# How TotalEnergies (TTE) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/tte
> 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 TTE alone. It places TTE (TotalEnergies SE) 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 TTE stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: TTE's full trading record, from October 1991 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** TTE has outpaced the market, rising 12.8% over the past 3 months against 3.9% for the S&P 500 and 3.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its integrated oil & gas peers were far apart over the past 3 months, from SHEL (Shell, up 23.5%) to YPF (YPF Sociedad Anónima, up 0.7%).
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the integrated oil & gas ETF XLE (State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF) rose 18.0% over the past 3 months, with XOM (Exxonmobil, up 20.7%) and CVX (Chevron, up 20.0%), against 3.9% for the S&P 500. Its integrated oil & gas peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SHEL (Shell) rose 23.5%, while YPF (YPF Sociedad Anónima) rose 0.7%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, TTE rose 55.2% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** TTE turned $10,000 into $33,400 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Even so, the past 5 years have been the better stretch: TTE rose 129% against 81.7% for the S&P 500, after trailing over the decade.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, TTE has typically fallen 1.2 times as far as the S&P 500. On the flip side, in the 2022 bear market, TTE held up better than COP (ConocoPhillips), PBR and CNQ; only XOM (Exxonmobil) and OXY fell less.
- **Diversification:** TTE is a real diversifier: a correlation of 0.10 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.08 with the total US market, less closely than 95% of stocks worth at least $300 million. TTE's link to the S&P 500 has loosened: a correlation of 0.10 over the past 5 years, down from 0.51 in the 5 years before.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MPLX (oil & gas midstream) earned more than TTE with less volatility over the past 5 years: 23.5% a year at 18.8% volatility, against 18.0% a year at 25.8%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 25 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TTE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT (Walmart), ABBV (AbbVie) and PM (Philip Morris International).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in TTE at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $117,617 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of TTE, and VLO finished highest, at $1,019,941.

## TTE 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.

- TTE's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 59.6%, from October 2018 to March 2020. It took 22 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, TTE's best was 1999, when it returned 41.6%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 29.8%. It lost money in nine of those years.
- TTE is 2.1% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Energy (Oil & Gas Integrated)
- Trading since: October 25, 1991
- Market value: $201B
- Volatility (5 years): 25.8%; Sharpe ratio: 0.78
- Worst decline ever: −59.6%, from October 1, 2018 to March 19, 2020; back at its high by January 7, 2022

| Period | TTE total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +1.2% |
| 3 months | +12.8% |
| 6 months | +5.7% |
| year to date | +40.3% |
| 1 year | +55.2% |
| 3 years | +60.5% |
| 5 years | +129% |
| 10 years | +234% |

## TTE against the whole market

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

### How does TTE rank among all stocks?

This section ranks TTE 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), TTE ranks in the top 11% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | TTE | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +55.2% | 485 of 3,287 (top 15%) |
| 3-year return | +60.5% | 1,389 of 3,017 (top 47%) |
| 5-year return | +129% | 533 of 2,893 (top 19%) |
| 10-year return | +234% | 759 of 2,202 (top 35%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 25.8% | 393 of 2,893 (top 14%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.78 | 317 of 2,893 (top 11%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −59.6% | 860 of 2,187 (top 40%) |

### What has beaten TTE 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).

- 15 stocks and ten ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than TTE over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half TTE's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 26% less than TTE's 25.8%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.78 for TTE.
- None of TTE's popular alternatives made it, but MPLX (oil & gas midstream) did: 23.5% a year at 18.8% volatility, 27% less than TTE's 25.8%.

### Is there a better investment than TTE?

The table below lists investments that beat TTE 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 TTE's popular alternatives, XOM and E earned more than TTE over the past 5 years with similar volatility: XOM returned 27.1% a year at 26.5% volatility, against 18.0% a year at 25.8%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MPLX (oil & gas midstream) earned more than TTE with less volatility over the past 5 years: 23.5% a year at 18.8% volatility, against 18.0% a year at 25.8%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 25 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than TTE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them WMT, ABBV and PM.

The 15 strongest of 25 investments that beat TTE 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 TTE | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TTE: TotalEnergies SE (this page) |  | +18.0% | 25.8% | 0.78 | −59.6% | +234% |  |  |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | International Equity | +20.4% | 24.2% | 0.89 | −38.9% | +468% | 0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| FLTW: Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF | Technology | +21.8% | 24.3% | 0.94 | −38.0% | — | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +22.4% | 22.3% | 1.02 | −46.3% | +347% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [ETR](https://easycompare.io/research/etr): Entergy Corporation | Electric Utilities | +19.2% | 22.4% | 0.90 | −42.0% | +311% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | -0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [TJX](https://easycompare.io/research/tjx): The TJX Companies, Inc. | Specialty Retail | +19.9% | 22.3% | 0.93 | −42.5% | +361% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [BNY](https://easycompare.io/research/bny): Bank of New York Mellon Corp | Banks | +22.7% | 24.4% | 0.97 | −50.5% | +341% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | Banks | +19.2% | 21.6% | 0.93 | −47.3% | +395% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [CCEP](https://easycompare.io/research/ccep): Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC | Food & Beverages | +19.7% | 23.2% | 0.90 | −48.8% | +292% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| SDCI: USCF SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity Strategy No K-1 Fund | Bonds | +20.6% | 18.4% | 1.12 | −45.7% | — | 0.57 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| IXC: iShares Global Energy ETF | International | +20.7% | 23.2% | 0.93 | −64.2% | +183% | 0.80 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |

## TTE against its popular alternatives

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

### How do TTE'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.

- E, SHEL and CVX were both more rewarding and calmer than TTE over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, TTE returned 18.0% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (25.8% against 17.1%).

### Has TTE consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- 12 of the 20 popular alternatives, led by VLO, PBR and CNQ, outperformed TTE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- VLO, PBR and CNQ outperformed TTE in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- LNG and CVX earned more for the risk they took than TTE (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 TTE | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TTE: TotalEnergies SE (this page) | +55.2% | +60.5% | +129% | +234% |  |  | 0.78 |
| [VLO](https://easycompare.io/research/vlo): Valero Energy Corporation | +176% | +259% | +524% | +1,061% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.18 |
| [PBR](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | +140% | +132% | +667% | +674% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.28 |
| [CNQ](https://easycompare.io/research/cnq): Canadian Natural Resources Limited | +87.7% | +90.4% | +224% | +433% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.89 |
| [EQNR](https://easycompare.io/research/eqnr): Equinor ASA | +107% | +73.2% | +141% | +416% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.69 |
| [SU](https://easycompare.io/research/su): Suncor Energy Inc. | +111% | +161% | +318% | +295% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.05 |
| [E](https://easycompare.io/research/e): Eni S.p.A. | +77.9% | +120% | +181% | +278% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.94 |
| [IMO](https://easycompare.io/research/imo): Imperial Oil Limited | +59.7% | +143% | +337% | +430% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.09 |
| [LNG](https://easycompare.io/research/lng): Cheniere Energy, Inc. | +29.3% | +69.8% | +186% | +616% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.85 |
| [XOM](https://easycompare.io/research/xom): Exxonmobil Holdings Corporation | +62.4% | +76.7% | +232% | +214% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.04 |
| [CVE](https://easycompare.io/research/cve): Cenovus Energy Inc. | +101% | +76.2% | +225% | +163% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| EC: Ecopetrol S.A. | +112% | +116% | +129% | +401% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.63 |
| [SHEL](https://easycompare.io/research/shel): Shell plc | +50.3% | +77.1% | +159% | +233% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.90 |
| YPF: YPF Sociedad Anónima | +102% | +313% | +971% | +173% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.14 |
| [COP](https://easycompare.io/research/cop): ConocoPhillips | +72.9% | +28.5% | +131% | +379% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.68 |
| [CVX](https://easycompare.io/research/cvx): Chevron Corporation | +51.9% | +53.4% | +144% | +238% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.84 |
| [NEE](https://easycompare.io/research/nee): NextEra Energy, Inc. | −4.3% | +65.9% | +7.5% | +228% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.19 |
| [ENB](https://easycompare.io/research/enb): Enbridge Inc. | +8.5% | +84.0% | +54.3% | +103% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| [BP](https://easycompare.io/research/bp): BP p.l.c. | +56.3% | +46.5% | +110% | +141% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.66 |
| [OXY](https://easycompare.io/research/oxy): Occidental Petroleum Corporation | +56.4% | +2.0% | +103% | +11.6% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| [SLB](https://easycompare.io/research/slb): Slb N.V. | +53.2% | −7.2% | +60.7% | −21.3% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.44 |

### How did TTE do year by year?

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

- TTE finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 15 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, EQNR came out ahead of TTE most often, in 15 of the 24 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, TTE finished in the top quarter in four of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 6 of 21.

| Year | TTE | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +27.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −14.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +14.1% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +34.9% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +26.0% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −16.6% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +10.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −0.8% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +14.3% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +20.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How TTE 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 TTE's worst declines?

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

- In all five of TTE's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: TTE fell 40.8% from June 2014 to January 2016, while the S&P 500 slipped only 2.3%.
- The slowest recovery came after TTE fell 50.8% from May to October 2008; it did not regain that peak until February 2014, five years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −59.6% | October 1, 2018 | March 19, 2020 | January 7, 2022 | −15.5% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −50.8% | May 21, 2008 | October 27, 2008 | February 28, 2014 | −39.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −40.8% | June 23, 2014 | January 20, 2016 | April 10, 2018 | −2.3% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |
| −27.7% | June 5, 1998 | August 31, 1998 | September 23, 1998 | −14.0% |  |
| −26.2% | April 26, 2024 | December 19, 2024 | January 21, 2026 | +16.0% |  |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, ENB held up best, falling less than TTE in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- TTE fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when TTE fell 49.3% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

| Crash | Dates | TTE fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −25.1% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −50.8% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −26.0% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −21.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −5.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −22.2% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −49.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −24.6% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −4.5% | −3.4% |

### How closely does TTE move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, TTE captured 69% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 57% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.51. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- LNG took just 30% of the S&P 500's losses, against 57% for TTE, while still keeping 79% of its gains.
- Six of the 20 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than TTE's 1.22, led by LNG, PBR and EQNR.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TTE: TotalEnergies SE (this page) | 69.0% | 57.0% | 0.51 |
| [VLO](https://easycompare.io/research/vlo): Valero Energy Corporation | 142% | 114% | 1.31 |
| [PBR](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | 104% | 63.0% | 0.99 |
| [CNQ](https://easycompare.io/research/cnq): Canadian Natural Resources Limited | 110% | 109% | 1.13 |
| [EQNR](https://easycompare.io/research/eqnr): Equinor ASA | 79.0% | 52.0% | 0.62 |
| [SU](https://easycompare.io/research/su): Suncor Energy Inc. | 90.0% | 90.0% | 0.96 |
| [E](https://easycompare.io/research/e): Eni S.p.A. | 79.0% | 69.0% | 0.70 |
| [IMO](https://easycompare.io/research/imo): Imperial Oil Limited | 110% | 105% | 1.18 |
| [LNG](https://easycompare.io/research/lng): Cheniere Energy, Inc. | 79.0% | 30.0% | 0.77 |
| [XOM](https://easycompare.io/research/xom): Exxonmobil Holdings Corporation | 78.0% | 83.0% | 0.76 |
| [CVE](https://easycompare.io/research/cve): Cenovus Energy Inc. | 124% | 173% | 1.69 |
| EC: Ecopetrol S.A. | 127% | 139% | 1.13 |
| [SHEL](https://easycompare.io/research/shel): Shell plc | 60.0% | 43.0% | 0.45 |
| YPF: YPF Sociedad Anónima | 144% | 206% | 1.58 |
| [COP](https://easycompare.io/research/cop): ConocoPhillips | 94.0% | 92.0% | 0.91 |
| [CVX](https://easycompare.io/research/cvx): Chevron Corporation | 86.0% | 94.0% | 0.89 |
| [NEE](https://easycompare.io/research/nee): NextEra Energy, Inc. | 62.0% | 44.0% | 0.45 |
| [ENB](https://easycompare.io/research/enb): Enbridge Inc. | 60.0% | 74.0% | 0.73 |
| [BP](https://easycompare.io/research/bp): BP p.l.c. | 58.0% | 62.0% | 0.51 |
| [OXY](https://easycompare.io/research/oxy): Occidental Petroleum Corporation | 80.0% | 155% | 1.24 |
| [SLB](https://easycompare.io/research/slb): Slb N.V. | 104% | 212% | 1.54 |

### What diversifies TTE?

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 TTE into SPMO would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+18.9% for TTE alone, +20.4% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and SMH have moved largely independently of TTE over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.42 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- FIX made money in six of the nine calendar years in which TTE lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with TTE | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in TTE's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.19 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 9 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.42 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 9 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.10 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 4 of 9 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.29 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.12 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | -0.02 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 9 |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | 0.39 | +76.6% | 13.7% | 0.90 | 4 of 9 |
| VLUE: iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | 0.24 | +109% | 18.4% | 0.90 | 2 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was TTE's worst drawdown?

TTE's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 59.6%, from October 2018 to March 2020. It took 22 months from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, TTE's best year was 1999, when it returned 41.6%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -29.8%.

### Is there a better investment than TTE?

Among TTE's popular alternatives, XOM and E earned more than TTE over the past 5 years with similar volatility: XOM returned 27.1% a year at 26.5% volatility, against 18.0% a year at 25.8%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MPLX (oil & gas midstream) earned more than TTE with less volatility over the past 5 years: 23.5% a year at 18.8% volatility, against 18.0% a year at 25.8%.

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

Yes. TTE's volatility over the past 5 years was 25.8%, 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, TTE's return lands within 25.8% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is TTE's Sharpe ratio?

TTE's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.78, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so TTE 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 TTE with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, TTE's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.10 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 TTE instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a TTE holding.

### What are the best alternatives to TTE?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, 12 outperformed TTE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: VLO, PBR and CNQ.

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

TTE finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 15 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +27.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

TTE fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when TTE fell 49.3% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

### What diversifies TTE?

These had a low correlation with TTE over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.19), EMLP (correlation 0.42) and SMH (correlation -0.10); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.05), CLS (correlation 0.01) and FIX (correlation -0.01). 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/tte
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against TTE live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=TTE&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research