# How MetLife (MET) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

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

Period covered: MET's full trading record, from April 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:** MET has run far ahead of the market, rising 32.0% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Stock or market?:** MET held up far better than its industry: it rose 9.5% over the past 3 months while the life insurance ETF KIE (State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF) fell 1.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its life insurance peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: EQH (Equitable) rose 13.0%, while PFG (Principal Financial Group) fell 2.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, MET rose 32.2% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** MET turned $10,000 into $34,000 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** MET fell harder than the S&P 500 in five of six sell-offs. The 2022 bear market was the exception: MET fell 19.5%, less than the S&P 500's 24.5%.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, MET has a correlation of 0.49 over 5 years, more closely than 72% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** AFL (Aflac) earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.0% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** WRB (W. R. Berkley, property & casualty insurance) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway, insurance) earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years. WRB returned 18.9% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%.
  - **Whole market:** 156 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway), BRK-A (Berkshire Hathaway) and WMT (Walmart).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in MET at the end of September 2000 would have grown to $74,791 by September 2026, less than the $84,332 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the seven other investments on the chart ended ahead of MET, and BLK finished highest, at $562,061.

## MET 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.

- MET's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 82.4%, from October 2007 to March 2009. It took about eight years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- MET is trading within 1% of its all-time high.
- Over 25 full calendar years, MET's best was 2013, when it returned 67.5%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 42.2%. It lost money in nine of those years.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Insurance - Life)
- Trading since: April 5, 2000
- Market value: $64B
- Volatility (5 years): 25.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.58
- Worst decline ever: −82.4%, from October 5, 2007 to March 5, 2009; back at its high by December 7, 2016

| Period | MET total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +4.7% |
| 3 months | +9.5% |
| 6 months | +32.0% |
| year to date | +28.6% |
| 1 year | +32.2% |
| 3 years | +84.0% |
| 5 years | +76.5% |
| 10 years | +240% |

## MET against the whole market

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

### How does MET rank among all stocks?

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

- MET is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 13% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | MET | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +32.2% | 915 of 3,287 (top 28%) |
| 3-year return | +84.0% | 1,087 of 3,017 (top 37%) |
| 5-year return | +76.5% | 846 of 2,893 (top 30%) |
| 10-year return | +240% | 745 of 2,202 (top 34%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 25.4% | 365 of 2,893 (top 13%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.58 | 728 of 2,893 (top 26%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −55.2% | 686 of 2,187 (top 32%) |

### What has beaten MET 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).

- 49 stocks and 107 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than MET over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 4% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half MET's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 25% less than MET's 25.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.58 for MET.
- Among MET's popular alternatives, AFL is in the region. AFL earned 19.0% a year against 12.0% a year for MET, at 20.8% volatility, 18% less than MET's 25.4%.

### Is there a better investment than MET?

The table below lists investments that beat MET 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 MET's popular alternatives, AFL earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.0% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, WRB (property & casualty insurance) and BRK-B (insurance) earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years. WRB returned 18.9% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%.
- Across the whole market, 156 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them BRK-B, BRK-A and WMT.

The 15 strongest of 156 investments that beat MET 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 MET | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MET: MetLife, Inc. (this page) |  | +12.0% | 25.4% | 0.58 | −55.2% | +240% |  |  |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| SDCI: USCF SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity Strategy No K-1 Fund | Bonds | +20.6% | 18.4% | 1.12 | −45.7% | — | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| DIVB: iShares Core Dividend ETF | Dividend & Income | +13.9% | 15.4% | 0.93 | −36.9% | — | 0.69 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.62 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| RWL: Invesco S&P 500 Revenue ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +13.7% | 14.4% | 0.97 | −36.1% | +287% | 0.66 | 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% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| WRB: W. R. Berkley Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +18.9% | 22.9% | 0.87 | −45.3% | +443% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | Pharmaceuticals | +17.1% | 20.7% | 0.87 | −26.8% | +226% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |

## MET against its popular alternatives

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

### How do MET'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 AFL was both more rewarding and calmer than MET over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, MET returned 12.0% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (25.4% against 17.1%).

### Has MET consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- None of the 17 popular alternatives outperformed MET in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes. The closest was CNO.
- JXN, AFL and ALL earned more for the risk they took than MET (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.
- ALL outperformed MET over all three long-term periods but in none of the five short-term ones, so MET has had the better of it lately.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of MET | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MET: MetLife, Inc. (this page) | +32.2% | +84.0% | +76.5% | +240% |  |  | 0.58 |
| CNO: CNO Financial Group, Inc. | +41.1% | +150% | +136% | +342% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.76 |
| [ALL](https://easycompare.io/research/all): The Allstate Corporation | +31.5% | +116% | +119% | +356% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.73 |
| UNM: Unum Group | +26.4% | +106% | +279% | +256% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.06 |
| EQH: Equitable Holdings, Inc. | +15.6% | +116% | +81.1% | — | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.53 |
| JXN: Jackson Financial Inc. | +37.6% | +269% | +472% | — | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.03 |
| [AFL](https://easycompare.io/research/afl): Aflac Incorporated | +12.9% | +65.2% | +139% | +335% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.95 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | −0.6% | +96.3% | +41.1% | +313% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.39 |
| [AJG](https://easycompare.io/research/ajg): Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | −6.1% | +17.3% | +68.0% | +516% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| PFG: Principal Financial Group, Inc. | +41.4% | +76.3% | +84.6% | +196% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.60 |
| CRBG: Corebridge Financial, Inc. | +13.8% | +98.8% | — | — | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| VOYA: Voya Financial, Inc. | +32.6% | +55.8% | +52.3% | +253% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |
| GL: Globe Life Inc. | +26.3% | +58.0% | +79.7% | +188% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| LNC: Lincoln National Corporation | +6.2% | +111% | −32.1% | +20.1% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| KIE: State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF | +12.8% | +56.7% | +67.1% | +203% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.65 |
| [PRU](https://easycompare.io/research/pru): Prudential Financial, Inc. | +19.6% | +47.5% | +29.0% | +117% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.33 |
| BHF: Brighthouse Financial, Inc. | +2.2% | +3.1% | −8.1% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| FG: F&G Annuities & Life, Inc. | −29.0% | −25.8% | — | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |

### How did MET do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, MET finished in the top quarter in one of 25 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 16 of 18.
- MET finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 11 of its 25 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, BLK came out ahead of MET most often, in 19 of the 25 years both traded.

| Year | MET | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −0.8% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +27.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −5.5% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +19.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +37.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −3.4% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +28.8% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −15.8% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +8.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +15.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How MET 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 MET's worst declines?

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

- In all five of MET's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: MET fell 35.1% from November 2022 to May 2023, while the S&P 500 rose 2.8%.
- The slowest recovery came after MET fell 82.4% from October 2007 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until December 2016, eight years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −82.4% | October 5, 2007 | March 5, 2009 | December 7, 2016 | −54.6% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −55.2% | February 12, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | January 14, 2021 | −33.5% | Covid crash |
| −42.8% | December 8, 2000 | October 7, 2002 | March 4, 2004 | −39.3% | dot-com bust |
| −35.1% | November 25, 2022 | May 16, 2023 | March 27, 2024 | +2.8% | 2023 regional bank crisis |
| −28.3% | November 2, 2017 | December 24, 2018 | January 2, 2020 | −6.8% | late-2018 sell-off |

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

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

- MET fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when MET fell 82.3% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, AJG held up best, falling less than MET in all nine crashes they both traded through.
- MET began trading after the dot-com bust, but seven of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was GL's 27.4%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | MET 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 | −82.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.4% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −36.3% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −36.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.9% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −20.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −55.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −19.5% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −12.6% | −3.4% |

### How closely does MET 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.

- Seven of the 12 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than MET's 0.94, led by AJG, ALL and AFL.
- AJG took just 46% of the S&P 500's losses, against 97% for MET, while still keeping 80% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, MET captured 91% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 97% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.03. Its share of the market's losses was slightly larger than its share of the gains.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MET: MetLife, Inc. (this page) | 91.0% | 97.0% | 1.03 |
| CNO: CNO Financial Group, Inc. | 103% | 102% | 1.09 |
| [ALL](https://easycompare.io/research/all): The Allstate Corporation | 68.0% | 41.0% | 0.49 |
| UNM: Unum Group | 88.0% | 90.0% | 0.96 |
| [AFL](https://easycompare.io/research/afl): Aflac Incorporated | 83.0% | 71.0% | 0.79 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | 127% | 157% | 1.30 |
| [AJG](https://easycompare.io/research/ajg): Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | 80.0% | 46.0% | 0.61 |
| PFG: Principal Financial Group, Inc. | 103% | 124% | 1.22 |
| VOYA: Voya Financial, Inc. | 111% | 128% | 1.17 |
| GL: Globe Life Inc. | 72.0% | 72.0% | 0.79 |
| LNC: Lincoln National Corporation | 119% | 211% | 1.67 |
| KIE: State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF | 75.0% | 77.0% | 0.78 |
| [PRU](https://easycompare.io/research/pru): Prudential Financial, Inc. | 102% | 146% | 1.25 |

### What diversifies MET?

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 MET into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 20% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+12.1% for MET alone, +14.2% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of MET over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.49 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- FIX made money in six of the nine calendar years in which MET lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with MET | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in MET's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.47 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 9 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.21 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 9 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.49 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 9 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.46 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 2 of 9 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.10 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 4 of 9 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.44 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | -0.11 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 9 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.46 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was MET's worst drawdown?

MET's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 82.4%, from October 2007 to March 2009. It took about eight years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 25 full calendar years, MET's best year was 2013, when it returned 67.5%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -42.2%.

### Is there a better investment than MET?

Among MET's popular alternatives, AFL earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.0% a year at 20.8% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, WRB (property & casualty insurance) and BRK-B (insurance) earned more than MET with less volatility over the past 5 years. WRB returned 18.9% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 12.0% a year at 25.4%.

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

Yes. MET's volatility over the past 5 years was 25.4%, 1.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, MET's return lands within 25.4% 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 MET's Sharpe ratio?

MET's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.58, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so MET 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 MET with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, MET's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.49 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 MET instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a MET holding.

### What are the best alternatives to MET?

None of the 17 popular alternatives we compared outperformed MET in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, which says more about MET's strength than about its alternatives.

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

MET finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 11 of 25 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -0.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

MET fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when MET fell 82.3% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies MET?

These had a low correlation with MET over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.47), DXJ (correlation 0.21) and EMLP (correlation 0.49); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.23), CLS (correlation 0.27) and FIX (correlation 0.23). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)

## Explore further

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