# How United Parcel Service (UPS) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/ups
> 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 UPS alone. It places UPS (United Parcel Service, Inc.) 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 UPS stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: UPS's full trading record, from November 1999 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** UPS is 46.5% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. UPS has gone against the market, falling 11.5% over the past 3 months while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the freight & logistics ETF IYT (iShares U.S. Transportation ETF) fell 9.3% over the past 3 months, with ODFL (Old Dominion Freight Line, down 18.6%) and XPO (XPO Logistics, down 11.3%), while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its freight & logistics peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: DSGX (Descartes Systems Group) rose 22.5%, while CHRW (C.H. Robinson Worldwide) fell 31.4%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, UPS rose 20.8% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. On the flip side, the last two calendar years both went the same way: UPS fell 15.9% in 2025, against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** UPS turned $10,000 into $13,500 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** UPS fell further than the S&P 500 in three of the last four sell-offs, including the 2022 bear market (29.8% against 24.5%). That said, in the Covid crash, UPS fell 18.5%, against 33.7% for the S&P 500, and less than freight & logistics peers such as FDX (FedEx, 44.9%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, UPS has a correlation of 0.61 over 5 years, more closely than 92% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is more of the same, not a cushion.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** NSC (Norfolk Southern), EXPD (Expeditors International of Washington) and CNI (Canadian National Railway) earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. NSC returned 5.3% a year at 24.8% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** UNP (Union Pacific, railroads) and TRP (TC Energy, oil & gas midstream) earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%.
  - **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 8.6% at 28.9% for UPS.

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

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

- $10,000 invested in UPS at the end of September 2000 would have grown to $35,665 by September 2026, less than the $84,332 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Seven of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of UPS, and ODFL finished highest, at $4,086,312.

## UPS 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.

- UPS is still 46.5% below its all-time high.
- UPS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1999 was 57.9%, from February 2022 to September 2025. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.
- Over 26 full calendar years, UPS's best was 2020, when it returned 48.6%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 19.8%. It lost money in 11 of those years.

- Type: Stock, Industrials (Integrated Freight & Logistics)
- Trading since: November 10, 1999
- Market value: $74B
- Volatility (5 years): 28.9%; Sharpe ratio: -0.17
- Worst decline ever: −57.9%, from February 2, 2022 to September 25, 2025; not yet back at its high

| Period | UPS total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +4.0% |
| 3 months | −11.5% |
| 6 months | −5.0% |
| year to date | +2.2% |
| 1 year | +20.8% |
| 3 years | −23.0% |
| 5 years | −36.1% |
| 10 years | +35.4% |

## UPS against the whole market

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

### How does UPS rank among all stocks?

This section ranks UPS 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), UPS ranks in the bottom 9% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.
- UPS is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 22% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | UPS | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +20.8% | 1,213 of 3,287 (top 37%) |
| 3-year return | −23.0% | 2,628 of 3,017 (top 88%) |
| 5-year return | −36.1% | 2,241 of 2,893 (top 78%) |
| 10-year return | +35.4% | 1,651 of 2,202 (top 75%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 28.9% | 632 of 2,893 (top 22%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | -0.17 | 2,634 of 2,893 (top 92%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −57.9% | 803 of 2,187 (top 37%) |

### What has beaten UPS 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).

- 475 stocks and 928 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than UPS over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 39% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half UPS's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 14% less than UPS's 28.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against -0.17 for UPS.
- Among UPS's popular alternatives, EXPD, NSC and STAG are in the region. EXPD earned 12.0% a year against a loss of 8.6% a year for UPS, at 27.1% volatility, 6% less than UPS's 28.9%.

### Is there a better investment than UPS?

The table below lists investments that beat UPS 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 UPS's popular alternatives, NSC, EXPD and CNI earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. NSC returned 5.3% a year at 24.8% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, UNP (railroads) and TRP (oil & gas midstream) earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 8.6% at 28.9% for UPS.

The 15 strongest of 1,403 investments that beat UPS 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 UPS | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UPS: United Parcel Service, Inc. (this page) |  | −8.6% | 28.9% | -0.17 | −57.9% | +35.4% |  |  |
| [SGOV](https://easycompare.io/research/sgov): iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF | Treasury Bonds | +3.8% | 0.3% | 13.25 | −0.3% | — | -0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.43 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| FLOT: iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF | Floating Rate Bonds | +4.5% | 1.8% | 2.48 | −13.5% | +35.9% | -0.01 | 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% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| JAAA: Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF | CLO Bonds | +5.1% | 1.7% | 2.98 | −2.6% | — | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| CHT: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. | Integrated Telecommunications | +7.7% | 13.3% | 0.63 | −23.8% | +101% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| FLRN: State Street SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF | Bonds | +4.5% | 1.7% | 2.58 | −14.7% | +35.9% | 0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.62 | 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% | 0.61 | 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% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Banks | +17.3% | 24.3% | 0.78 | −43.6% | +537% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.27 | 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% | 0.19 | 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% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.46 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## UPS against its popular alternatives

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

### How do UPS'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.

- Four of the 19 popular alternatives, led by EXPD, NSC and CNI, were both more rewarding and calmer than UPS over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, UPS returned -8.6% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (28.9% against 17.1%).

### Has UPS consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- 11 of the 20 popular alternatives, led by EXPD, NSC and DSGX, outperformed UPS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- EXPD, NSC and DSGX outperformed UPS in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- EXPD, CHRW and AMZN earned more for the risk they took than UPS (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 UPS | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UPS: United Parcel Service, Inc. (this page) | +20.8% | −23.0% | −36.1% | +35.4% |  |  | -0.17 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | +66.5% | +78.4% | +76.6% | +349% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.56 |
| [NSC](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc): Norfolk Southern Corporation | +13.8% | +72.0% | +29.5% | +328% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.33 |
| DSGX: The Descartes Systems Group Inc. | −5.9% | +24.5% | +9.2% | +324% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.21 |
| [CNI](https://easycompare.io/research/cni): Canadian National Railway Company | +30.2% | +21.9% | +3.1% | +124% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.14 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | +39.6% | +159% | +278% | +1,467% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| [ODFL](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl): Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | +34.7% | −2.5% | +23.4% | +747% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.30 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | +73.5% | +39.6% | +56.1% | +633% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.43 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.42 |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | +34.6% | +28.2% | +23.3% | +156% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.29 |
| [FDX](https://easycompare.io/research/fdx): FedEx Corporation | +56.7% | +63.1% | +76.6% | +156% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.52 |
| SNDR: Schneider National, Inc. | +32.6% | +20.9% | +35.1% | — | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.35 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | +37.9% | +32.2% | +21.6% | +220% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | +17.6% | −1.6% | +5.2% | +537% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | +7.5% | −12.9% | +25.2% | +1,050% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | +12.0% | +76.2% | +60.0% | +157% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| STAG: STAG Industrial, Inc. | −1.7% | +27.0% | +2.9% | +145% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.14 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | +7.2% | −17.2% | −29.9% | +66.8% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | −28.8% | −29.8% | −27.6% | +38.4% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.00 |
| RXO: RXO, Inc. | +58.0% | +52.3% | — | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| GXO: GXO Logistics, Inc. | −12.3% | −8.0% | −43.8% | — | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |

### How did UPS do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2000, along with where UPS ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- UPS finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 11 of its 26 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, ODFL came out ahead of UPS most often, in 21 of the 26 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, UPS finished in the top quarter in one of 26 years and in the bottom quarter in seven. In 2025, it ranked 16 of 21.

| Year | UPS | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −15.9% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −15.9% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −6.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −16.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +30.0% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +48.6% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +24.2% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −15.5% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +7.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +22.7% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How UPS 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 UPS's worst declines?

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

- In all five of UPS's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: UPS fell 57.9% from February 2022 to September 2025, while the S&P 500 rose 51.7%.
- The slowest recovery came after UPS fell 34.2% from November 1999 to September 2001; it did not regain that peak until October 2003, two years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −57.9% | February 2, 2022 | September 25, 2025 | not yet | +51.7% | 2022 bear market |
| −51.7% | December 9, 2004 | March 9, 2009 | February 10, 2011 | −38.0% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −34.2% | November 11, 1999 | September 19, 2001 | October 30, 2003 | −25.0% | dot-com bust |
| −30.8% | January 12, 2018 | December 24, 2018 | July 29, 2020 | −14.1% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −20.1% | January 22, 2015 | January 20, 2016 | July 8, 2016 | −8.1% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

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

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

- None of its popular alternatives fell less than UPS in most of the crashes they both traded through.
- UPS fell less than the S&P 500 in five of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when UPS fell 26.5% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

| Crash | Dates | UPS fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −26.5% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −47.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.6% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −16.4% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −16.4% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.7% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −23.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −18.5% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −29.8% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.5% | −3.4% |

### How closely does UPS 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.

- 17 of the 17 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than UPS's 0.57, led by ODFL, DSGX and SAIA.
- DSGX took just 79% of the S&P 500's losses, against 149% for UPS, while still keeping 86% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, UPS captured 85% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 149% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.08. Its share of the market's losses was larger than its share of the gains.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UPS: United Parcel Service, Inc. (this page) | 85.0% | 149% | 1.08 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | 118% | 135% | 0.95 |
| [NSC](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc): Norfolk Southern Corporation | 123% | 147% | 1.30 |
| DSGX: The Descartes Systems Group Inc. | 86.0% | 79.0% | 0.86 |
| [CNI](https://easycompare.io/research/cni): Canadian National Railway Company | 80.0% | 105% | 0.89 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | 190% | 185% | 2.03 |
| [ODFL](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl): Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 127% | 107% | 1.10 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | 155% | 166% | 1.68 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | 111% | 156% | 1.25 |
| [FDX](https://easycompare.io/research/fdx): FedEx Corporation | 116% | 166% | 1.29 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | 109% | 137% | 1.18 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | 150% | 159% | 1.58 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | 169% | 162% | 1.73 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | 87.0% | 106% | 0.84 |
| STAG: STAG Industrial, Inc. | 85.0% | 110% | 0.94 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | 99.0% | 151% | 1.06 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | 100% | 167% | 1.13 |

### What diversifies UPS?

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 UPS into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 16% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-8.2% for UPS alone, -2.8% for the mix).
- FIX made money in nine of the 11 calendar years in which UPS lost money.
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, MLPX and SMH have moved largely independently of UPS over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.49 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with UPS | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in UPS's 11 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.46 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 11 |
| MLPX: Global X - MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | 0.43 | +135% | 19.7% | 0.97 | 4 of 11 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.49 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 11 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.27 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 6 of 11 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.42 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 11 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.31 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 6 of 11 |
| EUFN: iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF | 0.44 | +133% | 21.8% | 0.89 | 3 of 11 |
| AMLP: Alerian MLP ETF | 0.34 | +111% | 18.9% | 0.89 | 4 of 11 |

## Common questions

### What was UPS's worst drawdown?

UPS's deepest decline since it began trading in 1999 was 57.9%, from February 2022 to September 2025. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.

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

Over 26 full calendar years, UPS's best year was 2020, when it returned 48.6%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -19.8%.

### Is there a better investment than UPS?

Among UPS's popular alternatives, NSC, EXPD and CNI earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. NSC returned 5.3% a year at 24.8% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, UNP (railroads) and TRP (oil & gas midstream) earned more than UPS with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against a loss of 8.6% a year at 28.9%.

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

Yes. UPS's volatility over the past 5 years was 28.9%, 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, UPS's return lands within 28.9% 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 UPS's Sharpe ratio?

UPS's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was -0.17, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so UPS 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 UPS with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, UPS's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.61 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 UPS instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a UPS holding.

### What are the best alternatives to UPS?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, 11 outperformed UPS in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: EXPD, NSC and DSGX.

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

UPS finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 11 of 26 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -15.9%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

UPS fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in five of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when UPS fell 26.5% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies UPS?

These had a low correlation with UPS over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.46), MLPX (correlation 0.43) and SMH (correlation 0.49); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.34), CLS (correlation 0.19) and FIX (correlation 0.33). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Norfolk Southern (NSC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nsc)
- [Canadian National Railway (CNI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cni)
- [Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/odfl)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [FedEx (FDX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/fdx)
- [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)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)
- [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm)

## Explore further

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