# How PayPal (PYPL) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/pypl
> 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 PYPL alone. It places PYPL (PayPal Holdings, 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 PYPL stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: PYPL's full trading record, from July 2015 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:** PYPL is 81.3% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. Its payment processing peers split over the past 3 months: MA (Mastercard) rose 13.5%, while FIS (Fidelity National Information Services) fell 12.8%.
- **Stock or market?:** PYPL rose 0.8% over the past 3 months, in line with the financials sector ETF XLF (State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF), which fell 0.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Last month cut against the tape: PYPL rose 8.6% while the S&P 500 fell 0.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** PYPL has gone against the market, falling 16.5% over the past year while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (8.2% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** Over the past decade, PYPL returned 3.7% a year against 15.5% a year for the S&P 500 (44.1% in total against 321%).
- **In a crash:** The 2022 bear market took 63.8% off PYPL, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than V (Visa, 24.1%) but less than XYZ (Block, 65.8%). Across four sell-offs, PYPL has typically fallen 1.5 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, PYPL has a correlation of 0.50 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:** AMZN (Amazon.com), V (Visa) and MA (Mastercard) earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AMZN returned 9.0% a year at 36.6% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** AAPL (Apple, digital payments theme) and MSFT (Microsoft, software) earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%.
  - **Whole market:** 2,419 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in PYPL over the past 11 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of PYPL over the same span and PYPL's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in PYPL at the end of September 2015 would have grown to $17,110 by September 2026, less than the $47,605 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of PYPL, and SHOP finished highest, at $421,312.

## PYPL 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.

- PYPL is still 81.3% below its all-time high.
- PYPL's deepest decline since it began trading in 2015 was 87.3%, from July 2021 to February 2026. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.
- Over ten full calendar years, PYPL's best was 2020, when it returned 117%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 62.2%. It lost money in four of those years.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Financial - Credit Services)
- Trading since: July 6, 2015
- Market value: $49B
- Volatility (5 years): 43.3%; Sharpe ratio: -0.47
- Worst decline ever: −87.3%, from July 23, 2021 to February 12, 2026; not yet back at its high

| Period | PYPL total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +8.6% |
| 3 months | +0.8% |
| 6 months | +11.7% |
| year to date | −0.9% |
| 1 year | −16.5% |
| 3 years | +8.2% |
| 5 years | −77.6% |
| 10 years | +44.1% |

## PYPL against the whole market

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

### How does PYPL rank among all stocks?

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

- On return for the risk taken (the Sharpe ratio), PYPL ranks in the bottom 1% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | PYPL | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −16.5% | 2,548 of 3,287 (top 78%) |
| 3-year return | +8.2% | 2,189 of 3,017 (top 73%) |
| 5-year return | −77.6% | 2,714 of 2,893 (top 94%) |
| 10-year return | +44.1% | 1,609 of 2,202 (top 74%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 43.3% | 1,623 of 2,893 (top 57%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | -0.47 | 2,860 of 2,893 (top 99%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −87.3% | 1,861 of 2,187 (top 86%) |

### What has beaten PYPL 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).

- 1,430 stocks and 989 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than PYPL over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 67% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half PYPL's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 43% less than PYPL's 43.2%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against -0.47 for PYPL. INSW earned the most, 56.5% a year, while still swinging less than PYPL (40.5% against 43.2%).
- Among PYPL's popular alternatives, V, MA and EBAY are in the region. V earned 12.8% a year against a loss of 25.9% a year for PYPL, at 22.9% volatility, 47% less than PYPL's 43.2%.

### Is there a better investment than PYPL?

The table below lists investments that beat PYPL 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 PYPL's popular alternatives, AMZN, V and MA earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AMZN returned 9.0% a year at 36.6% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, AAPL (digital payments theme) and MSFT (software) earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%.
- Across the whole market, 2,419 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and MSFT.

The 15 strongest of 2,419 investments that beat PYPL 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 PYPL | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PYPL: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (this page) |  | −25.9% | 43.3% | -0.47 | −87.3% | +44.1% |  |  |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | -0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +16.3% | 24.8% | 0.74 | −43.4% | +241% | -0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PG](https://easycompare.io/research/pg): The Procter & Gamble Company | Household & Personal Products | +5.1% | 18.3% | 0.37 | −23.8% | +145% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | Pharmaceuticals | +8.7% | 35.7% | 0.41 | −28.7% | +257% | -0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TM](https://easycompare.io/research/tm): Toyota Motor Corporation | Automobiles | +5.0% | 27.0% | 0.32 | −36.8% | +129% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [NEM](https://easycompare.io/research/nem): Newmont Corporation | Gold Mining | +18.6% | 39.1% | 0.63 | −62.4% | +304% | 0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VZ](https://easycompare.io/research/vz): Verizon Communications Inc. | Integrated Telecommunications | +2.7% | 22.9% | 0.23 | −41.2% | +55.8% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | Oil & Gas | +51.2% | 33.4% | 1.41 | −79.7% | +1,387% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PBR-A](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr-a): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | Integrated Oil & Gas | +51.8% | 37.5% | 1.31 | −71.7% | +768% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [UL](https://easycompare.io/research/ul): Unilever PLC | Household & Personal Products | +5.5% | 21.5% | 0.36 | −30.1% | +89.8% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | Pharmaceuticals | +9.5% | 24.5% | 0.49 | −37.6% | +95.1% | -0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | −1.7% | 25.4% | 0.06 | −58.9% | +55.0% | -0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CL](https://easycompare.io/research/cl): Colgate-Palmolive Company | Household & Personal Products | +7.2% | 19.2% | 0.46 | −29.0% | +68.8% | 0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | Life Sciences Tools | −3.8% | 29.1% | 0.01 | −43.8% | +232% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## PYPL against its popular alternatives

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

### How do PYPL'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.

- Ten of the 23 popular alternatives, led by V, MA and EBAY, were both more rewarding and calmer than PYPL over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, PYPL returned -25.9% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (43.2% against 17.1%).

### Has PYPL consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Ten of the 23 popular alternatives, led by SHOP, MA and V, outperformed PYPL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- SHOP, MA and V outperformed PYPL in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- V, MA and EBAY earned more for the risk they took than PYPL (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 PYPL | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PYPL: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (this page) | −16.5% | +8.2% | −77.6% | +44.1% |  |  | -0.47 |
| [SHOP](https://easycompare.io/research/shop): Shopify Inc. | +5.3% | +239% | +16.6% | +3,916% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.38 |
| [MA](https://easycompare.io/research/ma): Mastercard Incorporated | +10.3% | +64.3% | +79.2% | +541% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.61 |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | +19.0% | +78.2% | +82.5% | +429% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.64 |
| [EBAY](https://easycompare.io/research/ebay): eBay Inc. | +28.3% | +213% | +74.2% | +374% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.50 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.42 |
| PAGS: PagSeguro Digital Ltd. | +38.4% | +73.1% | −66.9% | — | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | -0.07 |
| PAY: Paymentus Holdings, Inc. | +12.0% | +122% | +35.0% | — | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.41 |
| WEX: WEX Inc. | +21.1% | −1.4% | −3.9% | +74.9% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.17 |
| PAYO: Payoneer Global Inc. | +19.6% | +23.6% | −13.5% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.22 |
| TOST: Toast, Inc. | −13.3% | +85.7% | −35.9% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.15 |
| [XYZ](https://easycompare.io/research/xyz): Block, Inc. | +2.1% | +77.6% | −69.4% | +598% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | -0.10 |
| AFRM: Affirm Holdings, Inc. | +2.5% | +305% | −50.0% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| STNE: StoneCo Ltd. | −21.7% | +46.8% | −63.0% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.02 |
| [COIN](https://easycompare.io/research/coin): Coinbase Global, Inc. | −50.3% | +129% | −45.7% | — | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| RELY: Remitly Global, Inc. | +52.9% | −6.6% | −28.9% | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| GPN: Global Payments Inc. | −1.3% | −21.1% | −44.7% | +22.4% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.14 |
| DLO: Dlocal Limited | +2.5% | −10.3% | −69.4% | — | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| FLYW: Flywire Corp | +41.0% | −33.1% | −60.7% | — | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| WU: The Western Union Company | −13.8% | −36.8% | −52.2% | −42.3% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.33 |
| FISV: Fiserv, Inc. | −61.1% | −56.3% | −56.2% | −2.7% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.24 |
| EEFT: Euronet Worldwide, Inc. | −24.3% | −21.1% | −49.9% | −19.7% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.21 |
| FIS: Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. | −44.3% | −21.6% | −66.6% | −41.3% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.47 |
| FOUR: Shift4 Payments, Inc. | −46.7% | −20.1% | −47.4% | — | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.07 |

### How did PYPL do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2016, along with where PYPL ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Among its popular alternatives, SHOP came out ahead of PYPL most often, in eight of the ten years both traded.
- PYPL finished ahead of the S&P 500 in four of its ten full calendar years.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, PYPL finished in the top quarter in two of ten years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 20 of 24.

| Year | PYPL | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −31.4% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +39.0% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −13.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −62.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −19.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +117% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +28.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +14.2% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +86.5% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +9.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How PYPL 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 PYPL's worst declines?

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

- In four of PYPL's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: PYPL fell 87.3% from July 2021 to February 2026, while the S&P 500 rose 64.8%.
- None of these declines kept PYPL below its old high for long; the longest climb back took six months.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −87.3% | July 23, 2021 | February 12, 2026 | not yet | +64.8% | 2022 bear market |
| −31.2% | February 19, 2020 | March 23, 2020 | May 5, 2020 | −33.7% | Covid crash |
| −25.8% | February 16, 2021 | March 8, 2021 | July 23, 2021 | −2.7% |  |
| −24.3% | July 20, 2015 | September 29, 2015 | March 21, 2016 | −11.1% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |
| −20.3% | July 24, 2019 | October 23, 2019 | February 14, 2020 | −0.1% |  |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, RELY held up best, falling less than PYPL in all two crashes they both traded through.
- PYPL began trading after the 2008 financial crisis, but nine of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was GPN's 44.4%, against 55.2% for the S&P 500.
- PYPL fell less than the S&P 500 in three of the six crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the late-2018 sell-off, when PYPL fell 16.7% and the S&P 500 fell 19.3%.

| Crash | Dates | PYPL 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 | not trading | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | not trading | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | not trading | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −21.6% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −5.6% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −16.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −31.2% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −63.8% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −4.4% | −3.4% |

### How closely does PYPL 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 PYPL's 0.57, led by MA, V and SHOP.
- V took just 79% of the S&P 500's losses, against 186% for PYPL, while still keeping 93% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, PYPL captured 106% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 186% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.25. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PYPL: PayPal Holdings, Inc. (this page) | 106% | 186% | 1.25 |
| [SHOP](https://easycompare.io/research/shop): Shopify Inc. | 233% | 203% | 2.09 |
| [MA](https://easycompare.io/research/ma): Mastercard Incorporated | 105% | 88.0% | 0.95 |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | 93.0% | 79.0% | 0.87 |
| [EBAY](https://easycompare.io/research/ebay): eBay Inc. | 113% | 133% | 1.23 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| WEX: WEX Inc. | 114% | 190% | 1.37 |
| [XYZ](https://easycompare.io/research/xyz): Block, Inc. | 212% | 273% | 2.52 |
| GPN: Global Payments Inc. | 76.0% | 139% | 0.98 |
| WU: The Western Union Company | 44.0% | 130% | 0.75 |
| FISV: Fiserv, Inc. | 51.0% | 107% | 0.86 |
| EEFT: Euronet Worldwide, Inc. | 65.0% | 144% | 1.22 |
| FIS: Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. | 54.0% | 150% | 0.82 |

### What diversifies PYPL?

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 PYPL into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 20% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-27.2% for PYPL alone, -18.3% for the mix).
- MCK made money in four of the four calendar years in which PYPL lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of PYPL over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.38 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with PYPL | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in PYPL's 4 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.38 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 4 of 4 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.17 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 4 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.37 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 4 of 4 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.31 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 4 of 4 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.18 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 4 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.40 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 4 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | -0.01 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 2 of 4 |
| FFLC: Fidelity Fundamental Large Cap Core ETF | 0.45 | +107% | 16.8% | 0.95 | 3 of 4 |

## Common questions

### What was PYPL's worst drawdown?

PYPL's deepest decline since it began trading in 2015 was 87.3%, from July 2021 to February 2026. It has not yet climbed back to that peak. Because PYPL launched in July 2015, that record does not include the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis or two other sell-offs.

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

Over ten full calendar years, PYPL's best year was 2020, when it returned 117%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -62.2%.

### Is there a better investment than PYPL?

Among PYPL's popular alternatives, AMZN, V and MA earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AMZN returned 9.0% a year at 36.6% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, AAPL (digital payments theme) and MSFT (software) earned more than PYPL with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against a loss of 25.9% a year at 43.2%.

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

Yes. PYPL's volatility over the past 5 years was 43.2%, 2.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, PYPL's return lands within 43.2% 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 PYPL's Sharpe ratio?

PYPL's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was -0.47, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so PYPL 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 PYPL with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, PYPL's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.50 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 PYPL instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a PYPL holding.

### What are the best alternatives to PYPL?

Of the 23 popular alternatives we compared, ten outperformed PYPL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: SHOP, MA and V.

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

PYPL finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in four of ten full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -31.4%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

PYPL fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the six major crashes it has traded through, and further in three. The clearest case was the late-2018 sell-off, when PYPL fell 16.7% and the S&P 500 fell 19.3%.

### What diversifies PYPL?

These had a low correlation with PYPL over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.38), DXJ (correlation 0.17) and EMLP (correlation 0.37); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.20), CLS (correlation 0.31) and FIX (correlation 0.22). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Shopify (SHOP) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/shop)
- [Mastercard (MA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ma)
- [Visa (V) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/v)
- [EBAY Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ebay)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Block (XYZ) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/xyz)
- [Coinbase Global (COIN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/coin)
- [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)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

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