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

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/ubs
> 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 UBS alone. It places UBS (UBS Group AG) 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 UBS stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: UBS's full trading record, from May 2000 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:** UBS has gone against the market, falling 8.3% over the past 3 months while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its bank peers were far apart over the past 3 months, from JPM (JPMorgan Chase & Co., down 0.6%) to BAC (Bank of America, down 15.8%).
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the banks ETF KBE (State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF) fell 6.8% over the past 3 months, with BAC (Bank of America, down 15.8%) and HSBC (down 5.9%), while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its bank peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: JPM (JPMorgan Chase & Co.) fell 0.6%, while BAC fell 15.8%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, UBS rose 26.3% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (116% against 89.3%). It took 3 months for UBS to win back the 26.1% it lost from January 2026 to March 2026. the S&P 500 fell 8.6% over those same dates.
- **Long term:** UBS turned $10,000 into $47,400 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. UBS's 10-year return of 374% puts it ahead of 80% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, UBS has typically fallen 1.8 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** UBS is some diversification, but not a hedge: a correlation of 0.60 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.60 with the total US market, more closely than 90% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Over 10 years, UBS's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.18: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.2 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.2 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** MFG (Mizuho Financial Group, banks) earned more for the risk it took than UBS over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 45.7%, against 59.8% for UBS.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 12 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than UBS with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them XOM (Exxonmobil), HSBC and MCK (McKesson).

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in UBS over the past 26 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of UBS over the same span and UBS's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in UBS at the end of September 2000 would have grown to $44,195 by September 2026, less than the $84,332 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of UBS, and CM finished highest, at $233,444.

## UBS 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.

- UBS's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 89.0%, from April 2007 to March 2009. It took about 17 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 25 full calendar years, UBS's best was 2023, when it returned 69.8%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 68.9%. It lost money in seven of those years.
- UBS is 15.2% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Financials (Banks - Diversified)
- Trading since: May 16, 2000
- Market value: $145B
- Volatility (5 years): 30.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.90
- Worst decline ever: −89.0%, from April 26, 2007 to March 9, 2009; back at its high by December 16, 2025

| Period | UBS total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −7.5% |
| 3 months | −8.3% |
| 6 months | +10.6% |
| year to date | +2.9% |
| 1 year | +26.3% |
| 3 years | +116% |
| 5 years | +210% |
| 10 years | +374% |

## UBS against the whole market

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

### How does UBS rank among all stocks?

This section ranks UBS 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), UBS ranks in the top 6% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | UBS | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +26.3% | 1,075 of 3,287 (top 33%) |
| 3-year return | +116% | 801 of 3,017 (top 27%) |
| 5-year return | +210% | 291 of 2,893 (top 11%) |
| 10-year return | +374% | 451 of 2,202 (top 21%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 30.4% | 768 of 2,893 (top 27%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.90 | 169 of 2,893 (top 6%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −59.8% | 869 of 2,187 (top 40%) |

### What has beaten UBS 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).

- Ten stocks and two ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than UBS 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 UBS's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 19% less than UBS's 30.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.90 for UBS.
- Among UBS's popular alternatives, HSBC is in the region. HSBC earned 33.1% a year against 25.4% a year for UBS, at 25.9% volatility, 15% less than UBS's 30.4%.

### Is there a better investment than UBS?

The table below lists investments that beat UBS 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 UBS's popular alternatives, HSBC earned more than UBS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 33.1% a year at 25.9% volatility, against 25.4% a year at 30.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MFG (banks) earned more for the risk it took than UBS over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 45.7%, against 59.8% for UBS.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 12 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than UBS with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them XOM, HSBC and MCK.

The 12 strongest of 12 investments that beat UBS 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 UBS | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UBS: UBS Group AG (this page) |  | +25.4% | 30.4% | 0.90 | −59.8% | +374% |  |  |
| 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; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | -0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| NHC: National HealthCare Corporation | Medical - Care Facilities | +32.0% | 28.5% | 1.12 | −35.3% | +394% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| EPU: iShares MSCI Peru and Global Exposure ETF | International | +29.5% | 24.9% | 1.17 | −51.0% | +275% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PH](https://easycompare.io/research/ph): Parker-Hannifin Corporation | Industrial Machinery | +27.4% | 28.8% | 0.99 | −54.7% | +789% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | Banks | +33.1% | 25.9% | 1.24 | −62.3% | +319% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| CW: Curtiss-Wright Corporation | Aerospace & Defense | +30.8% | 28.7% | 1.08 | −48.7% | +512% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| BLX: Bladex, Inc. | Banks - Regional | +31.4% | 25.9% | 1.19 | −68.5% | +290% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [XOM](https://easycompare.io/research/xom): Exxonmobil Holdings Corporation | Integrated Oil & Gas | +27.1% | 26.5% | 1.04 | −61.0% | +214% | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| PAA: Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +27.0% | 25.6% | 1.06 | −87.9% | +64.0% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| PAGP: Plains GP Holdings LP | Oil & Gas Midstream | +26.8% | 26.1% | 1.05 | −88.0% | +56.3% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## UBS against its popular alternatives

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

### How do UBS'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.

- SMFG, MUFG and HSBC were both more rewarding and calmer than UBS over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, UBS returned 25.4% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (30.4% against 17.1%).

### Has UBS consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Seven of the 24 popular alternatives, led by MUFG, BBVA and SMFG, outperformed UBS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- MUFG, BBVA and SMFG outperformed UBS in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SMFG, MUFG and RY earned more for the risk they took than UBS (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 UBS | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UBS: UBS Group AG (this page) | +26.3% | +116% | +210% | +374% |  |  | 0.90 |
| [MUFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mufg): Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | +41.3% | +184% | +319% | +483% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.13 |
| [BBVA](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva): Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | +35.2% | +281% | +413% | +542% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.16 |
| [SMFG](https://easycompare.io/research/smfg): Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. | +53.5% | +181% | +327% | +474% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.14 |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | +44.4% | +261% | +141% | +395% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.93 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | +13.0% | +150% | +122% | +537% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.78 |
| [SAN](https://easycompare.io/research/san): Banco Santander, S.A. | +35.9% | +305% | +295% | +332% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.99 |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | +47.7% | +201% | +318% | +319% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.24 |
| [MS](https://easycompare.io/research/ms): Morgan Stanley | +13.9% | +170% | +110% | +627% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.66 |
| [GS](https://easycompare.io/research/gs): The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | +18.2% | +215% | +145% | +521% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.77 |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | +39.2% | +173% | +122% | +352% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.97 |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | +57.5% | +141% | +109% | +310% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.84 |
| [BNS](https://easycompare.io/research/bns): The Bank of Nova Scotia | +50.0% | +162% | +83.1% | +187% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [BNY](https://easycompare.io/research/bny): Bank of New York Mellon Corp | +35.3% | +272% | +179% | +341% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.97 |
| [ING](https://easycompare.io/research/ing): ING Groep N.V. | +42.5% | +209% | +201% | +339% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| [BMO](https://easycompare.io/research/bmo): Bank of Montreal | +37.6% | +146% | +89.4% | +295% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [C](https://easycompare.io/research/c): Citigroup Inc. | +26.0% | +238% | +102% | +234% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| [LYG](https://easycompare.io/research/lyg): Lloyds Banking Group plc | +22.4% | +207% | +152% | +213% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [KKR](https://easycompare.io/research/kkr): KKR & Co. Inc. | −25.2% | +65.7% | +31.8% | +653% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [BX](https://easycompare.io/research/bx): Blackstone Inc. | −28.4% | +28.6% | +2.1% | +628% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| [BCS](https://easycompare.io/research/bcs): Barclays PLC | +15.1% | +242% | +134% | +238% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |
| [DB](https://easycompare.io/research/db): Deutsche Bank AG | −3.1% | +244% | +171% | +165% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | −0.6% | +96.3% | +41.1% | +313% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.39 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | −0.6% | +107% | +21.6% | +282% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| [SCHW](https://easycompare.io/research/schw): The Charles Schwab Corporation | −3.1% | +86.2% | +19.1% | +221% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |

### How did UBS do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2001, along with where UBS ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- UBS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 25 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, KKR came out ahead of UBS most often, in 13 of the 18 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, UBS finished in the top quarter in five of 25 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 10 of 25.

| Year | UBS | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +57.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +0.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +69.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +7.4% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +29.4% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +19.5% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +7.1% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −29.9% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +17.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −14.4% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How UBS 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 UBS's worst declines?

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

- In four of UBS's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- The slowest recovery came after UBS fell 89.0% from April 2007 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until December 2025, 17 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −89.0% | April 26, 2007 | March 9, 2009 | December 16, 2025 | −52.7% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −37.9% | January 31, 2001 | October 7, 2002 | May 15, 2003 | −40.9% | dot-com bust |
| −26.1% | January 27, 2026 | March 27, 2026 | June 2, 2026 | −8.6% |  |
| −20.1% | May 8, 2006 | July 18, 2006 | October 10, 2006 | −5.9% |  |
| −19.3% | August 17, 2000 | October 18, 2000 | December 7, 2000 | −10.4% | dot-com bust |

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

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

- UBS 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 UBS fell 87.5% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.
- Among its popular alternatives, HSBC held up best, falling less than UBS in all nine crashes they both traded through.
- UBS began trading after the dot-com bust, but 20 of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was RY's 21.6%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | UBS 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 | −87.5% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.9% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −39.7% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −36.7% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.2% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −28.5% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −42.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −32.5% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −9.5% | −3.4% |

### How closely does UBS 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.

- 12 of the 24 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than UBS's 0.97, led by MUFG, SMFG and HSBC.
- RY took just 88% of the S&P 500's losses, against 120% for UBS, while still keeping 97% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, UBS captured 116% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 120% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.18. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UBS: UBS Group AG (this page) | 116% | 120% | 1.18 |
| [MUFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mufg): Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | 84.0% | 42.0% | 0.66 |
| [BBVA](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva): Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | 121% | 97.0% | 1.11 |
| [SMFG](https://easycompare.io/research/smfg): Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. | 84.0% | 43.0% | 0.65 |
| [CM](https://easycompare.io/research/cm): Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | 108% | 106% | 1.07 |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 117% | 103% | 1.09 |
| [SAN](https://easycompare.io/research/san): Banco Santander, S.A. | 101% | 92.0% | 1.02 |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | 79.0% | 53.0% | 0.58 |
| [MS](https://easycompare.io/research/ms): Morgan Stanley | 142% | 137% | 1.39 |
| [GS](https://easycompare.io/research/gs): The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | 136% | 133% | 1.39 |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | 97.0% | 88.0% | 0.88 |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | 89.0% | 80.0% | 0.88 |
| [BNS](https://easycompare.io/research/bns): The Bank of Nova Scotia | 97.0% | 120% | 1.05 |
| [BNY](https://easycompare.io/research/bny): Bank of New York Mellon Corp | 115% | 120% | 1.08 |
| [ING](https://easycompare.io/research/ing): ING Groep N.V. | 136% | 155% | 1.36 |
| [BMO](https://easycompare.io/research/bmo): Bank of Montreal | 104% | 112% | 1.12 |
| [C](https://easycompare.io/research/c): Citigroup Inc. | 131% | 165% | 1.49 |
| [LYG](https://easycompare.io/research/lyg): Lloyds Banking Group plc | 106% | 130% | 1.20 |
| [KKR](https://easycompare.io/research/kkr): KKR & Co. Inc. | 171% | 191% | 1.62 |
| [BX](https://easycompare.io/research/bx): Blackstone Inc. | 156% | 170% | 1.48 |
| [BCS](https://easycompare.io/research/bcs): Barclays PLC | 113% | 131% | 1.26 |
| [DB](https://easycompare.io/research/db): Deutsche Bank AG | 102% | 118% | 1.21 |
| [BLK](https://easycompare.io/research/blk): BlackRock, Inc. | 127% | 157% | 1.30 |
| [BAC](https://easycompare.io/research/bac): Bank of America Corporation | 127% | 146% | 1.36 |
| [SCHW](https://easycompare.io/research/schw): The Charles Schwab Corporation | 89.0% | 90.0% | 0.91 |

### What diversifies UBS?

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 UBS into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+28.2% for UBS alone, +31.0% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of UBS over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.45 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in four of the seven calendar years in which UBS lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with UBS | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in UBS's 7 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.45 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 0 of 7 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.19 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 7 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.41 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 7 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.47 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 7 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.40 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 4 of 7 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.10 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 7 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.49 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 1 of 7 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.30 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 3 of 7 |

## Common questions

### What was UBS's worst drawdown?

UBS's deepest decline since it began trading in 2000 was 89.0%, from April 2007 to March 2009. It took about 17 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 25 full calendar years, UBS's best year was 2023, when it returned 69.8%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -68.9%.

### Is there a better investment than UBS?

Among UBS's popular alternatives, HSBC earned more than UBS with less volatility over the past 5 years: 33.1% a year at 25.9% volatility, against 25.4% a year at 30.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, MFG (banks) earned more for the risk it took than UBS over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 45.7%, against 59.8% for UBS.

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

Yes. UBS's volatility over the past 5 years was 30.4%, 1.8 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, UBS's return lands within 30.4% 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 UBS's Sharpe ratio?

UBS's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.90, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so UBS earned more 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 UBS with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, UBS's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.60 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 UBS instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a UBS holding.

### What are the best alternatives to UBS?

Of the 24 popular alternatives we compared, seven outperformed UBS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: MUFG, BBVA and SMFG.

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

UBS finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 25 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +57.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

UBS fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in eight. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when UBS fell 87.5% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies UBS?

These had a low correlation with UBS over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.45), DXJ (correlation 0.19) and EMLP (correlation 0.41); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.01), CLS (correlation 0.31) and FIX (correlation 0.23). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mufg)
- [Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva)
- [Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/smfg)
- [Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cm)
- [JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm)
- [Banco Santander (SAN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/san)
- [HSBC Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc)
- [Morgan Stanley (MS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ms)
- [Goldman Sachs Group (GS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/gs)
- [Royal Bank of Canada (RY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ry)
- [Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/td)
- [Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bns)

## Explore further

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