# How iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/itot
> 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 ITOT alone. It places ITOT (iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF) 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 ITOT stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ITOT's full trading record, from January 2004 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:** Both ITOT and the total US stock market are within a few percent of a record high.
- **Fund or market?:** ITOT rose 3.2% over the past 3 months, in line with the total US stock market, which rose 3.2%: a market move, not its own.
- **Long term:** Over the past decade, ITOT returned 301%, ahead of 90% of the ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. The total US stock market returned 302%. ITOT outpaced every one of its similar funds over the past decade, including RSP (Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF) and FNDX (Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF).
- **In a crash:** In the 2022 bear market, ITOT fell harder than most of its similar funds, including RSP (Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF), FNDX and PRF.
- **Diversification:** ITOT is more of the same, not a cushion: a correlation of 1.00 with the total US stock market over 5 years, more closely than 99% of ETFs with at least $100 million in assets. ITOT fell in 24 of the 25 months the total US stock market fell over the past 5 years: it usually fell with it.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MGV (Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Value ETF, US large-cap value) earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years: 12.6% a year at 13.4% volatility, against 11.5% a year at 17.4%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 43 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them EFV (iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF), FNDX (Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF) and FNDF (Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF).

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in ITOT over the past 22 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of ITOT over the same span and ITOT's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in ITOT at the end of September 2004 would have grown to $99,443 by September 2026, less than the $102,174 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ITOT, and QQQ finished highest, at $249,744.

## ITOT at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the fund, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- ITOT's deepest decline since it began trading in 2004 was 55.2%, from October 2007 to March 2009. It took about three years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 21 full calendar years, ITOT's best was 2013, when it returned 33.3%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 36.4%. It lost money in three of those years.
- ITOT is 1.7% below its all-time high.

- Type: ETF, Broad Market (Asset Management)
- Trading since: January 23, 2004
- Assets: $96B
- Expense ratio: 0.03%
- Volatility (5 years): 17.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.72
- Worst decline ever: −55.2%, from October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009; back at its high by March 16, 2012

| Period | ITOT total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −0.8% |
| 3 months | +3.2% |
| 6 months | +8.2% |
| year to date | +13.1% |
| 1 year | +15.2% |
| 3 years | +88.0% |
| 5 years | +72.7% |
| 10 years | +301% |

## ITOT against the whole market

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

### How does ITOT rank among all ETFs?

This section ranks ITOT on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every ETF worth at least $100 million with enough history.

- ITOT's 10-year return ranks in the top 10% of the 958 ETFs with at least $100 million in assets with 10 years of history.

| Measure | ITOT | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +15.2% | 797 of 2,485 (top 33%) |
| 3-year return | +88.0% | 391 of 1,949 (top 21%) |
| 5-year return | +72.7% | 339 of 1,560 (top 22%) |
| 10-year return | +301% | 97 of 958 (top 11%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 17.4% | 906 of 1,560 (top 59%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.72 | 489 of 1,560 (top 32%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −35.0% | 350 of 951 (top 37%) |

### What has beaten ITOT 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).

- 43 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ITOT 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 ITOT's swings, LVHI has the best return for its risk: 17.0% a year at 11.1% volatility, 36% less than ITOT's 17.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.48 against 0.72 for ITOT.
- Among ITOT's popular alternatives, FNDX and PRF are in the region. FNDX earned 13.5% a year against 11.5% a year for ITOT, at 14.9% volatility, 14% less than ITOT's 17.4%.

### Is there a better investment than ITOT?

The table below lists investments that beat ITOT 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, and, for funds, the same exposure at a lower expense ratio.

- Among ITOT's popular alternatives, FNDX earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years: 13.5% a year at 14.9% volatility, against 11.5% a year at 17.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MGV (US large-cap value) earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years: 12.6% a year at 13.4% volatility, against 11.5% a year at 17.4%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 43 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them EFV, FNDX and FNDF.

The 15 strongest of 43 investments that beat ITOT 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 ITOT | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ITOT: iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (this page) |  | +11.5% | 17.4% | 0.72 | −35.0% | +301% |  |  |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| PVAL: Putnam Focused Large Cap Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +16.1% | 15.1% | 1.07 | −41.3% | — | 0.89 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | International Equity | +14.8% | 16.4% | 0.93 | −25.4% | — | 0.66 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| DIVB: iShares Core Dividend ETF | Dividend & Income | +13.9% | 15.4% | 0.93 | −36.9% | — | 0.87 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| USMC: Principal U.S. Mega-Cap ETF | Broad Market | +14.1% | 16.4% | 0.89 | −30.0% | — | 0.96 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| FYLD: Cambria Foreign Shareholder Yield ETF | Dividend & Income | +13.1% | 16.0% | 0.85 | −44.6% | +203% | 0.60 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| DIVI: Franklin International Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF | International | +13.4% | 15.5% | 0.89 | −27.7% | +184% | 0.73 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| SIXA: ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF | Broad Market | +12.8% | 12.7% | 1.01 | −18.4% | — | 0.83 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| VSLU: Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF | Broad Market | +13.7% | 16.2% | 0.88 | −23.8% | — | 0.97 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| FNDF: Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF | International Equity | +13.6% | 16.3% | 0.87 | −40.2% | +194% | 0.72 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | US Dividend Equity | +12.9% | 13.0% | 1.00 | −37.0% | +172% | 0.59 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| FDVV: Fidelity High Dividend ETF | US Dividend Equity | +13.2% | 14.6% | 0.92 | −40.2% | +253% | 0.90 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | International Equity | +13.1% | 13.8% | 0.96 | −32.5% | +206% | 0.82 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| FDL: First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund | US Dividend Equity | +13.9% | 14.4% | 0.98 | −41.4% | +199% | 0.58 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| JQUA: JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF | US Quality Equity | +13.6% | 15.7% | 0.89 | −32.9% | — | 0.97 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## ITOT against its popular alternatives

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

### How do ITOT'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 14 popular alternatives, led by FNDX, PRF and VV, were both more rewarding and calmer than ITOT over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, ITOT returned 11.6% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (17.4% against 17.1%).

### Has ITOT consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Four of the 22 popular alternatives, led by SPYM, VOO and IVV, outperformed ITOT in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- SPYM, VOO and IVV earned more for the risk they took than ITOT (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 ITOT | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ITOT: iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (this page) | +15.2% | +88.0% | +72.7% | +301% |  |  | 0.72 |
| [SPYM](https://easycompare.io/research/spym): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF | +15.9% | +89.8% | +82.5% | +324% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| [IVV](https://easycompare.io/research/ivv): iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| [SPY](https://easycompare.io/research/spy): State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | +15.8% | +89.3% | +81.7% | +321% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.79 |
| [VV](https://easycompare.io/research/vv): Vanguard Morningstar Large-Cap ETF | +15.4% | +90.6% | +78.8% | +324% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.76 |
| VONE: Vanguard Russell 1000 ETF | +15.2% | +88.5% | +75.9% | +312% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| [SCHX](https://easycompare.io/research/schx): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | +15.1% | +89.1% | +76.6% | +317% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.75 |
| SPTM: State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF | +15.7% | +87.2% | +78.6% | +310% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.77 |
| FNDX: Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF | +25.4% | +88.2% | +88.6% | +291% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.93 |
| PRF: Invesco RAFI US 1000 ETF | +25.5% | +90.1% | +84.3% | +270% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.90 |
| [IWB](https://easycompare.io/research/iwb): iShares Russell 1000 ETF | +15.1% | +87.7% | +75.1% | +309% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| GSLC: Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF | +14.0% | +83.5% | +73.1% | +297% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [RSP](https://easycompare.io/research/rsp): Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF | +15.5% | +65.4% | +48.6% | +211% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |
| EQAL: Invesco Russell 1000 Equal Weight ETF | +14.3% | +61.4% | +36.4% | +171% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | +15.2% | +87.9% | +72.6% | +302% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| VTHR: Vanguard Russell 3000 ETF | +15.2% | +87.6% | +73.1% | +300% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| IWV: iShares Russell 3000 ETF | +15.0% | +86.9% | +72.0% | +297% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [SCHB](https://easycompare.io/research/schb): Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | +15.2% | +88.0% | +72.9% | +286% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [VT](https://easycompare.io/research/vt): Vanguard Total World Stock ETF | +15.0% | +83.8% | +63.3% | +223% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| [IWM](https://easycompare.io/research/iwm): iShares Russell 2000 ETF | +12.3% | +71.3% | +29.0% | +158% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [VXUS](https://easycompare.io/research/vxus): Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | +14.6% | +77.2% | +48.6% | +140% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |
| [AGG](https://easycompare.io/research/agg): iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | −1.9% | +16.2% | −1.5% | +13.3% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.02 |

### How did ITOT do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2005, along with where ITOT ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- None of the 14 popular alternatives came out ahead of ITOT in most of the years they have in common.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ITOT finished in the top quarter in five of 21 years and in the bottom quarter in one. In 2025, it ranked 7 of 15.
- ITOT finished ahead of the S&P 500 in five of its 21 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.

| Year | ITOT | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +17.0% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +23.8% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +26.1% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −19.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +25.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +20.7% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +30.7% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −5.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +21.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +12.6% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How ITOT 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 ITOT's worst declines?

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

- In all five of ITOT's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The slowest recovery came after ITOT fell 55.2% from October 2007 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until March 2012, three years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −55.2% | October 9, 2007 | March 9, 2009 | March 16, 2012 | −55.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −35.0% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | August 12, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |
| −25.4% | January 3, 2022 | October 12, 2022 | December 18, 2023 | −24.5% | 2022 bear market |
| −20.1% | September 20, 2018 | December 24, 2018 | April 23, 2019 | −19.4% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −19.4% | February 19, 2025 | April 8, 2025 | June 27, 2025 | −18.8% |  |

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

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

- ITOT fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when ITOT fell 14.4% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.
- Among its popular alternatives, AGG held up best, falling less than ITOT in all nine crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | ITOT 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 | −55.2% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −18.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −14.4% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.3% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −20.1% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −35.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −25.3% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.9% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ITOT 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, ITOT captured 100% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 103% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.02. Its share of the market's losses was slightly larger than its share of the gains.
- Four of the 14 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ITOT's 0.97, led by VV, VONE and SPTM.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ITOT: iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (this page) | 100% | 103% | 1.02 |
| [VV](https://easycompare.io/research/vv): Vanguard Morningstar Large-Cap ETF | 101% | 101% | 1.01 |
| VONE: Vanguard Russell 1000 ETF | 100% | 102% | 1.02 |
| SPTM: State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF | 99.0% | 101% | 1.01 |
| FNDX: Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF | 95.0% | 98.0% | 0.97 |
| PRF: Invesco RAFI US 1000 ETF | 93.0% | 98.0% | 0.97 |
| GSLC: Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF | 97.0% | 99.0% | 0.98 |
| [RSP](https://easycompare.io/research/rsp): Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF | 92.0% | 107% | 1.01 |
| EQAL: Invesco Russell 1000 Equal Weight ETF | 90.0% | 113% | 1.04 |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | 100% | 103% | 1.02 |
| [SCHB](https://easycompare.io/research/schb): Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | 99.0% | 104% | 1.03 |
| [VT](https://easycompare.io/research/vt): Vanguard Total World Stock ETF | 90.0% | 98.0% | 0.94 |
| [IWM](https://easycompare.io/research/iwm): iShares Russell 2000 ETF | 98.0% | 129% | 1.17 |
| [VXUS](https://easycompare.io/research/vxus): Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | 76.0% | 91.0% | 0.82 |
| [AGG](https://easycompare.io/research/agg): iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | 12.0% | 17.0% | 0.14 |

### What diversifies ITOT?

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 ITOT into DBMF would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 23% over the past 5 years while keeping its annual return (+12.6% for ITOT alone, +12.5% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, GLD, XLE and AMLP have moved largely independently of ITOT over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- Among large stocks, CAH, MCK and MPC have moved largely independently of ITOT over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.30 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with ITOT | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ITOT's 3 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.16 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 3 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.29 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 1 of 3 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.46 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 1 of 3 |
| DBMF: iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | -0.26 | +59.7% | 12.4% | 0.82 | 1 of 3 |
| DBA: Invesco DB Agriculture Fund | 0.17 | +66.4% | 13.8% | 0.81 | 1 of 3 |
| IHE: iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF | 0.48 | +81.2% | 16.8% | 0.80 | 0 of 3 |
| PPH: VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF | 0.49 | +72.8% | 15.8% | 0.78 | 1 of 3 |
| GDX: VanEck Gold Miners ETF | 0.28 | +181% | 38.2% | 0.73 | 0 of 3 |

## Common questions

### What was ITOT's worst drawdown?

ITOT's deepest decline since it began trading in 2004 was 55.2%, from October 2007 to March 2009. It took about three years from the low to climb back to its old high. Because ITOT launched in January 2004, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

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

Over 21 full calendar years, ITOT's best year was 2013, when it returned 33.3%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -36.4%.

### Is there a better investment than ITOT?

Among ITOT's popular alternatives, FNDX earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years: 13.5% a year at 14.9% volatility, against 11.5% a year at 17.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MGV (US large-cap value) earned more than ITOT with less volatility over the past 5 years: 12.6% a year at 13.4% volatility, against 11.5% a year at 17.4%.

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

No. ITOT's volatility over the past 5 years was 17.4%, 1.0 times the S&P 500's 17.5%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, ITOT's return lands within 17.4% 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 ITOT's Sharpe ratio?

ITOT's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.72, against 0.71 for the S&P 500, so ITOT 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 ITOT with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ITOT's monthly returns had a correlation of 1.00 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They move almost in lockstep, so holding both adds little diversification. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against ITOT instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ITOT holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ITOT?

Of the 22 popular alternatives we compared, four outperformed ITOT in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: SPYM, VOO and IVV.

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

ITOT finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in five of 21 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +17.0%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

ITOT fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in none of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when ITOT fell 14.4% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.

### What diversifies ITOT?

These had a low correlation with ITOT over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, GLD (correlation 0.16), XLE (correlation 0.29) and AMLP (correlation 0.46); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.30), MCK (correlation 0.18) and MPC (correlation 0.26). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/spym)
- [Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/voo)
- [iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ivv)
- [State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/spy)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Large-Cap ETF (VV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vv)
- [Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF (SCHX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schx)
- [iShares Russell 1000 ETF (IWB) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/iwb)
- [Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/rsp)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)
- [Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF (SCHB) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schb)
- [Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vt)
- [iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/iwm)

## Explore further

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