# How Moody's (MCO) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/mco
> 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 MCO alone. It places MCO (Moody's Corporation) against 17 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 MCO stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: MCO's full trading record, from October 1994 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** MCO has gone against the market, falling 5.7% over the past 3 months while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Stock or market?:** MCO fell 5.7% over the past 3 months, less than the 1.35 beta versus the S&P 500 would have implied (5.2%).
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, MCO rose 1.1% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (57.3% against 89.3%). The last two calendar years both went the same way: MCO rose 8.7% in 2025, against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** MCO turned $10,000 into $48,300 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. That said, over 5 years MCO trailed the index: 33.4% against 81.7%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, MCO has typically fallen 1.4 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, MCO has a correlation of 0.82 over 5 years, more closely than 99% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. Over 10 years, MCO's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.26: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.3 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.5 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** CBOE (Cboe Global Markets), NDAQ (Nasdaq) and CME (CME Group) earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CBOE returned 21.5% a year at 25.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CTAS (Cintas, business services) and SEIC (SEI Investments, asset management) earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CTAS returned 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 5.9% at 26.9% for MCO.

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in MCO over the past 24 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of MCO over the same span and MCO's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in MCO at the end of September 2002 would have grown to $239,916 by September 2026, more than the $144,215 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of MCO, and BLK finished highest, at $434,103.

## MCO 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.

- MCO's deepest decline since it began trading in 1994 was 78.7%, from February 2007 to November 2008. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, MCO's best was 2019, when it returned 71.3%, and its worst was 2007, when it lost 48.0%. It lost money in six of those years.
- MCO is 11.3% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges)
- Trading since: October 31, 1994
- Market value: $82B
- Volatility (5 years): 26.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.35
- Worst decline ever: −78.7%, from February 8, 2007 to November 20, 2008; back at its high by May 21, 2013

| Period | MCO total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +1.7% |
| 3 months | −5.7% |
| 6 months | +3.8% |
| year to date | −4.1% |
| 1 year | +1.1% |
| 3 years | +57.3% |
| 5 years | +33.4% |
| 10 years | +383% |

## MCO against the whole market

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

### How does MCO rank among all stocks?

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

- MCO's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 9% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | MCO | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +1.1% | 1,945 of 3,287 (top 60%) |
| 3-year return | +57.3% | 1,439 of 3,017 (top 48%) |
| 5-year return | +33.4% | 1,296 of 2,893 (top 45%) |
| 10-year return | +383% | 441 of 2,202 (top 21%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 26.9% | 474 of 2,893 (top 17%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.35 | 1,405 of 2,893 (top 49%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −42.0% | 203 of 2,187 (top 10%) |

### What has beaten MCO 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).

- 167 stocks and 514 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than MCO over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 19% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half MCO's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 8% less than MCO's 26.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.35 for MCO.
- Among MCO's popular alternatives, CBOE, CME and NDAQ are in the region. CBOE earned 21.5% a year against 5.9% a year for MCO, at 25.1% volatility, 7% less than MCO's 26.9%.

### Is there a better investment than MCO?

The table below lists investments that beat MCO 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 MCO's popular alternatives, CBOE, NDAQ and CME earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CBOE returned 21.5% a year at 25.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CTAS (business services) and SEIC (asset management) earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CTAS returned 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 5.9% at 26.9% for MCO.

The 15 strongest of 681 investments that beat MCO 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 MCO | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MCO: Moody's Corporation (this page) |  | +5.9% | 26.9% | 0.35 | −42.0% | +383% |  |  |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.61 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.63 | 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% | 0.70 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [LIN](https://easycompare.io/research/lin): Linde plc | Chemicals | +11.5% | 20.9% | 0.63 | −32.6% | +394% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.44 | 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% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MSI](https://easycompare.io/research/msi): Motorola Solutions, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +14.8% | 23.6% | 0.71 | −32.8% | +625% | 0.57 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [FAST](https://easycompare.io/research/fast): Fastenal Company | Industrial Distribution | +15.8% | 24.6% | 0.72 | −30.7% | +576% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SCHG](https://easycompare.io/research/schg): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | US Large-Cap Growth | +13.1% | 22.4% | 0.67 | −34.5% | +451% | 0.77 | 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% | 0.83 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.82 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.49 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| RSPT: Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF | Technology Equity | +16.9% | 25.1% | 0.75 | −33.7% | +572% | 0.67 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| TDIV: First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund | Technology Equity | +16.2% | 21.3% | 0.81 | −32.0% | +388% | 0.67 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## MCO against its popular alternatives

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

### How do MCO'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.

- CBOE, CME and NDAQ were both more rewarding and calmer than MCO over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, MCO returned 5.9% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (26.9% against 17.1%).

### Has MCO consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Three of the 17 popular alternatives, CBOE, NDAQ and BLK, outperformed MCO in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- CBOE and NDAQ outperformed MCO in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- CME, NDAQ and HYG earned more for the risk they took than MCO (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 MCO | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MCO: Moody's Corporation (this page) | +1.1% | +57.3% | +33.4% | +383% |  |  | 0.35 |
| CBOE: Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | +34.2% | +101% | +165% | +463% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.91 |
| [NDAQ](https://easycompare.io/research/ndaq): Nasdaq, Inc. | +8.1% | +95.1% | +52.9% | +407% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.47 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | −0.6% | +96.3% | +41.1% | +313% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.39 |
| [MSCI](https://easycompare.io/research/msci): MSCI Inc. | +11.8% | +25.5% | +0.5% | +702% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.16 |
| [CME](https://easycompare.io/research/cme): CME Group Inc. | +14.6% | +57.7% | +70.1% | +319% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.62 |
| KRE: State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF | +19.4% | +95.8% | +11.7% | +111% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| [BX](https://easycompare.io/research/bx): Blackstone Inc. | −28.4% | +28.6% | +2.1% | +628% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| FDS: FactSet Research Systems Inc. | +9.5% | −24.7% | −21.8% | +127% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |
| MORN: Morningstar, Inc. | −1.9% | −3.7% | −22.9% | +203% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.00 |
| [TRI](https://easycompare.io/research/tri): Thomson Reuters Corporation | −28.1% | −2.5% | +3.6% | +244% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| [ICE](https://easycompare.io/research/ice): Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. | +3.5% | +52.4% | +30.0% | +240% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| VRSK: Verisk Analytics, Inc. | −18.1% | −16.8% | −6.7% | +151% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| [SPGI](https://easycompare.io/research/spgi): S&P Global Inc. | −7.4% | +28.2% | +3.7% | +293% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.16 |
| TRU: TransUnion | −1.7% | +22.2% | −30.6% | +149% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.02 |
| EFX: Equifax Inc. | −22.7% | +2.6% | −31.9% | +49.9% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| HYG: iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | +0.7% | +27.5% | +16.8% | +49.5% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| LQD: iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | −3.9% | +19.7% | −4.3% | +20.5% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |

### How did MCO do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, MCO finished in the top quarter in ten of 26 years and in the bottom quarter in three. In 2025, it ranked 6 of 18.
- MCO finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 18 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, MSCI came out ahead of MCO most often, in ten of the 18 years both traded.

| Year | MCO | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +8.7% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +22.2% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +41.5% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −28.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +35.6% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +23.3% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +71.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −4.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +58.5% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −4.5% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How MCO 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 MCO's worst declines?

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

- In all five of MCO's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: MCO fell 37.1% from April to August 1999, while the S&P 500 rose 1.9%.
- The slowest recovery came after MCO fell 78.7% from February 2007 to November 2008; it did not regain that peak until May 2013, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −78.7% | February 8, 2007 | November 20, 2008 | May 21, 2013 | −46.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −42.0% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | July 7, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |
| −41.7% | October 28, 2021 | October 14, 2022 | February 1, 2024 | −20.8% | 2022 bear market |
| −37.1% | April 22, 1999 | August 25, 1999 | October 2, 2000 | +1.9% |  |
| −35.1% | June 25, 1998 | September 4, 1998 | February 25, 1999 | −13.7% |  |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, HYG held up best, falling less than MCO in all nine crashes they both traded through.
- MCO fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when MCO fell 29.3% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.

| Crash | Dates | MCO fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −18.5% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −69.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.7% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −27.6% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −29.3% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −4.6% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −26.1% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −42.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −37.6% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.4% | −3.4% |

### How closely does MCO 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.

- MSCI took just 121% of the S&P 500's losses, against 151% for MCO, while still keeping 131% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, MCO captured 131% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 151% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.26. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- Seven of the 17 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than MCO's 0.87, led by CME, CBOE and MSCI.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MCO: Moody's Corporation (this page) | 131% | 151% | 1.26 |
| CBOE: Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | 79.0% | 50.0% | 0.53 |
| [NDAQ](https://easycompare.io/research/ndaq): Nasdaq, Inc. | 104% | 97.0% | 0.91 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | 127% | 157% | 1.30 |
| [MSCI](https://easycompare.io/research/msci): MSCI Inc. | 131% | 121% | 1.12 |
| [CME](https://easycompare.io/research/cme): CME Group Inc. | 50.0% | 11.0% | 0.33 |
| KRE: State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF | 86.0% | 117% | 1.12 |
| [BX](https://easycompare.io/research/bx): Blackstone Inc. | 156% | 170% | 1.48 |
| FDS: FactSet Research Systems Inc. | 71.0% | 97.0% | 0.76 |
| MORN: Morningstar, Inc. | 93.0% | 117% | 1.07 |
| [TRI](https://easycompare.io/research/tri): Thomson Reuters Corporation | 69.0% | 67.0% | 0.63 |
| [ICE](https://easycompare.io/research/ice): Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. | 88.0% | 94.0% | 0.84 |
| VRSK: Verisk Analytics, Inc. | 63.0% | 73.0% | 0.73 |
| [SPGI](https://easycompare.io/research/spgi): S&P Global Inc. | 107% | 125% | 1.04 |
| TRU: TransUnion | 142% | 228% | 1.47 |
| EFX: Equifax Inc. | 103% | 191% | 1.39 |
| HYG: iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 34.0% | 40.0% | 0.39 |
| LQD: iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | 25.0% | 39.0% | 0.33 |

### What diversifies MCO?

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 MCO into DBMF would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 23% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+5.9% for MCO alone, +7.6% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, GLD and XLE have moved largely independently of MCO over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.33 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- XLE made money in four of the six calendar years in which MCO lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with MCO | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in MCO's 6 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.33 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 6 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.19 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 6 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.26 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 4 of 6 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.46 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 2 of 6 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.45 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 2 of 6 |
| DBMF: iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | -0.39 | +59.7% | 12.4% | 0.82 | 1 of 6 |
| [SOXX](https://easycompare.io/research/soxx): iShares Semiconductor ETF | 0.47 | +237% | 38.9% | 0.82 | 1 of 6 |
| DBA: Invesco DB Agriculture Fund | 0.18 | +66.4% | 13.8% | 0.81 | 1 of 6 |

## Common questions

### What was MCO's worst drawdown?

MCO's deepest decline since it began trading in 1994 was 78.7%, from February 2007 to November 2008. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, MCO's best year was 2019, when it returned 71.3%. Its worst was 2007, with a return of -48.0%.

### Is there a better investment than MCO?

Among MCO's popular alternatives, CBOE, NDAQ and CME earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CBOE returned 21.5% a year at 25.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CTAS (business services) and SEIC (asset management) earned more than MCO with less volatility over the past 5 years. CTAS returned 16.5% a year at 23.1% volatility, against 5.9% a year at 26.9%.

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

Yes. MCO's volatility over the past 5 years was 26.9%, 1.6 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, MCO's return lands within 26.9% 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 MCO's Sharpe ratio?

MCO's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.35, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so MCO 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 MCO with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, MCO's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.82 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 MCO instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a MCO holding.

### What are the best alternatives to MCO?

Of the 17 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed MCO in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: CBOE, NDAQ and BLK.

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

MCO finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 18 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +8.7%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

MCO fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when MCO fell 29.3% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.

### What diversifies MCO?

These had a low correlation with MCO over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.33), GLD (correlation 0.19) and XLE (correlation 0.26); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.32), CLS (correlation 0.28) and FIX (correlation 0.30). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Nasdaq (NDAQ) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ndaq)
- [BlackRock (BLK) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/blk)
- [MSCI Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msci)
- [CME Group (CME) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cme)
- [Blackstone (BX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bx)
- [Thomson Reuters (TRI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tri)
- [Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ice)
- [S&P Global (SPGI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/spgi)
- [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)

## Explore further

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