# How Vodafone Group Public (VOD) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/vod
> 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 VOD alone. It places VOD (Vodafone Group Public Limited Company) 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 VOD stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: VOD's full trading record, from October 1988 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** Its telecommunication peers split over the past 6 months: CHT (Chunghwa Telecom) rose 13.7%, while TMUS (T-Mobile US) fell 19.6%. VOD has trailed the market, rising 3.4% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Stock or market?:** VOD rose 3.1% over the past 3 months, 3.7 points ahead of the telecommunications ETF IXP (iShares Global Comm Services ETF), which fell 0.5%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its telecommunication peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: CHT (Chunghwa Telecom) rose 11.7%, while TMUS (T-Mobile US) fell 18.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, VOD rose 41.9% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (109% against 89.3%). The past 3 years (ahead of 72% of the stocks worth at least $300 million) have been far stronger than the record over 10 years (behind 81% of them).
- **Long term:** VOD turned $10,000 into $10,900 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. VOD's 10-year return of 9.3% puts it behind 81% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, VOD has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500. The 2022 bear market took 39.7% off VOD, against 24.5% for the S&P 500, and more than telecommunication peers such as VZ (Verizon Communications, 33.2%).
- **Diversification:** VOD is a real diversifier: a correlation of 0.25 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.24 with the total US market, less closely than 79% of stocks worth at least $300 million. VOD's link to the S&P 500 has loosened: a correlation of 0.25 over the past 5 years, down from 0.56 in the 5 years before.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** KT and T (AT&T) earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. KT returned 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CSCO (Cisco Systems, communications equipment) and MSI (Motorola Solutions, communications equipment) earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. CSCO returned 16.8% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%.
  - **Whole market:** 574 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway).

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

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

- $10,000 invested in VOD at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $50,622 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 VOD, and RCI finished highest, at $210,974.

## VOD 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.

- VOD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1988 was 79.3%, from March 2000 to July 2002. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.
- Over 29 full calendar years, VOD's best was 1998, when it returned 124%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 42.3%. It lost money in 14 of those years.
- VOD is 17.5% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Communication (Telecommunications Services)
- Trading since: October 27, 1988
- Market value: $37B
- Volatility (5 years): 28.2%; Sharpe ratio: 0.41
- Worst decline ever: −79.3%, from March 9, 2000 to July 3, 2002; not yet back at its high

| Period | VOD total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −6.7% |
| 3 months | +3.1% |
| 6 months | +3.4% |
| year to date | +21.3% |
| 1 year | +41.9% |
| 3 years | +109% |
| 5 years | +44.9% |
| 10 years | +9.3% |

## VOD against the whole market

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

### How does VOD rank among all stocks?

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

- VOD is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 20% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.
- VOD's 10-year return ranks in the bottom 20% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | VOD | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +41.9% | 695 of 3,287 (top 22%) |
| 3-year return | +109% | 857 of 3,017 (top 29%) |
| 5-year return | +44.9% | 1,148 of 2,893 (top 40%) |
| 10-year return | +9.3% | 1,773 of 2,202 (top 81%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 28.2% | 569 of 2,893 (top 20%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.41 | 1,220 of 2,893 (top 43%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −62.2% | 971 of 2,187 (top 45%) |

### What has beaten VOD 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).

- 169 stocks and 405 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than VOD over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 16% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half VOD's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 12% less than VOD's 28.2%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.41 for VOD.
- Among VOD's popular alternatives, KT and T are in the region. KT earned 13.1% a year against 7.7% a year for VOD, at 22.6% volatility, 20% less than VOD's 28.2%.

### Is there a better investment than VOD?

The table below lists investments that beat VOD 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 VOD's popular alternatives, KT and T earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. KT returned 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CSCO (communications equipment) and MSI (communications equipment) earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. CSCO returned 16.8% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%.
- Across the whole market, 574 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 574 investments that beat VOD 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 VOD | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VOD: Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (this page) |  | +7.7% | 28.2% | 0.41 | −62.2% | +9.3% |  |  |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [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; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +16.3% | 24.8% | 0.74 | −43.4% | +241% | 0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +12.1% | 13.7% | 0.90 | −36.8% | +235% | 0.37 | 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% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SCHD](https://easycompare.io/research/schd): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US Dividend Equity | +9.7% | 14.3% | 0.72 | −33.4% | +252% | 0.42 | 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% | -0.05 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [FAST](https://easycompare.io/research/fast): Fastenal Company | Industrial Distribution | +15.8% | 24.6% | 0.72 | −30.7% | +576% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [DGRO](https://easycompare.io/research/dgro): iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | US Dividend Equity | +10.9% | 13.7% | 0.83 | −35.1% | +267% | 0.37 | 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 |
| KOF: Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. | Food & Beverages | +22.3% | 24.7% | 0.94 | −55.1% | +119% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | International Equity | +20.4% | 24.2% | 0.89 | −38.9% | +468% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| IOO: iShares Global 100 ETF | Global Equity | +15.7% | 17.2% | 0.94 | −31.4% | +361% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |

## VOD against its popular alternatives

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

### How do VOD'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 20 popular alternatives, led by KT, T and AMX, were both more rewarding and calmer than VOD over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, VOD returned 7.7% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (28.2% against 17.1%).

### Has VOD consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Only one of the 20 popular alternatives, SKM, outperformed VOD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- TIMB, KT and VIV earned more for the risk they took than VOD (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 VOD | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VOD: Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (this page) | +41.9% | +109% | +44.9% | +9.3% |  |  | 0.41 |
| SKM: SK Telecom Co.,Ltd | +52.7% | +79.8% | +52.4% | +152% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.43 |
| [NOK](https://easycompare.io/research/nok): Nokia Oyj | +60.8% | +211% | +72.8% | +123% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.47 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | +15.6% | +164% | +8.9% | +161% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| KT: KT Corporation | +1.5% | +82.9% | +84.9% | +84.9% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.66 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | +5.0% | +48.3% | +50.5% | +149% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| TIMB: TIM S.A. | −7.7% | +51.7% | +131% | +112% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.69 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | −5.9% | +77.2% | +59.7% | +60.7% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.50 |
| VIV: Telefônica Brasil S.A. | +11.9% | +68.9% | +104% | +33.3% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.64 |
| CHT: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. | +12.9% | +49.3% | +45.1% | +101% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | −1.1% | +27.5% | −21.8% | +107% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| [VZ](https://easycompare.io/research/vz): Verizon Communications Inc. | +16.4% | +71.5% | +14.4% | +55.8% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | −13.7% | +10.7% | −40.6% | +35.4% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.23 |
| [TMUS](https://easycompare.io/research/tmus): T-Mobile US, Inc. | −30.0% | +21.1% | +36.1% | +253% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.37 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | −6.2% | +0.4% | −41.5% | +79.2% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | −8.4% | −1.3% | −21.7% | +12.2% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.09 |
| PHI: PLDT Inc. | +11.0% | +12.0% | −13.6% | +9.8% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.04 |
| TKC: Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. | −13.0% | +24.6% | +35.1% | −5.2% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | −38.9% | −34.4% | −48.2% | −8.4% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.55 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | −11.4% | −32.5% | −45.2% | −20.1% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.51 |
| TLK: Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk | −30.3% | −38.8% | −41.9% | −41.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.24 |

### How did VOD do year by year?

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

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, VOD finished in the top quarter in five of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in nine. In 2025, it ranked 3 of 21.
- VOD finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, CHT came out ahead of VOD most often, in 15 of the 22 years both traded.

| Year | VOD | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +63.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +5.6% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −4.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −27.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −3.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −9.5% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +5.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −34.8% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +38.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −20.0% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How VOD 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 VOD's worst declines?

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

- In all four of VOD's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: VOD fell 28.1% from September to December 1995, while the S&P 500 rose 4.7%.
- The slowest recovery came after VOD fell 47.9% from June 1989 to September 1990; it did not regain that peak until August 1993, three years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −79.3% | March 9, 2000 | July 3, 2002 | not yet | −30.2% | dot-com bust |
| −47.9% | June 8, 1989 | September 24, 1990 | August 6, 1993 | — |  |
| −36.9% | August 24, 1998 | October 5, 1998 | December 9, 1998 | −9.3% |  |
| −28.1% | September 21, 1995 | December 18, 1995 | November 29, 1996 | +4.7% |  |
| −21.8% | February 17, 1994 | April 19, 1994 | August 18, 1994 | −5.4% |  |

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

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

- VOD fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when VOD fell 79.1% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, CHT held up best, falling less than VOD in all nine crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | VOD fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −79.1% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −59.0% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.8% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −12.9% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −21.9% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.5% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −18.5% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −42.2% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −39.7% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does VOD 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.

- 13 of the 20 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than VOD's 0.53, led by CHT, TMUS and AMX.
- TMUS took just 37% of the S&P 500's losses, against 100% for VOD, while still keeping 63% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, VOD captured 52% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 100% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.69. 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VOD: Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (this page) | 52.0% | 100% | 0.69 |
| SKM: SK Telecom Co.,Ltd | 90.0% | 111% | 0.86 |
| [NOK](https://easycompare.io/research/nok): Nokia Oyj | 63.0% | 72.0% | 1.01 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 73.0% | 108% | 0.71 |
| KT: KT Corporation | 66.0% | 88.0% | 0.71 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | 58.0% | 55.0% | 0.69 |
| TIMB: TIM S.A. | 53.0% | 50.0% | 0.59 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | 47.0% | 62.0% | 0.50 |
| VIV: Telefônica Brasil S.A. | 37.0% | 65.0% | 0.54 |
| CHT: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. | 26.0% | 8.0% | 0.18 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | 61.0% | 79.0% | 0.60 |
| [VZ](https://easycompare.io/research/vz): Verizon Communications Inc. | 44.0% | 60.0% | 0.36 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | 54.0% | 101% | 0.70 |
| [TMUS](https://easycompare.io/research/tmus): T-Mobile US, Inc. | 63.0% | 37.0% | 0.46 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | 55.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | 53.0% | 104% | 0.59 |
| PHI: PLDT Inc. | 27.0% | 59.0% | 0.42 |
| TKC: Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. | 45.0% | 94.0% | 0.78 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | 42.0% | 93.0% | 0.67 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | 43.0% | 100% | 0.50 |
| TLK: Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk | 33.0% | 97.0% | 0.57 |

### What diversifies VOD?

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 VOD into SPMO would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 17% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+8.3% for VOD alone, +11.7% for the mix).
- FIX made money in ten of the 14 calendar years in which VOD lost money.
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, EMLP and HDV have moved largely independently of VOD over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.45 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with VOD | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in VOD's 14 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.24 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 8 of 14 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.35 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 5 of 14 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.45 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 6 of 14 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.03 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 7 of 14 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.34 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 7 of 14 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.22 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 6 of 14 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.07 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 4 of 14 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.45 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 6 of 14 |

## Common questions

### What was VOD's worst drawdown?

VOD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1988 was 79.3%, from March 2000 to July 2002. It has not yet climbed back to that peak.

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

Over 29 full calendar years, VOD's best year was 1998, when it returned 124%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -42.3%.

### Is there a better investment than VOD?

Among VOD's popular alternatives, KT and T earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. KT returned 13.1% a year at 22.6% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CSCO (communications equipment) and MSI (communications equipment) earned more than VOD with less volatility over the past 5 years. CSCO returned 16.8% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 7.7% a year at 28.2%.

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

Yes. VOD's volatility over the past 5 years was 28.2%, 1.6 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, VOD's return lands within 28.2% 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 VOD's Sharpe ratio?

VOD's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.41, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so VOD 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 VOD with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, VOD's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.25 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 VOD instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a VOD holding.

### What are the best alternatives to VOD?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, one outperformed VOD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: SKM.

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

VOD finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +63.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

VOD fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when VOD fell 79.1% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies VOD?

These had a low correlation with VOD over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.24), EMLP (correlation 0.35) and HDV (correlation 0.45); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.01), CLS (correlation 0.09) and FIX (correlation 0.13). 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/vod
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against VOD live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=VOD&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research