# How Illumina (ILMN) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn
> 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 ILMN alone. It places ILMN (Illumina, Inc.) 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 ILMN stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ILMN's full trading record, from July 2000 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** Over the past 6 months, ILMN rose 102% against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. That said, the slide is ILMN's own: it is 47.5% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** More than an industry move: ILMN rose 45.1% over the past 3 months, against 7.5% for the life sciences tools ETF IHI (iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF). The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Last month cut against the tape: ILMN rose 12.2% while the S&P 500 fell 0.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** ILMN has run far ahead of the market, rising 169% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (130% against 89.3%). A behind 62% of stocks worth at least $300 million over 10 years, but ahead of 77% of the stocks worth at least $300 million over 3 years.
- **Long term:** ILMN turned $10,000 into $19,300 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** ILMN fell harder than the S&P 500 in five of six sell-offs. The Covid crash was the exception: ILMN fell 31.0%, less than the S&P 500's 33.7%. On the flip side, in the 2022 bear market, ILMN fell 58.2%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than TMO (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 19.8%) but less than NTRA (Natera, 68.0%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, ILMN has a correlation of 0.47 over 5 years, more closely than 68% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** LLY (Eli Lilly and Company, pharmaceuticals) and JNJ (Johnson & Johnson, pharmaceuticals) earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against a loss of 7.8% a year at 46.9%.
  - **Whole market:** 2,406 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in ILMN over the past 26 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of ILMN over the same span and ILMN's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in ILMN at the end of September 2000 would have grown to $124,118 by September 2026, more than the $84,332 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ILMN, and GILD finished highest, at $636,955.

## ILMN 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.

- ILMN is still 47.5% below its all-time high.
- ILMN's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 96.1%, from September 2000 to March 2003. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 25 full calendar years, ILMN's best was 2006, when it returned 179%, and its worst was 2002, when it lost 71.3%. It lost money in nine of those years.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Medical - Diagnostics & Research)
- Trading since: July 28, 2000
- Market value: $40B
- Volatility (5 years): 46.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.06
- Worst decline ever: −96.1%, from September 1, 2000 to March 13, 2003; back at its high by July 26, 2007

| Period | ILMN total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +12.2% |
| 3 months | +45.1% |
| 6 months | +102% |
| year to date | +99.4% |
| 1 year | +169% |
| 3 years | +130% |
| 5 years | −33.3% |
| 10 years | +93.0% |

## ILMN against the whole market

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

### How does ILMN rank among all stocks?

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

- ILMN's 1-year return ranks in the top 2% of the 3,287 stocks worth at least $300 million with 1 year of history.
- ILMN's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the bottom 17% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | ILMN | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +169% | 57 of 3,287 (top 2%) |
| 3-year return | +130% | 703 of 3,017 (top 24%) |
| 5-year return | −33.3% | 2,208 of 2,893 (top 77%) |
| 10-year return | +93.0% | 1,370 of 2,202 (top 63%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 46.9% | 1,786 of 2,893 (top 62%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.06 | 2,218 of 2,893 (top 77%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −86.2% | 1,821 of 2,187 (top 84%) |

### What has beaten ILMN 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).

- 1,416 stocks and 990 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ILMN over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 66% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half ILMN's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 47% less than ILMN's 46.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.06 for ILMN. ATI earned the most, 61.8% a year, while still swinging less than ILMN (42.9% against 46.9%).
- Among ILMN's popular alternatives, WAT, TMO and A are in the region. WAT earned 4.5% a year against a loss of 7.8% a year for ILMN, at 33.9% volatility, 28% less than ILMN's 46.9%.

### Is there a better investment than ILMN?

The table below lists investments that beat ILMN 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 ILMN's popular alternatives, TMO, WAT and A earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years. TMO returned 2.9% a year at 27.8% volatility, against a loss of 7.8% a year at 46.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, LLY (pharmaceuticals) and JNJ (pharmaceuticals) earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against a loss of 7.8% a year at 46.9%.
- Across the whole market, 2,406 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and MSFT.

The 15 strongest of 2,406 investments that beat ILMN 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 ILMN | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ILMN: Illumina, Inc. (this page) |  | −7.8% | 46.9% | 0.06 | −86.2% | +93.0% |  |  |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | Oil & Gas | +51.2% | 33.4% | 1.41 | −79.7% | +1,387% | 0.18 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | Semiconductors | +31.5% | 38.5% | 0.91 | −56.6% | +1,505% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; 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% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | Banks | +33.1% | 25.9% | 1.24 | −62.3% | +319% | -0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; 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% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; 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% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; 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% | 0.49 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [ORCL](https://easycompare.io/research/orcl): Oracle Corporation | Enterprise Software | +7.7% | 44.3% | 0.38 | −64.6% | +300% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mfg): Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. | Banks | +33.6% | 30.6% | 1.10 | −45.7% | +345% | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PG](https://easycompare.io/research/pg): The Procter & Gamble Company | Household & Personal Products | +5.1% | 18.3% | 0.37 | −23.8% | +145% | 0.00 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SGOV](https://easycompare.io/research/sgov): iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF | Treasury Bonds | +3.8% | 0.3% | 13.25 | −0.3% | — | 0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [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; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## ILMN against its popular alternatives

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

### How do ILMN'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.

- Seven of the 19 popular alternatives, led by WAT, TMO and A, were both more rewarding and calmer than ILMN over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, ILMN returned -7.8% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (46.9% against 17.1%).

### Has ILMN consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- CDNA outperformed ILMN in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- Two of the 21 popular alternatives, CDNA and TWST, outperformed ILMN in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- NTRA, WAT and TMO earned more for the risk they took than ILMN (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 ILMN | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ILMN: Illumina, Inc. (this page) | +169% | +130% | −33.3% | +93.0% |  |  | 0.06 |
| CDNA: CareDx, Inc | +355% | +1,203% | −3.8% | +1,634% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.39 |
| TWST: Twist Bioscience Corporation | +336% | +752% | +21.2% | — | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.44 |
| [NTRA](https://easycompare.io/research/ntra): Natera, Inc. | +115% | +896% | +261% | +3,841% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| RVTY: Revvity, Inc. | +64.0% | +54.6% | −10.6% | +203% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [A](https://easycompare.io/research/a): Agilent Technologies, Inc. | +22.0% | +62.1% | +13.8% | +306% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | +29.0% | +74.6% | +24.4% | +182% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| BRKR: Bruker Corporation | +47.4% | −5.0% | −27.7% | +171% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| QGEN: Qiagen N.V. | +6.3% | +45.9% | +3.0% | +111% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |
| GH: Guardant Health, Inc. | +132% | +534% | +52.8% | — | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| CRSP: CRISPR Therapeutics AG | −32.6% | +29.2% | −49.3% | +258% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| TECH: Bio-Techne Corporation | +16.7% | +15.1% | −41.4% | +191% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.08 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | +10.1% | +14.1% | −52.5% | +115% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.21 |
| TXG: 10x Genomics, Inc. | +444% | +81.2% | −55.8% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| GRAL: GRAIL Inc. | +35.7% | — | — | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| PACB: Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. | −1.0% | −73.5% | −92.2% | −77.9% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| AVTR: Avantor, Inc. | +9.5% | −19.1% | −56.9% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| NTLA: Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | −57.7% | −55.6% | −90.8% | −5.0% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.22 |
| SOPH: SOPHiA GENETICS S.A. | +65.4% | +128% | −60.9% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| TEM: Tempus AI, Inc. | −27.8% | — | — | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |

### How did ILMN do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2001, along with where ILMN ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- ILMN finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 13 of its 25 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last seven.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ILMN finished in the top quarter in 12 of 25 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 14 of 22.
- Among its popular alternatives, GH came out ahead of ILMN most often, in five of the seven years both traded.

| Year | ILMN | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −1.8% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −1.3% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −31.1% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −46.9% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +2.8% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +11.5% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +10.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +37.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +70.7% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −33.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How ILMN 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 ILMN's worst declines?

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

- In all five of ILMN's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: ILMN fell 86.2% from August 2021 to April 2025, while the S&P 500 rose 17.2%.
- The slowest recovery came after ILMN fell 96.1% from September 2000 to March 2003; it did not regain that peak until July 2007, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −96.1% | September 1, 2000 | March 13, 2003 | July 26, 2007 | −43.1% | dot-com bust |
| −86.2% | August 16, 2021 | April 8, 2025 | not yet | +17.2% | 2022 bear market |
| −66.7% | July 6, 2011 | December 13, 2011 | July 24, 2013 | −7.7% | 2011 euro debt crisis |
| −57.9% | August 15, 2008 | November 21, 2008 | August 6, 2010 | −38.6% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −49.2% | July 20, 2015 | December 7, 2016 | January 9, 2018 | +8.5% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

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

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

- ILMN fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when ILMN fell 58.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, DHR held up best, falling less than ILMN in eight of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- ILMN began trading after the dot-com bust, but eight of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was BIO's 29.1%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | ILMN fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −57.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.9% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −48.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −36.1% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −5.3% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −25.8% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −31.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −58.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −6.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ILMN 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.

- 11 of the 13 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ILMN's 0.60, led by NTRA, CDNA and DHR.
- NTRA took just 82% of the S&P 500's losses, against 200% for ILMN, while still keeping 169% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, ILMN captured 120% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 200% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.19. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ILMN: Illumina, Inc. (this page) | 120% | 200% | 1.19 |
| CDNA: CareDx, Inc | 186% | 161% | 1.56 |
| [NTRA](https://easycompare.io/research/ntra): Natera, Inc. | 169% | 82.0% | 1.40 |
| RVTY: Revvity, Inc. | 111% | 146% | 1.10 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [A](https://easycompare.io/research/a): Agilent Technologies, Inc. | 120% | 141% | 1.13 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | 107% | 139% | 1.01 |
| BRKR: Bruker Corporation | 121% | 160% | 1.27 |
| QGEN: Qiagen N.V. | 62.0% | 83.0% | 0.45 |
| TECH: Bio-Techne Corporation | 120% | 162% | 1.23 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | 104% | 146% | 0.99 |
| PACB: Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. | 76.0% | 234% | 1.70 |
| NTLA: Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | 139% | 283% | 2.00 |

### What diversifies ILMN?

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 ILMN into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 20% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-7.0% for ILMN alone, +2.5% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of ILMN over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.20 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in six of the nine calendar years in which ILMN lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with ILMN | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ILMN's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.20 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 4 of 9 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.20 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 9 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.14 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 5 of 9 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.26 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 5 of 9 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.38 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 9 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.35 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.02 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 6 of 9 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.38 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 4 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was ILMN's worst drawdown?

ILMN's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 96.1%, from September 2000 to March 2003. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 25 full calendar years, ILMN's best year was 2006, when it returned 179%. Its worst was 2002, with a return of -71.3%.

### Is there a better investment than ILMN?

Among ILMN's popular alternatives, TMO, WAT and A earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years. TMO returned 2.9% a year at 27.8% volatility, against a loss of 7.8% a year at 46.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, LLY (pharmaceuticals) and JNJ (pharmaceuticals) earned more than ILMN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against a loss of 7.8% a year at 46.9%.

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

Yes. ILMN's volatility over the past 5 years was 46.9%, 2.7 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, ILMN's return lands within 46.9% 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 ILMN's Sharpe ratio?

ILMN's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.06, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so ILMN 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 ILMN with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ILMN's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.47 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 ILMN instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ILMN holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ILMN?

Of the 21 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed ILMN in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: CDNA and TWST.

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

ILMN finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 13 of 25 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -1.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

ILMN fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in two of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when ILMN fell 58.2% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies ILMN?

These had a low correlation with ILMN over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.20), DXJ (correlation 0.20) and EMLP (correlation 0.14); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.18), CLS (correlation 0.31) and FIX (correlation 0.30). 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/ilmn
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against ILMN live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=ILMN&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research