# How Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/mrk
> 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 MRK alone. It places MRK (Merck & Co., 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 MRK stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: MRK's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** MRK has run far ahead of the market, rising 28.3% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its pharmaceutical peers split over the past 6 months: ABBV (AbbVie) rose 43.8%, while AZN (AstraZeneca) fell 15.3%.
- **Stock or market?:** More than an industry move: MRK rose 19.9% over the past 3 months, against 5.0% for the pharmaceuticals ETF IHE (iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF). The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its pharmaceutical peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: TEVA (Teva Pharmaceutical Industries) rose 31.8%, while JNJ (Johnson & Johnson) rose 4.8%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, MRK rose 76.8% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. On the flip side, the last two calendar years both went the same way: MRK rose 9.8% in 2025, against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** MRK turned $10,000 into $34,100 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. On the flip side, the past 5 years have been the better stretch: MRK rose 113% against 81.7% for the S&P 500, after trailing over the decade.
- **In a crash:** In the Covid crash, MRK fell 19.3%, against 33.7% for the S&P 500. That was more than LLY (Eli Lilly and Company, 16.9%) but less than JNJ (Johnson & Johnson, 25.4%). MRK fell less than the S&P 500 in two of the last three sell-offs, including the Covid crash (19.3% against 33.7%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, MRK has a correlation of 0.13 over 5 years, less closely than 93% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. Over 10 years, MRK's beta versus the S&P 500 was 0.30: 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 46% of its losses in falling ones.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** COR (Cencora, health care distribution) earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years: 24.2% a year at 22.8% volatility, against 16.3% a year at 24.8%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 40 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT (Walmart), ABBV (AbbVie) and COST (Costco Wholesale).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in MRK at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $82,561 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of MRK, and GILD finished highest, at $1,571,438.

## MRK 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.

- MRK's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 68.6%, from December 2000 to March 2009. It took about five years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, MRK's best was 2022, when it returned 49.4%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 45.3%. It lost money in ten of those years.
- MRK is 4.7% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Drug Manufacturers - General)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $366B
- Volatility (5 years): 24.8%; Sharpe ratio: 0.74
- Worst decline ever: −68.6%, from December 28, 2000 to March 9, 2009; back at its high by February 7, 2014

| Period | MRK total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −0.8% |
| 3 months | +19.9% |
| 6 months | +28.3% |
| year to date | +42.2% |
| 1 year | +76.8% |
| 3 years | +58.3% |
| 5 years | +113% |
| 10 years | +241% |

## MRK against the whole market

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

### How does MRK rank among all stocks?

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

- MRK's 1-year return ranks in the top 9% of the 3,287 stocks worth at least $300 million with 1 year of history.

| Measure | MRK | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +76.8% | 294 of 3,287 (top 9%) |
| 3-year return | +58.3% | 1,423 of 3,017 (top 48%) |
| 5-year return | +113% | 615 of 2,893 (top 22%) |
| 10-year return | +241% | 738 of 2,202 (top 34%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 24.8% | 306 of 2,893 (top 11%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.74 | 388 of 2,893 (top 14%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −43.4% | 240 of 2,187 (top 11%) |

### What has beaten MRK 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).

- 16 stocks and 24 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than MRK 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 MRK's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 23% less than MRK's 24.8%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.74 for MRK.
- Among MRK's popular alternatives, ABBV is in the region. ABBV earned 26.1% a year against 16.3% a year for MRK, at 23.4% volatility, 5% less than MRK's 24.8%.

### Is there a better investment than MRK?

The table below lists investments that beat MRK 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 MRK's popular alternatives, ABBV earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 16.3% a year at 24.8%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, COR (health care distribution) earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years: 24.2% a year at 22.8% volatility, against 16.3% a year at 24.8%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 40 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT, ABBV and COST.

The 15 strongest of 40 investments that beat MRK 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 MRK | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MRK: Merck & Co., Inc. (this page) |  | +16.3% | 24.8% | 0.74 | −43.4% | +241% |  |  |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | US Momentum Equity | +18.7% | 20.8% | 0.93 | −30.9% | +499% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| CRAK: VanEck Oil Refiners ETF | Energy | +19.8% | 20.9% | 0.97 | −58.8% | +336% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPLX](https://easycompare.io/research/mplx): MPLX Lp | Oil & Gas Midstream | +23.5% | 18.8% | 1.22 | −75.2% | +350% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| DBJP: Xtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF | International | +20.9% | 19.2% | 1.09 | −31.3% | +348% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [TJX](https://easycompare.io/research/tjx): The TJX Companies, Inc. | Specialty Retail | +19.9% | 22.3% | 0.93 | −42.5% | +361% | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [BTI](https://easycompare.io/research/bti): British American Tobacco p.l.c. | Tobacco | +18.7% | 22.0% | 0.90 | −56.1% | +98.2% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [MO](https://easycompare.io/research/mo): Altria Group, Inc. | Tobacco | +17.8% | 21.4% | 0.88 | −53.7% | +140% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | Banks | +19.2% | 21.6% | 0.93 | −47.3% | +395% | 0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +22.4% | 22.3% | 1.02 | −46.3% | +347% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## MRK against its popular alternatives

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

### How do MRK'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 ABBV and NVS were both more rewarding and calmer than MRK over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 12 of the 22 popular alternatives earned less than MRK over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, MRK returned 16.3% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (24.8% against 17.1%).

### Has MRK consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Only one of the 22 popular alternatives, TEVA, outperformed MRK in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- MCK, LLY and GILD earned more for the risk they took than MRK (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 MRK | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MRK: Merck & Co., Inc. (this page) | +76.8% | +58.3% | +113% | +241% |  |  | 0.74 |
| [TEVA](https://easycompare.io/research/teva): Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited | +110% | +403% | +303% | −3.6% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.86 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.21 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | +28.3% | +118% | +218% | +603% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.11 |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | +31.3% | +131% | +413% | +586% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.44 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.85 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | +18.8% | +75.9% | +121% | +226% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | +30.3% | +121% | +180% | +200% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.95 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| VTRS: Viatris Inc. | +87.1% | +127% | +64.3% | −38.0% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.47 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | +26.3% | +45.3% | +6.5% | +260% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | +1.8% | +38.8% | +52.1% | +257% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.41 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | +36.9% | +84.6% | +82.1% | +196% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.76 |
| XBI: State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF | +39.7% | +130% | +25.1% | +159% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | +65.8% | −5.6% | −8.8% | −18.9% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | +30.5% | +19.2% | −8.3% | +55.0% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +40.7% | +0.8% | +44.9% | +120% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| ZTS: Zoetis Inc. | −43.8% | −50.1% | −59.0% | +70.3% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.45 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | +48.2% | +56.1% | +75.1% | +30.4% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | −28.5% | −57.0% | −18.5% | +134% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | +18.9% | +60.0% | +57.2% | +95.1% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | +47.8% | +25.8% | +30.6% | +74.8% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | −13.4% | −10.0% | +3.0% | +61.5% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |

### How did MRK do year by year?

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

- MRK finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 11 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, MCK came out ahead of MRK most often, in 22 of the 29 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, MRK finished in the top quarter in six of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 16 of 23.

| Year | MRK | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +9.8% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −6.3% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +1.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +49.4% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +1.8% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −7.2% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +22.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +40.0% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | −1.5% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +15.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How MRK 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 MRK's worst declines?

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

- In all three of MRK's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: MRK fell 43.4% from June 2024 to May 2025, while the S&P 500 rose 9.3%.
- The slowest recovery came after MRK fell 68.6% from December 2000 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until February 2014, five years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −68.6% | December 28, 2000 | March 9, 2009 | February 7, 2014 | −41.3% | dot-com bust |
| −47.2% | January 3, 1992 | August 13, 1993 | July 13, 1995 | — |  |
| −43.4% | June 24, 2024 | May 14, 2025 | June 25, 2026 | +9.3% |  |
| −36.5% | March 22, 1999 | March 7, 2000 | October 23, 2000 | +6.3% |  |
| −32.8% | September 3, 1987 | January 20, 1988 | May 15, 1989 | — |  |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, LLY held up best, falling less than MRK in six of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- MRK fell less than the S&P 500 in four of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when MRK fell 19.3% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

| Crash | Dates | MRK fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −57.5% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −63.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.3% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −17.4% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −18.2% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.6% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −9.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −19.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −10.8% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −2.4% | −3.4% |

### How closely does MRK 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, MRK captured 64% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 46% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.30. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 46% for MRK, while still keeping 101% of its gains.
- Five of the 22 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than MRK's 1.39, led by LLY, MCK and ABBV.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MRK: Merck & Co., Inc. (this page) | 64.0% | 46.0% | 0.30 |
| [TEVA](https://easycompare.io/research/teva): Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited | 55.0% | 116% | 1.11 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | 92.0% | 57.0% | 0.54 |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | 72.0% | 27.0% | 0.56 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | 69.0% | 64.0% | 0.49 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 52.0% | 36.0% | 0.35 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| VTRS: Viatris Inc. | 74.0% | 179% | 1.14 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | 128% | 167% | 1.31 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | 60.0% | 39.0% | 0.39 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | 64.0% | 53.0% | 0.46 |
| XBI: State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF | 93.0% | 122% | 1.01 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | 35.0% | 91.0% | 0.28 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | 52.0% | 81.0% | 0.54 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55.0% | 66.0% | 0.19 |
| ZTS: Zoetis Inc. | 64.0% | 101% | 0.72 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | 34.0% | 58.0% | 0.44 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | 75.0% | 94.0% | 0.60 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | 51.0% | 61.0% | 0.52 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 55.0% | 75.0% | 0.41 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | 53.0% | 74.0% | 0.46 |

### What diversifies MRK?

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 MRK into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+17.6% for MRK alone, +18.5% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of MRK over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.37 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- FIX made money in seven of the ten calendar years in which MRK lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with MRK | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in MRK's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.35 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 10 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.37 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 10 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.24 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 10 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.41 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.05 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 4 of 10 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.31 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 4 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.08 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 10 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.15 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was MRK's worst drawdown?

MRK's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 68.6%, from December 2000 to March 2009. It took about five years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, MRK's best year was 2022, when it returned 49.4%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -45.3%.

### Is there a better investment than MRK?

Among MRK's popular alternatives, ABBV earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 16.3% a year at 24.8%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, COR (health care distribution) earned more than MRK with less volatility over the past 5 years: 24.2% a year at 22.8% volatility, against 16.3% a year at 24.8%.

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

Yes. MRK's volatility over the past 5 years was 24.8%, 1.4 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, MRK's return lands within 24.8% 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 MRK's Sharpe ratio?

MRK's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.74, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so MRK 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 MRK with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, MRK's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.13 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against MRK instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a MRK holding.

### What are the best alternatives to MRK?

Of the 22 popular alternatives we compared, one outperformed MRK in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: TEVA.

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

MRK finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 11 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +9.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

MRK fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in four of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when MRK fell 19.3% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

### What diversifies MRK?

These had a low correlation with MRK over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.35), DXJ (correlation 0.37) and EMLP (correlation 0.24); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.26), CLS (correlation -0.20) and FIX (correlation 0.09). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

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- [AstraZeneca (AZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/azn)
- [Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj)
- [Pfizer (PFE) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe)

## Explore further

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