# How TE Connectivity (TEL) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/tel
> 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 TEL alone. It places TEL (TE Connectivity plc) 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 TEL stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: TEL's full trading record, from June 2007 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:** TEL has gone against the market, falling 13.1% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Its electronic component peers split over the past 6 months: APH (Amphenol) rose 4.1%, while CLS (Celestica) fell 25.3%.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the electronic components ETF VGT (Vanguard Information Technology ETF) rose 6.3% over the past 3 months, with APH (Amphenol, up 5.5%) and BDC (Belden, up 5.9%), against 3.9% for the S&P 500.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, TEL fell 4.1% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%.
- **Long term:** TEL turned $10,000 into $41,100 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, TEL has typically fallen 1.4 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, TEL has a correlation of 0.72 over 5 years, more closely than 99% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion. Over 10 years, TEL's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.26: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.1 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.2 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MSI (Motorola Solutions, communications equipment) and CSCO (Cisco Systems, communications equipment) earned more than TEL with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 9.5% a year at 28.7%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 9.5% at 28.7% for TEL.
  - **Whole market:** 448 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TEL 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 TEL have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in TEL over the past 19 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of TEL over the same span and TEL's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in TEL at the end of September 2007 would have grown to $86,827 by September 2026, more than the $70,725 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Seven of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of TEL, and CLS finished highest, at $591,532.

## TEL 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.

- TEL's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 81.1%, from May 2008 to March 2009. It took 23 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 18 full calendar years, TEL's best was 2025, when it returned 61.6%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 55.5%. It lost money in four of those years.
- TEL is 13.1% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Semiconductors)
- Trading since: June 14, 2007
- Market value: $62B
- Volatility (5 years): 28.7%; Sharpe ratio: 0.46
- Worst decline ever: −81.1%, from May 30, 2008 to March 9, 2009; back at its high by February 9, 2011

| Period | TEL total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +1.7% |
| 3 months | +5.6% |
| 6 months | −13.1% |
| year to date | −7.4% |
| 1 year | −4.1% |
| 3 years | +90.6% |
| 5 years | +57.4% |
| 10 years | +311% |

## TEL against the whole market

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

### How does TEL rank among all stocks?

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

- TEL's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 17% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | TEL | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −4.1% | 2,150 of 3,287 (top 66%) |
| 3-year return | +90.6% | 1,001 of 3,017 (top 34%) |
| 5-year return | +57.4% | 1,024 of 2,893 (top 36%) |
| 10-year return | +311% | 559 of 2,202 (top 26%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 28.7% | 609 of 2,893 (top 22%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.46 | 1,044 of 2,893 (top 37%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −47.7% | 367 of 2,187 (top 17%) |

### What has beaten TEL 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).

- 149 stocks and 299 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than TEL over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 12% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half TEL's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 14% less than TEL's 28.7%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.46 for TEL.
- None of TEL's popular alternatives made it, but CSCO (communications equipment) did: 16.8% a year at 26.1% volatility, 9% less than TEL's 28.7%.

### Is there a better investment than TEL?

The table below lists investments that beat TEL 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 TEL's popular alternatives, APH earned more for the risk it took than TEL over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 37.5%, against 47.7% for TEL.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSI (communications equipment) and CSCO (communications equipment) earned more than TEL with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 9.5% a year at 28.7%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 9.5% at 28.7% for TEL.

The 15 strongest of 448 investments that beat TEL 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 TEL | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TEL: TE Connectivity plc (this page) |  | +9.5% | 28.7% | 0.46 | −47.7% | +311% |  |  |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.72 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MA](https://easycompare.io/research/ma): Mastercard Incorporated | Payment Processing | +12.4% | 23.8% | 0.61 | −41.0% | +541% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | Banks | +15.8% | 20.0% | 0.84 | −42.0% | +310% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [LIN](https://easycompare.io/research/lin): Linde plc | Chemicals | +11.5% | 20.9% | 0.63 | −32.6% | +394% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [IWF](https://easycompare.io/research/iwf): iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | US Large-Cap Growth | +11.7% | 21.8% | 0.62 | −32.7% | +416% | 0.70 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [ORLY](https://easycompare.io/research/orly): O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. | Specialty Retail | +15.9% | 23.4% | 0.75 | −42.0% | +393% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | Electric Utilities | +19.2% | 22.4% | 0.90 | −42.0% | +311% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [FAST](https://easycompare.io/research/fast): Fastenal Company | Industrial Distribution | +15.8% | 24.6% | 0.72 | −30.7% | +576% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| IUSG: iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | US Growth Equity | +12.9% | 21.2% | 0.68 | −32.4% | +405% | 0.68 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| RDVY: First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF | US Dividend Equity | +11.3% | 18.8% | 0.67 | −40.6% | +322% | 0.63 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| MTUM: iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF | US Momentum Equity | +10.9% | 22.1% | 0.58 | −34.1% | +336% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## TEL against its popular alternatives

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

### How do TEL'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.

- None of the 20 popular alternatives earned more than TEL over the past 5 years with smaller price swings, so every higher return on the map came with a bumpier ride.
- Over the past 5 years, TEL returned 9.5% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (28.7% against 17.1%).

### Has TEL consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Six of the 20 popular alternatives, led by APH, ETN and FLEX, outperformed TEL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- APH and ETN earned more for the risk they took than TEL (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 TEL | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TEL: TE Connectivity plc (this page) | −4.1% | +90.6% | +57.4% | +311% |  |  | 0.46 |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | +25.6% | +311% | +329% | +965% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.07 |
| [ETN](https://easycompare.io/research/etn): Eaton Corporation plc | +2.3% | +104% | +153% | +657% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.74 |
| FLEX: Flex Ltd. | +39.4% | +263% | +365% | +534% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.88 |
| SANM: Sanmina Corporation | +28.0% | +236% | +343% | +499% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.86 |
| PLXS: Plexus Corp. | +56.4% | +162% | +152% | +420% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.72 |
| ON: ON Semiconductor Corporation | +37.8% | −10.9% | +66.0% | +540% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.46 |
| [CLS](https://easycompare.io/research/cls): Celestica Inc. | +9.6% | +1,061% | +3,143% | +2,771% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.47 |
| JBL: Jabil Inc. | +35.9% | +123% | +361% | +1,264% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.97 |
| BELFB: Bel Fuse Inc. | +43.7% | +425% | +1,688% | +872% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.37 |
| TTMI: TTM Technologies, Inc. | +64.8% | +693% | +609% | +707% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.99 |
| [GLW](https://easycompare.io/research/glw): Corning Inc | +56.6% | +419% | +292% | +616% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.86 |
| CTS: CTS Corporation | +34.6% | +42.6% | +74.1% | +252% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.50 |
| VSH: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. | +66.1% | +32.0% | +62.9% | +146% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |
| BDC: Belden Inc. | −8.7% | +47.8% | +76.3% | +58.4% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| MEI: Methode Electronics, Inc. | +107% | −32.6% | −61.1% | −44.9% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.05 |
| LFUS: Littelfuse, Inc. | +43.2% | +74.1% | +38.3% | +235% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| [NXPI](https://easycompare.io/research/nxpi): NXP Semiconductors N.V. | +10.0% | +34.9% | +31.9% | +159% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| LEA: Lear Corporation | +24.2% | −1.9% | −22.5% | +26.2% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.02 |
| ST: Sensata Technologies Holding plc | +33.9% | +23.3% | −21.6% | +19.7% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| ALGM: Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. | +11.2% | +17.5% | +5.5% | — | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |

### How did TEL do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2008, along with where TEL ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, TEL finished in the top quarter in five of 18 years and in the bottom quarter in two. In 2025, it ranked 7 of 21.
- TEL finished ahead of the S&P 500 in ten of its 18 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, APH came out ahead of TEL most often, in 11 of the 18 years both traded.

| Year | TEL | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +61.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +3.5% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +24.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −27.7% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +35.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +28.9% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +29.4% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −18.9% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +39.9% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +9.8% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How TEL 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 TEL's worst declines?

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

- In all five of TEL's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 23 months, after TEL fell 81.1% from May 2008 to March 2009.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −81.1% | May 30, 2008 | March 9, 2009 | February 9, 2011 | −50.5% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −47.7% | March 9, 2018 | March 18, 2020 | September 2, 2020 | −10.7% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −34.3% | November 17, 2021 | October 14, 2022 | July 16, 2024 | −22.4% | 2022 bear market |
| −28.3% | July 7, 2011 | October 3, 2011 | December 18, 2012 | −18.4% | 2011 euro debt crisis |
| −27.7% | March 20, 2015 | February 9, 2016 | December 8, 2016 | −10.5% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

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

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

- TEL fell further than the S&P 500 in eight of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when TEL fell 81.1% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, APH held up best, falling less than TEL in eight of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- TEL began trading after the dot-com bust, but 14 of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was ETN's 31.6%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | TEL 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 | −81.1% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.5% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −24.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −22.7% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.8% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −23.2% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −42.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −33.3% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −4.3% | −3.4% |

### How closely does TEL 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 19 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than TEL's 0.91, led by GLW, APH and CLS.
- GLW took just 67% of the S&P 500's losses, against 120% for TEL, while still keeping 107% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, TEL captured 109% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 120% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.26. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TEL: TE Connectivity plc (this page) | 109% | 120% | 1.26 |
| [APH](https://easycompare.io/research/aph): Amphenol Corporation | 125% | 79.0% | 1.24 |
| [ETN](https://easycompare.io/research/etn): Eaton Corporation plc | 114% | 80.0% | 1.16 |
| FLEX: Flex Ltd. | 136% | 124% | 1.57 |
| SANM: Sanmina Corporation | 127% | 111% | 1.37 |
| PLXS: Plexus Corp. | 101% | 82.0% | 1.03 |
| ON: ON Semiconductor Corporation | 161% | 185% | 1.95 |
| [CLS](https://easycompare.io/research/cls): Celestica Inc. | 183% | 115% | 2.17 |
| JBL: Jabil Inc. | 138% | 91.0% | 1.32 |
| BELFB: Bel Fuse Inc. | 168% | 160% | 1.61 |
| TTMI: TTM Technologies, Inc. | 155% | 140% | 1.87 |
| [GLW](https://easycompare.io/research/glw): Corning Inc | 107% | 67.0% | 1.14 |
| CTS: CTS Corporation | 94.0% | 104% | 0.87 |
| VSH: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. | 118% | 160% | 1.61 |
| BDC: Belden Inc. | 97.0% | 156% | 1.26 |
| MEI: Methode Electronics, Inc. | 70.0% | 184% | 1.43 |
| LFUS: Littelfuse, Inc. | 124% | 154% | 1.34 |
| [NXPI](https://easycompare.io/research/nxpi): NXP Semiconductors N.V. | 115% | 157% | 1.63 |
| LEA: Lear Corporation | 91.0% | 165% | 1.40 |
| ST: Sensata Technologies Holding plc | 85.0% | 157% | 1.33 |

### What diversifies TEL?

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 TEL into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+10.8% for TEL alone, +12.9% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of TEL over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.46 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- Among large stocks, CAH, MCK and MPC have moved largely independently of TEL over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.25 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with TEL | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in TEL's 4 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.46 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 4 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.43 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 1 of 4 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.40 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 4 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.46 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 0 of 4 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.11 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 2 of 4 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.21 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 2 of 4 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.46 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 0 of 4 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.33 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 2 of 4 |

## Common questions

### What was TEL's worst drawdown?

TEL's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 81.1%, from May 2008 to March 2009. It took 23 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because TEL launched in June 2007, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

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

Over 18 full calendar years, TEL's best year was 2025, when it returned 61.6%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -55.5%.

### Is there a better investment than TEL?

Among TEL's popular alternatives, APH earned more for the risk it took than TEL over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 37.5%, against 47.7% for TEL. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSI (communications equipment) and CSCO (communications equipment) earned more than TEL with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 9.5% a year at 28.7%.

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

Yes. TEL's volatility over the past 5 years was 28.7%, 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, TEL's return lands within 28.7% 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 TEL's Sharpe ratio?

TEL's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.46, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so TEL 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 TEL with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, TEL's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.72 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 TEL instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a TEL holding.

### What are the best alternatives to TEL?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, six outperformed TEL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: APH, ETN and FLEX.

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

TEL finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in ten of 18 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +61.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

TEL fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in none of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in eight. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when TEL fell 81.1% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies TEL?

These had a low correlation with TEL over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.46), DXJ (correlation 0.43) and EMLP (correlation 0.40); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.25), MCK (correlation 0.19) and MPC (correlation 0.23). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Amphenol (APH) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aph)
- [Eaton (ETN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/etn)
- [Celestica (CLS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cls)
- [Corning (GLW) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/glw)
- [NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nxpi)
- [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)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)

## Explore further

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