# How T-Mobile US (TMUS) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/tmus
> 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 TMUS alone. It places TMUS (T-Mobile US, Inc.) against 18 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 TMUS stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: TMUS's full trading record, from April 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:** Over the past 6 months, TMUS fell 19.6% while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. The slide is TMUS's own: it is 40.5% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is TMUS's own: it fell 18.9% over the past 3 months while the telecommunications ETF IYZ (iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF) fell 1.4%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its telecommunication peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: T (AT&T) rose 8.0%, while LUMN (Lumen Technologies) fell 29.8%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** TMUS has gone against the market, falling 30.0% over the past year while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (21.1% against 89.3%). TMUS led its telecommunication peers in 2023, then fell behind VZ (Verizon Communications) and T (AT&T) in 2025.
- **Long term:** TMUS turned $10,000 into $35,300 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. On the flip side, it outpaced every one of its telecommunication peers over the past decade, including VZ (Verizon Communications) and T (AT&T).
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, TMUS has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500. On the flip side, in the 2022 bear market, TMUS fell 12.1%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500, and less than telecommunication peers such as VZ (Verizon Communications, 33.2%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, TMUS has a correlation of 0.23 over 5 years, less closely than 81% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. Over 10 years TMUS kept more of the market's gains than of its losses: 63% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 37% of its losses in falling ones, with a beta of 0.46.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** KT earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MSI (Motorola Solutions, communications equipment) and CHT (Chunghwa Telecom, integrated telecommunications) earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%.
  - **Whole market:** 601 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TMUS 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 TMUS have grown?

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

- $10,000 invested in TMUS at the end of September 2007 would have grown to $31,439 by September 2026, less than the $70,725 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of TMUS, and MSI finished highest, at $79,693.

## TMUS 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.

- TMUS is still 40.5% below its all-time high.
- TMUS's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 86.3%, from July 2007 to January 2010. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 18 full calendar years, TMUS's best was 2020, when it returned 72.0%, and its worst was 2009, when it lost 48.6%. It lost money in six of those years.

- Type: Stock, Communication (Telecommunications Services)
- Trading since: April 19, 2007
- Market value: $169B
- Volatility (5 years): 26.1%; Sharpe ratio: 0.37
- Worst decline ever: −86.3%, from July 17, 2007 to January 28, 2010; back at its high by July 26, 2019

| Period | TMUS total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −4.5% |
| 3 months | −18.9% |
| 6 months | −19.6% |
| year to date | −19.7% |
| 1 year | −30.0% |
| 3 years | +21.1% |
| 5 years | +36.1% |
| 10 years | +253% |

## TMUS against the whole market

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

### How does TMUS rank among all stocks?

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

- TMUS's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 12% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.
- TMUS's 1-year return ranks in the bottom 13% of the 3,287 stocks worth at least $300 million with 1 year of history.

| Measure | TMUS | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −30.0% | 2,855 of 3,287 (top 87%) |
| 3-year return | +21.1% | 2,004 of 3,017 (top 67%) |
| 5-year return | +36.1% | 1,261 of 2,893 (top 44%) |
| 10-year return | +253% | 704 of 2,202 (top 32%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 26.1% | 414 of 2,893 (top 15%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.37 | 1,329 of 2,893 (top 46%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −44.0% | 260 of 2,187 (top 12%) |

### What has beaten TMUS 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).

- 125 stocks and 476 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than TMUS over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 17% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half TMUS's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 5% less than TMUS's 26.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.37 for TMUS.
- Among TMUS's popular alternatives, KT is in the region. KT earned 13.1% a year against 6.4% a year for TMUS, at 22.6% volatility, 13% less than TMUS's 26.1%.

### Is there a better investment than TMUS?

The table below lists investments that beat TMUS 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 TMUS's popular alternatives, KT earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSI (communications equipment) and CHT (integrated telecommunications) earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%.
- Across the whole market, 601 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 601 investments that beat TMUS 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 TMUS | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TMUS: T-Mobile US, Inc. (this page) |  | +6.4% | 26.1% | 0.37 | −44.0% | +253% |  |  |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.25 | 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% | 0.23 | 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% | 0.23 | 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% | 0.44 | 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% | 0.23 | 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% | 0.45 | 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% | 0.28 | 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% | 0.44 | 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% | 0.24 | 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% | 0.04 | 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% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +12.1% | 13.7% | 0.90 | −36.8% | +235% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VEA](https://easycompare.io/research/vea): Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | Developed International Equity | +9.3% | 16.9% | 0.61 | −35.8% | +153% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | Gold | +17.7% | 18.9% | 0.96 | −26.4% | +213% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## TMUS against its popular alternatives

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

### How do TMUS'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.

- KT, T and AMX were both more rewarding and calmer than TMUS over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, TMUS returned 6.4% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (26.1% against 17.1%).

### Has TMUS consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Seven of the 18 popular alternatives, led by AMX, KT and SKM, outperformed TMUS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- T earned more for the risk it took than TMUS (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in its worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of TMUS | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TMUS: T-Mobile US, Inc. (this page) | −30.0% | +21.1% | +36.1% | +253% |  |  | 0.37 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | +5.0% | +48.3% | +50.5% | +149% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.45 |
| KT: KT Corporation | +1.5% | +82.9% | +84.9% | +84.9% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.66 |
| SKM: SK Telecom Co.,Ltd | +52.7% | +79.8% | +52.4% | +152% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.43 |
| [NOK](https://easycompare.io/research/nok): Nokia Oyj | +60.8% | +211% | +72.8% | +123% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.47 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | −5.9% | +77.2% | +59.7% | +60.7% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.50 |
| [VOD](https://easycompare.io/research/vod): Vodafone Group Public Limited Company | +41.9% | +109% | +44.9% | +9.3% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.41 |
| TDS: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. | +15.0% | +156% | +161% | +119% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.57 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | +15.6% | +164% | +8.9% | +161% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | −1.1% | +27.5% | −21.8% | +107% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| [VZ](https://easycompare.io/research/vz): Verizon Communications Inc. | +16.4% | +71.5% | +14.4% | +55.8% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| LUMN: Lumen Technologies, Inc. | −37.4% | +222% | −61.5% | −71.8% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | −6.2% | +0.4% | −41.5% | +79.2% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | −13.7% | +10.7% | −40.6% | +35.4% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.23 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | −8.4% | −1.3% | −21.7% | +12.2% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.09 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | −20.3% | −41.4% | −51.6% | −9.9% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.39 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | −11.4% | −32.5% | −45.2% | −20.1% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.51 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | −38.9% | −34.4% | −48.2% | −8.4% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.55 |
| CHTR: Charter Communications, Inc. | −56.3% | −74.4% | −85.0% | −57.4% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.71 |

### How did TMUS do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, TMUS finished in the top quarter in nine of 18 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 17 of 19.
- None of the 18 popular alternatives came out ahead of TMUS in most of the years they have in common.
- TMUS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in nine of its 18 full calendar years.

| Year | TMUS | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −6.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +39.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +15.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +20.7% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −14.0% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +72.0% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +23.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +0.1% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +10.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +47.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How TMUS 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 TMUS's worst declines?

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

- In four of TMUS's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: TMUS fell 44.0% from March 2025 to October 2026, while the S&P 500 rose 36.0%.
- The slowest recovery came after TMUS fell 86.3% from July 2007 to January 2010; it did not regain that peak until July 2019, ten years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −86.3% | July 17, 2007 | January 28, 2010 | July 26, 2019 | −25.8% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −44.0% | March 3, 2025 | October 9, 2026 | not yet | +36.0% |  |
| −32.0% | July 16, 2021 | January 21, 2022 | October 28, 2022 | +2.2% | 2022 bear market |
| −26.0% | February 19, 2020 | March 18, 2020 | May 18, 2020 | −29.1% | Covid crash |
| −17.0% | December 2, 2022 | June 7, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | +5.7% | 2023 regional bank crisis |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, T held up best, falling less than TMUS in six of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- TMUS began trading after the dot-com bust, but 16 of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was LUMN's 43.7%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.
- TMUS fell further than the S&P 500 in five of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2011 euro debt crisis, when TMUS fell 52.5% and the S&P 500 fell 17.9%.

| Crash | Dates | TMUS 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 | −57.5% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −11.3% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −52.5% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −21.2% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −7.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −13.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −26.0% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −12.1% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −2.6% | −3.4% |

### How closely does TMUS 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.

- None of the 18 popular alternatives with the same record had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than TMUS's 1.72.
- Over the past 10 years, TMUS captured 63% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 37% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.46. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TMUS: T-Mobile US, Inc. (this page) | 63.0% | 37.0% | 0.46 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | 58.0% | 55.0% | 0.69 |
| KT: KT Corporation | 66.0% | 88.0% | 0.71 |
| SKM: SK Telecom Co.,Ltd | 90.0% | 111% | 0.86 |
| [NOK](https://easycompare.io/research/nok): Nokia Oyj | 63.0% | 72.0% | 1.01 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | 47.0% | 62.0% | 0.50 |
| [VOD](https://easycompare.io/research/vod): Vodafone Group Public Limited Company | 52.0% | 100% | 0.69 |
| TDS: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. | 50.0% | 47.0% | 0.70 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 73.0% | 108% | 0.71 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | 61.0% | 79.0% | 0.60 |
| [VZ](https://easycompare.io/research/vz): Verizon Communications Inc. | 44.0% | 60.0% | 0.36 |
| LUMN: Lumen Technologies, Inc. | 99.0% | 255% | 1.44 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | 55.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | 54.0% | 101% | 0.70 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | 53.0% | 104% | 0.59 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | 65.0% | 139% | 0.87 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | 43.0% | 100% | 0.50 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | 42.0% | 93.0% | 0.67 |
| CHTR: Charter Communications, Inc. | 41.0% | 141% | 0.88 |

### What diversifies TMUS?

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 TMUS into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+6.1% for TMUS alone, +10.5% for the mix).
- SMH made money in five of the six calendar years in which TMUS lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and SMH have moved largely independently of TMUS over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.36 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with TMUS | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in TMUS's 6 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.36 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 6 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.13 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 6 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.11 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 6 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.26 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 6 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.25 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 6 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.11 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 6 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.40 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 4 of 6 |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | 0.32 | +99.4% | 16.4% | 0.93 | 1 of 6 |

## Common questions

### What was TMUS's worst drawdown?

TMUS's deepest decline since it began trading in 2007 was 86.3%, from July 2007 to January 2010. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high. Because TMUS launched in April 2007, that record does not include the dot-com bust.

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

Over 18 full calendar years, TMUS's best year was 2020, when it returned 72.0%. Its worst was 2009, with a return of -48.6%.

### Is there a better investment than TMUS?

Among TMUS's popular alternatives, KT earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MSI (communications equipment) and CHT (integrated telecommunications) earned more than TMUS with less volatility over the past 5 years. MSI returned 14.8% a year at 23.6% volatility, against 6.4% a year at 26.1%.

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

Yes. TMUS's volatility over the past 5 years was 26.1%, 1.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, TMUS's return lands within 26.1% 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 TMUS's Sharpe ratio?

TMUS's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.37, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so TMUS 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 TMUS with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, TMUS's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.23 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 TMUS instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a TMUS holding.

### What are the best alternatives to TMUS?

Of the 18 popular alternatives we compared, seven outperformed TMUS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: AMX, KT and SKM.

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

TMUS finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in nine of 18 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -6.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

TMUS fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in four of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in five. The clearest case was the 2011 euro debt crisis, when TMUS fell 52.5% and the S&P 500 fell 17.9%.

### What diversifies TMUS?

These had a low correlation with TMUS 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 SMH (correlation -0.11); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.16), CLS (correlation -0.07) and FIX (correlation -0.03). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

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