# How VALE compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/vale
> 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 VALE alone. It places VALE (Vale S.A.) against 19 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 VALE stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: VALE's full trading record, from March 2002 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, VALE fell 24.9% while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. The slide is VALE's own: it is 24.9% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is VALE's own: it fell 5.5% over the past 3 months while the metals & mining ETF PICK (iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF) rose 3.4%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its metals & mining peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SCCO (Southern Copper) rose 17.6%, while UUUU (Energy Fuels) fell 30.1%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** VALE has outpaced the market, rising 23.6% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** Over 5 years VALE trailed the index: 42.6% against 81.7%. On the flip side, VALE turned $10,000 into $43,400 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** Across six sell-offs, VALE has typically fallen about twice as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, VALE has a correlation of 0.20 over 5 years, less closely than 86% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** BHP (BHP Group) and RIO (Rio Tinto Group) earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. BHP returned 16.6% a year at 31.4% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** RS (Reliance Steel & Aluminum, metals & mining) and RTX (aerospace & defense) earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. RS returned 24.8% a year at 28.1% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%.
  - **Whole market:** 874 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

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

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in VALE over the past 24 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of VALE over the same span and VALE's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in VALE at the end of September 2002 would have grown to $227,488 by September 2026, more than the $144,215 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of VALE, and SCCO finished highest, at $3,061,539.

## VALE 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.

- VALE is still 24.9% below its all-time high.
- VALE's deepest decline since it began trading in 2002 was 93.2%, from May 2008 to January 2016. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 23 full calendar years, VALE's best was 2009, when it returned 145%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 61.8%. It lost money in seven of those years.

- Type: Stock, Materials (Industrial Materials)
- Trading since: March 21, 2002
- Market value: $55B
- Volatility (5 years): 35.0%; Sharpe ratio: 0.38
- Worst decline ever: −93.2%, from May 16, 2008 to January 25, 2016; back at its high by January 27, 2026

| Period | VALE total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −8.0% |
| 3 months | −5.5% |
| 6 months | −24.9% |
| year to date | +1.0% |
| 1 year | +23.6% |
| 3 years | +37.8% |
| 5 years | +42.6% |
| 10 years | +334% |

## VALE against the whole market

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

### How does VALE rank among all stocks?

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

- VALE's 10-year return ranks in the top 23% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | VALE | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +23.6% | 1,149 of 3,287 (top 35%) |
| 3-year return | +37.8% | 1,733 of 3,017 (top 58%) |
| 5-year return | +42.6% | 1,175 of 2,893 (top 41%) |
| 10-year return | +334% | 513 of 2,202 (top 24%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 35.0% | 1,135 of 2,893 (top 40%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.38 | 1,294 of 2,893 (top 45%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −57.6% | 791 of 2,187 (top 37%) |

### What has beaten VALE 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).

- 420 stocks and 454 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than VALE over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 24% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half VALE's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 29% less than VALE's 35.0%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.38 for VALE. HWM earned the most, 47.3% a year, while still swinging less than VALE (32.5% against 35.0%).
- Among VALE's popular alternatives, BHP and RIO are in the region. BHP earned 16.6% a year against 7.4% a year for VALE, at 31.4% volatility, 10% less than VALE's 35.0%.

### Is there a better investment than VALE?

The table below lists investments that beat VALE 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 VALE's popular alternatives, BHP and RIO earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. BHP returned 16.6% a year at 31.4% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, RS (metals & mining) and RTX (aerospace & defense) earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. RS returned 24.8% a year at 28.1% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%.
- Across the whole market, 874 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and MSFT.

The 15 strongest of 874 investments that beat VALE 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 VALE | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VALE: Vale S.A. (this page) |  | +7.4% | 35.0% | 0.38 | −57.6% | +334% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | Internet Services | +19.0% | 32.0% | 0.71 | −44.6% | +752% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | -0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | -0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.12 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | Communications Equipment | +16.8% | 26.1% | 0.73 | −42.0% | +374% | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mfg): Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. | Banks | +33.6% | 30.6% | 1.10 | −45.7% | +345% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SPYM](https://easycompare.io/research/spym): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −33.9% | +324% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [LIN](https://easycompare.io/research/lin): Linde plc | Chemicals | +11.5% | 20.9% | 0.63 | −32.6% | +394% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [DE](https://easycompare.io/research/de): Deere & Company | Industrial Machinery | +14.4% | 29.9% | 0.60 | −37.9% | +755% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TRV](https://easycompare.io/research/trv): The Travelers Companies, Inc. | Property & Casualty Insurance | +22.4% | 22.3% | 1.02 | −46.3% | +347% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [TT](https://easycompare.io/research/tt): Trane Technologies plc | Building Products | +22.7% | 27.7% | 0.88 | −40.5% | +955% | 0.12 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | -0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## VALE against its popular alternatives

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

### How do VALE'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.

- Only BHP and RIO were both more rewarding and calmer than VALE over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, VALE returned 7.4% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (35.0% against 17.1%).

### Has VALE consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Ten of the 19 popular alternatives, led by SCCO, FCX and NUE, outperformed VALE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- SCCO, FCX and NUE outperformed VALE in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- SCCO, NUE and BHP earned more for the risk they took than VALE (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 VALE | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VALE: Vale S.A. (this page) | +23.6% | +37.8% | +42.6% | +334% |  |  | 0.38 |
| [SCCO](https://easycompare.io/research/scco): Southern Copper Corporation | +56.5% | +233% | +301% | +1,017% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.89 |
| [FCX](https://easycompare.io/research/fcx): Freeport-McMoRan Inc. | +64.8% | +111% | +89.6% | +650% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.51 |
| [NUE](https://easycompare.io/research/nue): Nucor Corporation | +93.7% | +92.9% | +167% | +569% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.72 |
| [BHP](https://easycompare.io/research/bhp): BHP Group Limited | +50.2% | +71.0% | +115% | +398% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.65 |
| TGB: Trekor Metals Limited | +100% | +616% | +249% | +1,667% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.71 |
| HBM: Hudbay Minerals Inc. | +44.2% | +445% | +221% | +493% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.70 |
| [RIO](https://easycompare.io/research/rio): Rio Tinto Group | +30.1% | +69.2% | +77.9% | +464% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.54 |
| TECK: Teck Resources Limited | +46.2% | +68.6% | +141% | +259% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.61 |
| GGB: Gerdau S.A. | +59.3% | +65.3% | +93.4% | +225% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.54 |
| ERO: Ero Copper Corp. | +45.0% | +138% | +59.8% | — | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.45 |
| NEXA: Nexa Resources S.A. | +121% | +135% | +23.1% | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| SBSW: Sibanye Stillwater Limited | −9.8% | +89.7% | −22.5% | +11.3% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| UUUU: Energy Fuels Inc. | −63.6% | +6.9% | −5.6% | +433% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| MP: MP Materials Corp. | −52.9% | +127% | +7.8% | — | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| CLF: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. | −15.6% | −6.4% | −37.1% | +137% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.14 |
| SID: Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional | −29.7% | −36.6% | −62.3% | −34.8% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.09 |
| CMP: Compass Minerals International, Inc. | +18.1% | −16.8% | −67.2% | −60.1% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.16 |
| LAC: Lithium Americas Corp. | −69.3% | −69.3% | −86.8% | +7.5% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.08 |
| SGML: Sigma Lithium Corporation | +23.7% | −65.8% | −12.8% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |

### How did VALE do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2003, along with where VALE ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, VALE finished in the top quarter in four of 23 years and in the bottom quarter in no. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 20.
- VALE finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 13 of its 23 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, ERO came out ahead of VALE most often, in five of the eight years both traded.

| Year | VALE | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +66.3% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −38.8% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +1.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +32.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −1.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +32.0% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +2.7% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +12.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +62.2% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +134% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How VALE 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 VALE's worst declines?

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

- In all five of VALE's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: VALE fell 93.2% from May 2008 to January 2016, while the S&P 500 rose 54.9%.
- The slowest recovery came after VALE fell 93.2% from May 2008 to January 2016; it did not regain that peak until January 2026, ten years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −93.2% | May 16, 2008 | January 25, 2016 | January 27, 2026 | +54.9% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −32.0% | May 9, 2006 | September 25, 2006 | December 5, 2006 | +0.8% |  |
| −32.0% | January 5, 2004 | May 10, 2004 | September 17, 2004 | −2.9% |  |
| −29.6% | November 6, 2007 | January 23, 2008 | April 16, 2008 | −11.5% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −28.9% | February 24, 2005 | May 13, 2005 | August 10, 2005 | −3.4% |  |

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

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

- VALE fell further than the S&P 500 in six of the nine crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when VALE fell 61.1% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.
- Among its popular alternatives, BHP held up best, falling less than VALE in eight of the nine crashes they both traded through.
- VALE began trading after the dot-com bust, but nine of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was BHP's 32.6%, against 47.5% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | VALE 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 | −79.5% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.8% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −33.4% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −61.1% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −5.3% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −20.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −45.5% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −41.4% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.1% | −3.4% |

### How closely does VALE 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, VALE captured 100% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 88% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.74. Its share of the market's gains was larger than its share of the losses.
- Only SCCO and RIO had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than VALE's 1.13, out of 15 popular alternatives with the same record.
- RIO took just 72% of the S&P 500's losses, against 88% for VALE, while still keeping 98% of its gains.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VALE: Vale S.A. (this page) | 100% | 88.0% | 0.74 |
| [SCCO](https://easycompare.io/research/scco): Southern Copper Corporation | 139% | 103% | 1.13 |
| [FCX](https://easycompare.io/research/fcx): Freeport-McMoRan Inc. | 164% | 181% | 1.74 |
| [NUE](https://easycompare.io/research/nue): Nucor Corporation | 154% | 176% | 1.65 |
| [BHP](https://easycompare.io/research/bhp): BHP Group Limited | 106% | 97.0% | 0.87 |
| TGB: Trekor Metals Limited | 217% | 214% | 1.89 |
| HBM: Hudbay Minerals Inc. | 193% | 234% | 1.95 |
| [RIO](https://easycompare.io/research/rio): Rio Tinto Group | 98.0% | 72.0% | 0.63 |
| TECK: Teck Resources Limited | 115% | 128% | 1.10 |
| GGB: Gerdau S.A. | 138% | 182% | 1.54 |
| SBSW: Sibanye Stillwater Limited | 89.0% | 172% | 1.25 |
| UUUU: Energy Fuels Inc. | 153% | 164% | 1.66 |
| CLF: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. | 172% | 276% | 2.19 |
| SID: Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional | 113% | 238% | 1.73 |
| CMP: Compass Minerals International, Inc. | 75.0% | 206% | 1.43 |
| LAC: Lithium Americas Corp. | 103% | 185% | 1.62 |

### What diversifies VALE?

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 VALE into SPMO would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+7.8% for VALE alone, +11.7% for the mix).
- MCK made money in five of the seven calendar years in which VALE lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of VALE over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.44 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with VALE | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in VALE's 7 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.44 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 7 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.21 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 5 of 7 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.32 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 4 of 7 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.41 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 4 of 7 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.19 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 7 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.31 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 5 of 7 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.03 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 7 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.32 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 4 of 7 |

## Common questions

### What was VALE's worst drawdown?

VALE's deepest decline since it began trading in 2002 was 93.2%, from May 2008 to January 2016. It took about ten years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 23 full calendar years, VALE's best year was 2009, when it returned 145%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -61.8%.

### Is there a better investment than VALE?

Among VALE's popular alternatives, BHP and RIO earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. BHP returned 16.6% a year at 31.4% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, RS (metals & mining) and RTX (aerospace & defense) earned more than VALE with less volatility over the past 5 years. RS returned 24.8% a year at 28.1% volatility, against 7.4% a year at 35.0%.

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

Yes. VALE's volatility over the past 5 years was 35.0%, about twice the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, VALE's return lands within 35.0% 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 VALE's Sharpe ratio?

VALE's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.38, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so VALE 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 VALE with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, VALE's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.20 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 VALE instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a VALE holding.

### What are the best alternatives to VALE?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, ten outperformed VALE in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: SCCO, FCX and NUE.

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

VALE finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 13 of 23 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +66.3%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

VALE fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in two of the nine major crashes it has traded through, and further in six. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when VALE fell 61.1% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.

### What diversifies VALE?

These had a low correlation with VALE over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.44), DXJ (correlation 0.21) and EMLP (correlation 0.32); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.16), CLS (correlation -0.03) and FIX (correlation -0.03). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Southern Copper (SCCO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/scco)
- [Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/fcx)
- [Nucor (NUE) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nue)
- [BHP Group (BHP) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/bhp)
- [Rio Tinto Group (RIO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/rio)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)

## Explore further

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