# How NextEra Energy (NEE) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/nee
> 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 NEE alone. It places NEE (NextEra Energy, 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 NEE stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: NEE'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:** NEE has gone against the market, falling 13.0% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the electric utilities ETF XLU (State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF) fell 6.1% over the past 3 months, with D (Dominion Energy, down 9.8%) and SRE (Sempra, down 7.9%), while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, NEE fell 4.3% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (65.9% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** NEE turned $10,000 into $32,800 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. On the flip side, over the past decade, only ETR (Entergy) of its electric utility peers outpaced NEE.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, NEE has typically lost about 82% as much as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Over 10 years NEE kept more of the market's gains than of its losses: 62% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 44% of its losses in falling ones, with a beta of 0.45. Against the S&P 500, NEE has a correlation of 0.40 over 5 years, more closely than 51% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** AEP (American Electric Power), EVRG (Evergy) and ETR (Entergy) earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. AEP returned 12.4% a year at 20.2% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** NGG (National Grid, electric utilities) and NI (NiSource, gas utilities) earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. NGG returned 11.8% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%.
  - **Whole market:** 941 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in NEE at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $299,370 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of NEE, and AAPL finished highest, at $20,534,853.

## NEE 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.

- NEE's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 47.9%, from December 2007 to October 2008. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, NEE's best was 2000, when it returned 74.7%, and its worst was 1999, when it lost 28.0%. It lost money in five of those years.
- NEE is 18.2% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Utilities (Regulated Electric)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $165B
- Volatility (5 years): 26.8%; Sharpe ratio: 0.19
- Worst decline ever: −47.9%, from December 5, 2007 to October 10, 2008; back at its high by April 4, 2012

| Period | NEE total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −1.0% |
| 3 months | −9.7% |
| 6 months | −13.0% |
| year to date | −0.4% |
| 1 year | −4.3% |
| 3 years | +65.9% |
| 5 years | +7.5% |
| 10 years | +228% |

## NEE against the whole market

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

### How does NEE rank among all stocks?

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

- NEE's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 13% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | NEE | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −4.3% | 2,161 of 3,287 (top 66%) |
| 3-year return | +65.9% | 1,314 of 3,017 (top 44%) |
| 5-year return | +7.5% | 1,624 of 2,893 (top 57%) |
| 10-year return | +228% | 773 of 2,202 (top 36%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 26.8% | 468 of 2,893 (top 17%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.19 | 1,880 of 2,893 (top 65%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −45.0% | 288 of 2,187 (top 14%) |

### What has beaten NEE 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).

- 230 stocks and 711 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than NEE over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 26% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half NEE's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 8% less than NEE's 26.8%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.19 for NEE.
- Among NEE's popular alternatives, ETR, ED and AEP are in the region. ETR earned 19.2% a year against 1.5% a year for NEE, at 22.4% volatility, 16% less than NEE's 26.8%.

### Is there a better investment than NEE?

The table below lists investments that beat NEE 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 NEE's popular alternatives, AEP, EVRG and ETR earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. AEP returned 12.4% a year at 20.2% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, NGG (electric utilities) and NI (gas utilities) earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. NGG returned 11.8% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%.
- Across the whole market, 941 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 941 investments that beat NEE 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 NEE | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NEE: NextEra Energy, Inc. (this page) |  | +1.5% | 26.8% | 0.19 | −45.0% | +228% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.39 | 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% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.32 | 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% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.36 | 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% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VXUS](https://easycompare.io/research/vxus): Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | International Equity | +8.2% | 16.4% | 0.57 | −36.0% | +140% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | US Large-Cap Growth | +14.5% | 23.0% | 0.71 | −35.1% | +553% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | Pharmaceuticals | +17.1% | 20.7% | 0.87 | −26.8% | +226% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## NEE against its popular alternatives

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

### How do NEE'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.

- 17 of the 23 popular alternatives, led by ETR, AEP and ED, were both more rewarding and calmer than NEE over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, NEE returned 1.5% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (26.8% against 17.1%).

### Has NEE consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Four of the 25 popular alternatives, led by ETR, VST and AEP, outperformed NEE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- ETR outperformed NEE in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- ETR, ED and AEP earned more for the risk they took than NEE (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 NEE | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NEE: NextEra Energy, Inc. (this page) | −4.3% | +65.9% | +7.5% | +228% |  |  | 0.19 |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | +11.4% | +149% | +141% | +311% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.90 |
| [VST](https://easycompare.io/research/vst): Vistra Corp. | −22.2% | +383% | +748% | +1,195% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.13 |
| [AEP](https://easycompare.io/research/aep): American Electric Power Company, Inc. | +11.3% | +93.3% | +79.4% | +185% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.68 |
| EVRG: Evergy, Inc. | +9.0% | +93.6% | +57.2% | +109% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.57 |
| FSLR: First Solar, Inc. | −23.8% | +15.7% | +69.0% | +315% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| AEE: Ameren Corporation | +3.4% | +52.5% | +45.9% | +192% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [XEL](https://easycompare.io/research/xel): Xcel Energy Inc. | −2.7% | +46.0% | +37.3% | +156% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.41 |
| LNT: Alliant Energy Corporation | +2.6% | +54.6% | +42.3% | +150% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [DUK](https://easycompare.io/research/duk): Duke Energy Corporation | −2.6% | +56.1% | +43.9% | +132% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.50 |
| [ED](https://easycompare.io/research/ed): Consolidated Edison, Inc. | +13.7% | +42.4% | +76.3% | +114% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.70 |
| FE: FirstEnergy Corp. | +0.7% | +46.8% | +50.2% | +111% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.52 |
| [SO](https://easycompare.io/research/so): The Southern Company | −4.1% | +53.0% | +70.9% | +170% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |
| WEC: WEC Energy Group, Inc. | −4.3% | +49.1% | +41.6% | +159% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [EXC](https://easycompare.io/research/exc): Exelon Corporation | −7.5% | +22.6% | +40.7% | +159% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.43 |
| PPL: PPL Corporation | −5.2% | +60.8% | +40.7% | +59.2% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [D](https://easycompare.io/research/d): Dominion Energy, Inc. | +6.6% | +80.8% | +2.7% | +32.5% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.14 |
| PEG: Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated | −13.6% | +31.9% | +32.3% | +142% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.38 |
| DTE: DTE Energy Company | −6.7% | +48.3% | +32.2% | +127% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.39 |
| CMS: CMS Energy Corporation | −6.0% | +42.2% | +31.4% | +123% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.38 |
| [SRE](https://easycompare.io/research/sre): Sempra | −8.0% | +32.7% | +47.5% | +114% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [CEG](https://easycompare.io/research/ceg): Constellation Energy Corporation | −29.7% | +135% | — | — | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| AES: The AES Corporation | +9.2% | +25.5% | −26.8% | +81.5% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.02 |
| [GEV](https://easycompare.io/research/gev): GE Vernova Inc. | +50.1% | — | — | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| BEP: Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. | +2.2% | +55.2% | −5.1% | +187% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| ES: Eversource Energy | −6.0% | +40.5% | −7.0% | +72.0% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |

### How did NEE do year by year?

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

- NEE finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, NEE finished in the top quarter in ten of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in three. In 2025, it ranked 14 of 26.
- Among its popular alternatives, VST came out ahead of NEE most often, in five of the nine years both traded.

| Year | NEE | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +15.5% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +21.5% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −25.3% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −8.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +23.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +30.0% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +42.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +14.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +34.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +18.5% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How NEE 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 NEE's worst declines?

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

- In four of NEE's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: NEE fell 45.9% from October 1998 to February 2000, while the S&P 500 rose 40.0%.
- The slowest recovery came after NEE fell 47.9% from December 2007 to October 2008; it did not regain that peak until April 2012, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −47.9% | December 5, 2007 | October 10, 2008 | April 4, 2012 | −39.3% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −45.9% | October 8, 1998 | February 25, 2000 | October 2, 2000 | +40.0% |  |
| −45.0% | December 31, 2021 | October 9, 2023 | October 14, 2025 | −6.5% | 2022 bear market |
| −35.6% | March 4, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | July 23, 2020 | −28.3% | Covid crash |
| −32.2% | December 26, 2000 | July 23, 2002 | May 27, 2003 | −38.4% | dot-com bust |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, ED held up best, falling less than NEE in eight of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- NEE fell less than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when NEE fell 32.2% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

| Crash | Dates | NEE fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −32.2% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −47.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | 0.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −12.8% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −12.9% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.9% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −8.2% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −35.6% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −24.0% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does NEE 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, NEE captured 62% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 44% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.45. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- ETR took just 24% of the S&P 500's losses, against 44% for NEE, while still keeping 58% of its gains.
- Ten of the 22 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than NEE's 1.40, led by ETR, SO and AEP.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NEE: NextEra Energy, Inc. (this page) | 62.0% | 44.0% | 0.45 |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | 58.0% | 24.0% | 0.53 |
| [AEP](https://easycompare.io/research/aep): American Electric Power Company, Inc. | 44.0% | 23.0% | 0.40 |
| EVRG: Evergy, Inc. | 42.0% | 38.0% | 0.47 |
| FSLR: First Solar, Inc. | 135% | 161% | 1.55 |
| AEE: Ameren Corporation | 51.0% | 33.0% | 0.38 |
| [XEL](https://easycompare.io/research/xel): Xcel Energy Inc. | 41.0% | 24.0% | 0.35 |
| LNT: Alliant Energy Corporation | 50.0% | 45.0% | 0.46 |
| [DUK](https://easycompare.io/research/duk): Duke Energy Corporation | 35.0% | 19.0% | 0.33 |
| [ED](https://easycompare.io/research/ed): Consolidated Edison, Inc. | 31.0% | 18.0% | 0.22 |
| FE: FirstEnergy Corp. | 40.0% | 33.0% | 0.36 |
| [SO](https://easycompare.io/research/so): The Southern Company | 41.0% | 20.0% | 0.39 |
| WEC: WEC Energy Group, Inc. | 41.0% | 23.0% | 0.34 |
| [EXC](https://easycompare.io/research/exc): Exelon Corporation | 40.0% | 21.0% | 0.37 |
| PPL: PPL Corporation | 52.0% | 77.0% | 0.65 |
| [D](https://easycompare.io/research/d): Dominion Energy, Inc. | 43.0% | 70.0% | 0.52 |
| PEG: Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated | 52.0% | 47.0% | 0.53 |
| DTE: DTE Energy Company | 47.0% | 42.0% | 0.50 |
| CMS: CMS Energy Corporation | 35.0% | 23.0% | 0.28 |
| [SRE](https://easycompare.io/research/sre): Sempra | 48.0% | 49.0% | 0.60 |
| AES: The AES Corporation | 80.0% | 122% | 0.91 |
| BEP: Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. | 85.0% | 96.0% | 0.91 |
| ES: Eversource Energy | 49.0% | 61.0% | 0.52 |

### What diversifies NEE?

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 NEE into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+2.0% for NEE alone, +7.2% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and HDV have moved largely independently of NEE over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- CLS made money in three of the five calendar years in which NEE lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with NEE | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in NEE's 5 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.36 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 5 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.13 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 5 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.46 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 5 |
| MLPX: Global X - MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | 0.30 | +135% | 19.7% | 0.97 | 2 of 5 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.28 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 1 of 5 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.37 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 1 of 5 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.36 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 2 of 5 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.23 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 5 |

## Common questions

### What was NEE's worst drawdown?

NEE's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 47.9%, from December 2007 to October 2008. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, NEE's best year was 2000, when it returned 74.7%. Its worst was 1999, with a return of -28.0%.

### Is there a better investment than NEE?

Among NEE's popular alternatives, AEP, EVRG and ETR earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. AEP returned 12.4% a year at 20.2% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, NGG (electric utilities) and NI (gas utilities) earned more than NEE with less volatility over the past 5 years. NGG returned 11.8% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 1.5% a year at 26.8%.

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

Yes. NEE's volatility over the past 5 years was 26.8%, 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, NEE's return lands within 26.8% 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 NEE's Sharpe ratio?

NEE's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.19, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so NEE 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 NEE with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, NEE's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.40 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 NEE instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a NEE holding.

### What are the best alternatives to NEE?

Of the 25 popular alternatives we compared, four outperformed NEE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: ETR, VST and AEP.

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

NEE finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +15.5%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

NEE fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in six of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in one. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when NEE fell 32.2% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies NEE?

These had a low correlation with NEE over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.36), DXJ (correlation 0.13) and HDV (correlation 0.46); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.20), CLS (correlation 0.07) and FIX (correlation 0.33). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Entergy (ETR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/etr)
- [Vistra (VST) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vst)
- [American Electric Power (AEP) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aep)
- [Xcel Energy (XEL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/xel)
- [Duke Energy (DUK) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/duk)
- [Consolidated Edison (ED) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ed)
- [Southern (SO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/so)
- [Exelon (EXC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/exc)
- [Dominion Energy (D) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/d)
- [Sempra (SRE) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/sre)
- [Constellation Energy (CEG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ceg)
- [GE Vernova (GEV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/gev)

## Explore further

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