.31 | −71.7% | +768% | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | Semiconductors | +33.4% | 36.9% | 0.97 | −45.3% | +1,665% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | Electronic Components | +33.8% | 32.2% | 1.07 | −37.5% | +965% | 0.59 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DHT: DHT Holdings, Inc. | Marine Shipping | +38.7% | 39.0% | 1.04 | −39.7% | +1,050% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [PBR](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | Integrated Oil & Gas | +50.3% | 37.5% | 1.28 | −75.3% | +674% | 0.00 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [VLO](https://easycompare.io/research/vlo): Valero Energy Corporation | Oil & Gas | +44.2% | 36.9% | 1.18 | −71.9% | +1,061% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [IBKR](https://easycompare.io/research/ibkr): Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. | Investment Banking & Brokerage | +35.4% | 35.4% | 1.04 | −55.1% | +935% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [TRGP](https://easycompare.io/research/trgp): Targa Resources Corp. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +41.8% | 31.7% | 1.27 | −90.8% | +829% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| EME: EMCOR Group, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +43.0% | 35.3% | 1.20 | −48.0% | +1,202% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |

## GLW against its popular alternatives

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

### How do GLW's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only JBL and APH were both more rewarding and calmer than GLW over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, GLW returned 31.4% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (42.1% against 17.1%).

### Has GLW consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Four of the 19 popular alternatives, led by LITE, CIEN and JBL, outperformed GLW in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- LITE outperformed GLW in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- APH and CIEN earned more for the risk they took than GLW (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 GLW | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GLW: Corning Inc (this page) | +56.6% | +419% | +292% | +616% |  |  | 0.86 |
| [LITE](https://easycompare.io/research/lite): Lumentum Holdings Inc. | +411% | +2,029% | +863% | +1,904% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.03 |
| [CIEN](https://easycompare.io/research/cien): Ciena Corporation | +97.5% | +721% | +546% | +1,600% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.97 |
| JBL: Jabil Inc. | +35.9% | +123% | +361% | +1,264% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.97 |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | +25.6% | +311% | +329% | +965% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.07 |
| [CLS](https://easycompare.io/research/cls): Celestica Inc. | +9.6% | +1,061% | +3,143% | +2,771% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.47 |
| BELFB: Bel Fuse Inc. | +43.7% | +425% | +1,688% | +872% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.37 |
| [COHR](https://easycompare.io/research/cohr): Coherent, Inc. | +92.8% | +648% | +295% | +795% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| FN: Fabrinet | −12.8% | +121% | +260% | +732% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| FLEX: Flex Ltd. | +39.4% | +263% | +365% | +534% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.88 |
| SANM: Sanmina Corporation | +28.0% | +236% | +343% | +499% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.86 |
| VIAV: Viavi Solutions Inc. | +164% | +359% | +127% | +376% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.58 |
| VSH: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. | +66.1% | +32.0% | +62.9% | +146% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | +53.8% | +118% | +118% | +374% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.73 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [TEL](https://easycompare.io/research/tel): TE Connectivity plc | −4.1% | +90.6% | +57.4% | +311% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| LFUS: Littelfuse, Inc. | +43.2% | +74.1% | +38.3% | +235% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| IPGP: IPG Photonics Corporation | −16.9% | −21.8% | −55.8% | −12.8% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.10 |

### How did GLW do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, GLW finished in the top quarter in six of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in nine. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 20.
- GLW finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 29 full calendar years, and ahead of it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, AAPL came out ahead of GLW most often, in 19 of the 29 years both traded.

| Year | GLW | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +87.8% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +60.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −1.2% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −11.6% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +5.9% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +27.6% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | −1.0% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −3.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +34.6% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +36.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How GLW 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 GLW's worst declines?

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

- In all three of GLW's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: GLW fell 63.0% from August 1997 to September 1998, while the S&P 500 rose 4.9%.
- The slowest recovery came after GLW fell 99.0% from September 2000 to October 2002; it did not regain that peak until September 2025, 23 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −99.0% | September 1, 2000 | October 8, 2002 | September 10, 2025 | −45.7% | dot-com bust |
| −63.0% | August 6, 1997 | September 2, 1998 | April 12, 1999 | +4.9% |  |
| −51.5% | June 29, 2026 | July 29, 2026 | not yet | −1.6% |  |
| −44.4% | August 26, 1987 | October 19, 1987 | May 19, 1989 | — |  |
| −40.5% | December 23, 1991 | October 20, 1993 | May 16, 1996 | — |  |

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

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

- GLW fell further than the S&P 500 in eight of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when GLW fell 99.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, APH held up best, falling less than GLW in seven of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | GLW fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −99.0% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −71.6% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | 0.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −31.1% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −13.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.0% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −21.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −36.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −30.9% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.8% | −3.4% |

### How closely does GLW 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, GLW captured 107% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 67% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.14. Its share of the market's gains was larger than its share of the losses.
- Only CIEN had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than GLW's 1.61, out of 19 popular alternatives with the same record.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GLW: Corning Inc (this page) | 107% | 67.0% | 1.14 |
| [LITE](https://easycompare.io/research/lite): Lumentum Holdings Inc. | 162% | 101% | 1.24 |
| [CIEN](https://easycompare.io/research/cien): Ciena Corporation | 129% | 64.0% | 1.07 |
| JBL: Jabil Inc. | 138% | 91.0% | 1.32 |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | 125% | 79.0% | 1.24 |
| [CLS](https://easycompare.io/research/cls): Celestica Inc. | 183% | 115% | 2.17 |
| BELFB: Bel Fuse Inc. | 168% | 160% | 1.61 |
| [COHR](https://easycompare.io/research/cohr): Coherent, Inc. | 162% | 146% | 1.80 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | 137% | 94.0% | 1.15 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | 127% | 91.0% | 0.96 |
| FN: Fabrinet | 115% | 72.0% | 1.12 |
| FLEX: Flex Ltd. | 136% | 124% | 1.57 |
| SANM: Sanmina Corporation | 127% | 111% | 1.37 |
| VIAV: Viavi Solutions Inc. | 98.0% | 76.0% | 0.97 |
| VSH: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. | 118% | 160% | 1.61 |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | 101% | 96.0% | 0.97 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [TEL](https://easycompare.io/research/tel): TE Connectivity plc | 109% | 120% | 1.26 |
| LFUS: Littelfuse, Inc. | 124% | 154% | 1.34 |
| IPGP: IPG Photonics Corporation | 65.0% | 130% | 1.15 |

### What diversifies GLW?

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 GLW into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+36.7% for GLW alone, +39.4% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of GLW over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.45 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- FIX made money in eight of the 12 calendar years in which GLW lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with GLW | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in GLW's 12 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.34 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 12 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.45 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 12 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.37 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 12 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.29 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 4 of 12 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.08 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 6 of 12 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.11 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 5 of 12 |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | 0.30 | +99.4% | 16.4% | 0.93 | 1 of 12 |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | 0.44 | +76.6% | 13.7% | 0.90 | 5 of 12 |

## Common questions

### What was GLW's worst drawdown?

GLW's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 99.0%, from September 2000 to October 2002. It took about 23 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, GLW's best year was 2003, when it returned 215%. Its worst was 2001, with a return of -83.0%.

### Is there a better investment than GLW?

Among GLW's popular alternatives, APH and JBL earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years. APH returned 33.8% a year at 32.2% volatility, against 31.4% a year at 42.1%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, SMH (semiconductors) earned more than GLW with less volatility over the past 5 years: 33.4% a year at 36.9% volatility, against 31.4% a year at 42.1%.

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

Yes. GLW's volatility over the past 5 years was 42.1%, 2.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, GLW's return lands within 42.1% 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 GLW's Sharpe ratio?

GLW's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.86, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so GLW earned more 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 GLW with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, GLW's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.39 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against GLW instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a GLW holding.

### What are the best alternatives to GLW?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, four outperformed GLW in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: LITE, CIEN and JBL.

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

GLW finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +87.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

GLW 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 dot-com bust, when GLW fell 99.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies GLW?

These had a low correlation with GLW over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.34), DXJ (correlation 0.45) and EMLP (correlation 0.37); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.27), CLS (correlation 0.32) and FIX (correlation 0.49). 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/glw
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against GLW live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=GLW&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research