# How Sony Group (SONY) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/sony
> 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 SONY alone. It places SONY (Sony Group Corporation) against 16 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 SONY stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: SONY'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:** SONY has run far ahead of the market, rising 19.7% over the past 3 months against 3.9% for the S&P 500 and 3.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Not every peer went the same way. Over the past 3 months, GPRO (GoPro) rose 61.0% and NTES (NetEase) fell 6.4%.
- **Stock or market?:** SONY's 19.7% gain over the past 3 months far outran its industry: the consumer electronics ETF XLY (State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF) rose 1.0%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its consumer electronics peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: GPRO (GoPro) rose 61.0%, while NTES (NetEase) fell 6.4%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, SONY fell 13.2% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (54.0% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** SONY turned $10,000 into $40,900 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** SONY fell harder than the S&P 500 in six of seven sell-offs. The Covid crash was the exception: SONY fell 22.9%, less than the S&P 500's 33.7%.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, SONY has a correlation of 0.51 over 5 years, more closely than 75% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** AAPL (Apple) earned more for the risk it took than SONY over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 38.5%, against 50.6% for SONY.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MSGS (Madison Square Garden Sports, entertainment) and FWONK (Liberty Media, entertainment) earned more than SONY with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSGS returned 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against 2.9% a year at 29.2%.
  - **Whole market:** 972 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than SONY 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 SONY have grown?

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

- $10,000 invested in SONY at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $30,560 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- All six other investments on the chart ended ahead of SONY, and AAPL finished highest, at $20,534,853.

## SONY 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.

- SONY's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 93.2%, from February 2000 to December 2012. It took about 12 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, SONY's best was 1999, when it returned 297%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 59.3%. It lost money in nine of those years.
- SONY is 16.3% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Consumer Electronics)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $150B
- Volatility (5 years): 29.2%; Sharpe ratio: 0.24
- Worst decline ever: −93.2%, from February 29, 2000 to December 4, 2012; back at its high by May 27, 2025

| Period | SONY total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +7.3% |
| 3 months | +19.7% |
| 6 months | +18.1% |
| year to date | −2.2% |
| 1 year | −13.2% |
| 3 years | +54.0% |
| 5 years | +15.4% |
| 10 years | +309% |

## SONY against the whole market

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

### How does SONY rank among all stocks?

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

- SONY's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 22% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | SONY | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −13.2% | 2,449 of 3,287 (top 75%) |
| 3-year return | +54.0% | 1,482 of 3,017 (top 50%) |
| 5-year return | +15.4% | 1,517 of 2,893 (top 53%) |
| 10-year return | +309% | 567 of 2,202 (top 26%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 29.2% | 653 of 2,893 (top 23%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.24 | 1,719 of 2,893 (top 60%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −50.6% | 478 of 2,187 (top 22%) |

### What has beaten SONY 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).

- 303 stocks and 669 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than SONY over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 27% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half SONY's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 15% less than SONY's 29.2%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.24 for SONY.
- None of SONY's popular alternatives made it, but MSGS (entertainment) did: 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, 13% less than SONY's 29.2%.

### Is there a better investment than SONY?

The table below lists investments that beat SONY 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 SONY's popular alternatives, AAPL earned more for the risk it took than SONY over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 38.5%, against 50.6% for SONY.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSGS (entertainment) and FWONK (entertainment) earned more than SONY with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSGS returned 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against 2.9% a year at 29.2%.
- Across the whole market, 972 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than SONY with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 972 investments that beat SONY 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 SONY | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SONY: Sony Group Corporation (this page) |  | +2.9% | 29.2% | 0.24 | −50.6% | +309% |  |  |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.21 | 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% | 0.42 | 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% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MA](https://easycompare.io/research/ma): Mastercard Incorporated | Payment Processing | +12.4% | 23.8% | 0.61 | −41.0% | +541% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +16.8% | 26.1% | 0.73 | −42.0% | +374% | 0.37 | 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% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +16.3% | 24.8% | 0.74 | −43.4% | +241% | 0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | +19.6% | 24.9% | 0.85 | −24.9% | +266% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Technology Equity | +18.4% | 26.0% | 0.78 | −35.1% | +779% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MNST](https://easycompare.io/research/mnst): Monster Beverage Corporation | Food & Beverages | +17.2% | 24.9% | 0.77 | −30.4% | +285% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CME](https://easycompare.io/research/cme): CME Group Inc. | Capital Markets | +11.2% | 20.8% | 0.62 | −37.4% | +319% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [ADP](https://easycompare.io/research/adp): Automatic Data Processing, Inc. | Business Services | +9.0% | 22.9% | 0.49 | −40.8% | +320% | 0.42 | 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% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| DGX: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Medical Diagnostics | +12.3% | 22.5% | 0.63 | −36.6% | +243% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## SONY against its popular alternatives

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

### How do SONY'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 AAPL and MSFT were both more rewarding and calmer than SONY over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, SONY returned 2.9% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (29.2% against 17.1%).

### Has SONY consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Three of the 16 popular alternatives, MSFT, AMD and AAPL, outperformed SONY in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- MSFT outperformed SONY in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- AAPL and MSFT earned more for the risk they took than SONY (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 SONY | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SONY: Sony Group Corporation (this page) | −13.2% | +54.0% | +15.4% | +309% |  |  | 0.24 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.56 |
| [AMD](https://easycompare.io/research/amd): Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | +122% | +425% | +359% | +7,583% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.82 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.75 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | +18.8% | +425% | +884% | +13,019% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.14 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | +44.3% | +382% | +293% | +1,505% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.91 |
| [GRMN](https://easycompare.io/research/grmn): Garmin Ltd. | +18.5% | +196% | +99.1% | +670% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.59 |
| LOGI: Logitech International S.A. | +0.8% | +65.4% | +32.1% | +489% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | −44.5% | +71.3% | +9.9% | +457% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| [TTWO](https://easycompare.io/research/ttwo): Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. | −21.2% | +47.0% | +19.1% | +360% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| [SPOT](https://easycompare.io/research/spot): Spotify Technology S.A. | −22.1% | +251% | +109% | — | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| [NTES](https://easycompare.io/research/ntes): NetEase, Inc. | −16.2% | +34.1% | +37.6% | +184% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| CRSR: Corsair Gaming, Inc. | +61.1% | +1.5% | −48.2% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| SONO: Sonos, Inc. | +2.5% | +55.2% | −47.1% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.02 |
| WMG: Warner Music Group Corp. | −3.5% | +6.5% | −27.2% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |
| [DIS](https://easycompare.io/research/dis): The Walt Disney Company | +1.2% | +39.3% | −32.5% | +31.7% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.12 |
| GPRO: GoPro, Inc. | −48.6% | −57.7% | −88.0% | −92.5% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.14 |

### How did SONY do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, SONY finished in the top quarter in three of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 17.
- SONY finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 17 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, NVDA came out ahead of SONY most often, in 19 of the 26 years both traded.

| Year | SONY | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +21.7% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +12.4% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +24.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −39.3% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +25.6% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +49.7% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +41.7% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +8.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +61.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +14.8% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How SONY 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 SONY's worst declines?

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

- In all three of SONY's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: SONY fell 93.2% from February 2000 to December 2012, while the S&P 500 rose 29.3%.
- The slowest recovery came after SONY fell 93.2% from February 2000 to December 2012; it did not regain that peak until May 2025, 12 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −93.2% | February 29, 2000 | December 4, 2012 | May 27, 2025 | +29.3% | dot-com bust |
| −50.9% | October 9, 1989 | March 11, 1992 | January 31, 1994 | — |  |
| −40.7% | August 1, 1997 | October 5, 1998 | April 8, 1999 | +5.7% |  |
| −36.2% | November 12, 2025 | June 25, 2026 | not yet | +8.3% |  |
| −34.7% | October 13, 1987 | October 26, 1987 | December 8, 1987 | — |  |

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

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

- SONY fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when SONY fell 76.2% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, NTES held up best, falling less than SONY in eight of the nine crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | SONY fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −76.2% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −72.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −32.0% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −30.2% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.7% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −24.3% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −22.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −50.6% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.8% | −3.4% |

### How closely does SONY 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.

- Ten of the 12 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than SONY's 0.97, led by TSM, NVDA and AAPL.
- TSM took just 75% of the S&P 500's losses, against 99% for SONY, while still keeping 138% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, SONY captured 96% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 99% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.86. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SONY: Sony Group Corporation (this page) | 96.0% | 99.0% | 0.86 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | 127% | 91.0% | 0.96 |
| [AMD](https://easycompare.io/research/amd): Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 254% | 179% | 2.25 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | 137% | 94.0% | 1.15 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | 248% | 140% | 1.83 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | 138% | 75.0% | 1.15 |
| [GRMN](https://easycompare.io/research/grmn): Garmin Ltd. | 111% | 80.0% | 0.93 |
| LOGI: Logitech International S.A. | 112% | 106% | 1.01 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | 122% | 105% | 1.18 |
| [TTWO](https://easycompare.io/research/ttwo): Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. | 91.0% | 75.0% | 0.78 |
| [NTES](https://easycompare.io/research/ntes): NetEase, Inc. | 64.0% | 52.0% | 0.58 |
| [DIS](https://easycompare.io/research/dis): The Walt Disney Company | 90.0% | 162% | 1.32 |
| GPRO: GoPro, Inc. | 42.0% | 248% | 1.86 |

### What diversifies SONY?

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 SONY into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+1.8% for SONY alone, +7.2% for the mix).
- MCK made money in seven of the nine calendar years in which SONY lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and FJAN have moved largely independently of SONY over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.49 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with SONY | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in SONY's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.49 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 9 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.22 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 9 |
| FJAN: FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January | 0.45 | +69.0% | 10.5% | 1.05 | 0 of 9 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.37 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 9 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.43 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 9 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.45 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 3 of 9 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.31 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.28 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was SONY's worst drawdown?

SONY's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 93.2%, from February 2000 to December 2012. It took about 12 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, SONY's best year was 1999, when it returned 297%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -59.3%.

### Is there a better investment than SONY?

Among SONY's popular alternatives, AAPL earned more for the risk it took than SONY over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 38.5%, against 50.6% for SONY. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSGS (entertainment) and FWONK (entertainment) earned more than SONY with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSGS returned 18.4% a year at 25.6% volatility, against 2.9% a year at 29.2%.

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

Yes. SONY's volatility over the past 5 years was 29.2%, 1.7 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, SONY's return lands within 29.2% 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 SONY's Sharpe ratio?

SONY's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.24, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so SONY 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 SONY with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, SONY's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.51 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 SONY instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a SONY holding.

### What are the best alternatives to SONY?

Of the 16 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed SONY in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: MSFT, AMD and AAPL.

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

SONY finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 17 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +21.7%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

SONY fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when SONY fell 76.2% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies SONY?

These had a low correlation with SONY over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.49), DXJ (correlation 0.22) and FJAN (correlation 0.45); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.14), CLS (correlation 0.06) and FIX (correlation -0.03). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

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## Explore further

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