# How Yum! Brands (YUM) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/yum
> 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 YUM alone. It places YUM (Yum! Brands, 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 YUM stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: YUM's full trading record, from September 1997 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** Over the past 6 months, YUM fell 5.4% while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Its restaurant peers split over the past 6 months: DRI (Darden Restaurants) rose 9.8%, while MCD (McDonald's) fell 18.6%.
- **Stock or market?:** YUM rose 3.4% over the past 3 months, 2.4 points ahead of the consumer discretionary sector ETF XLY (State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF), which rose 1.0%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its restaurant peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SG (Sweetgreen) rose 60.5%, while CMG (Chipotle Mexican Grill) fell 10.5%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** YUM has trailed the market, rising 4.3% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (34.0% against 89.3%). Even so, YUM lagged its restaurant peers in 2023, then moved up the pack in 2025.
- **Long term:** YUM turned $10,000 into $29,200 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** YUM fell less than the S&P 500 in five of seven sell-offs, but the Covid crash broke the pattern: it fell 46.3%, more than the S&P 500's 33.7%.
- **Diversification:** When the S&P 500 had a down month, YUM usually fell with it (17 of 22 months). Against the S&P 500, YUM has a correlation of 0.40 over 5 years, more closely than 52% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** USFD (US Foods Holding), EAT (Brinker International) and DRI (Darden Restaurants) were ahead of YUM in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (29.8%, 48.8% and 27.2% volatility against 21.2%).
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** KO (Coca-Cola, food & beverages) earned more than YUM with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.7% a year at 16.8% volatility, against 5.8% a year at 21.2%.
  - **Whole market:** 451 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than YUM 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 YUM have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in YUM over the past 21 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of YUM over the same span and YUM's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in YUM at the end of September 2005 would have grown to $116,635 by September 2026, more than the $90,973 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of YUM, and MNST finished highest, at $848,688.

## YUM 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.

- YUM's deepest decline since it began trading in 1997 was 67.6%, from April 1999 to July 2000. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 28 full calendar years, YUM's best was 1998, when it returned 72.3%, and its worst was 1999, when it lost 22.9%. It lost money in six of those years.
- YUM is 9.0% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Consumer Discretionary (Restaurants)
- Trading since: September 12, 1997
- Market value: $41B
- Volatility (5 years): 21.2%; Sharpe ratio: 0.37
- Worst decline ever: −67.6%, from April 1, 1999 to July 28, 2000; back at its high by February 26, 2004

| Period | YUM total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +8.8% |
| 3 months | +3.4% |
| 6 months | −5.4% |
| year to date | +2.2% |
| 1 year | +4.3% |
| 3 years | +34.0% |
| 5 years | +32.5% |
| 10 years | +192% |

## YUM against the whole market

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

### How does YUM rank among all stocks?

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

- YUM is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 4% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | YUM | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +4.3% | 1,798 of 3,287 (top 55%) |
| 3-year return | +34.0% | 1,786 of 3,017 (top 60%) |
| 5-year return | +32.5% | 1,305 of 2,893 (top 46%) |
| 10-year return | +192% | 898 of 2,202 (top 41%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 21.2% | 126 of 2,893 (top 5%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.37 | 1,312 of 2,893 (top 46%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −52.2% | 541 of 2,187 (top 25%) |

### What has beaten YUM 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).

- 35 stocks and 416 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than YUM over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 12% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half YUM's swings, LVHI has the best return for its risk: 17.0% a year at 11.1% volatility, 48% less than YUM's 21.2%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.48 against 0.37 for YUM. DXJ earned the most, 26.6% a year, while still swinging less than YUM (19.1% against 21.2%).
- None of YUM's popular alternatives made it, but KO (food & beverages) did: 14.7% a year at 16.8% volatility, 21% less than YUM's 21.2%.

### Is there a better investment than YUM?

The table below lists investments that beat YUM 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 YUM's popular alternatives, USFD, EAT and DRI were ahead of YUM in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (29.8%, 48.8% and 27.2% volatility against 21.2%).
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, KO (food & beverages) earned more than YUM with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.7% a year at 16.8% volatility, against 5.8% a year at 21.2%.
- Across the whole market, 451 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than YUM with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 451 investments that beat YUM 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 YUM | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YUM: Yum! Brands, Inc. (this page) |  | +5.8% | 21.2% | 0.37 | −52.2% | +192% |  |  |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.40 | 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% | 0.40 | 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% | 0.59 | 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% | 0.52 | 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% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.56 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VXUS](https://easycompare.io/research/vxus): Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | International Equity | +8.2% | 16.4% | 0.57 | −36.0% | +140% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +12.1% | 13.7% | 0.90 | −36.8% | +235% | 0.61 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VEA](https://easycompare.io/research/vea): Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | Developed International Equity | +9.3% | 16.9% | 0.61 | −35.8% | +153% | 0.56 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [TD](https://easycompare.io/research/td): The Toronto-Dominion Bank | Banks | +15.8% | 20.0% | 0.84 | −42.0% | +310% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VIG](https://easycompare.io/research/vig): Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF | US Dividend Equity | +10.4% | 14.1% | 0.78 | −31.7% | +258% | 0.60 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [SCHD](https://easycompare.io/research/schd): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US Dividend Equity | +9.7% | 14.3% | 0.72 | −33.4% | +252% | 0.59 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BNS](https://easycompare.io/research/bns): The Bank of Nova Scotia | Banks | +12.9% | 19.9% | 0.71 | −46.9% | +187% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VT](https://easycompare.io/research/vt): Vanguard Total World Stock ETF | Global Equity | +10.3% | 16.2% | 0.69 | −34.2% | +223% | 0.47 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## YUM against its popular alternatives

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

### How do YUM'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.

- None of the 23 popular alternatives earned more than YUM over the past 5 years with smaller price swings, so every higher return on the map came with a bumpier ride.
- 16 of the 23 popular alternatives earned less than YUM over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, YUM returned 5.8% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (21.2% against 17.1%).

### Has YUM consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

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

- Three of the 25 popular alternatives, USFD, DRI and EAT, outperformed YUM in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- USFD and DRI outperformed YUM in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- TXRH outperformed YUM over all three long-term periods but in only one of the five short-term ones, so YUM has had the better of it lately.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of YUM | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YUM: Yum! Brands, Inc. (this page) | +4.3% | +34.0% | +32.5% | +192% |  |  | 0.37 |
| USFD: US Foods Holding Corp. | +35.0% | +178% | +178% | +347% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.84 |
| DRI: Darden Restaurants, Inc. | +19.7% | +70.6% | +79.7% | +361% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.57 |
| EAT: Brinker International, Inc. | +50.5% | +492% | +342% | +337% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.86 |
| PFGC: Performance Food Group Co | −3.6% | +75.9% | +110% | +299% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.63 |
| TXRH: Texas Roadhouse, Inc. | −3.9% | +84.4% | +109% | +405% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.64 |
| QSR: Restaurant Brands International Inc. | +14.9% | +27.3% | +46.8% | +127% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| [SYY](https://easycompare.io/research/syy): Sysco Corporation | +6.7% | +37.6% | +18.7% | +126% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| WING: Wingstop Inc. | −48.6% | −26.3% | −17.2% | +479% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.19 |
| BROS: Dutch Bros Inc. | −21.9% | +73.0% | −28.7% | — | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.20 |
| CAVA: CAVA Group, Inc. | −7.8% | +74.1% | — | — | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| [DASH](https://easycompare.io/research/dash): DoorDash, Inc. | −27.8% | +162% | −11.1% | — | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| [CMG](https://easycompare.io/research/cmg): Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. | −28.8% | −19.0% | −18.7% | +266% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| BLMN: Bloomin' Brands, Inc. | +39.4% | −50.5% | −44.8% | −23.3% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| SG: Sweetgreen, Inc. | +43.6% | −2.3% | — | — | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| LW: Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | −15.6% | −33.9% | +3.1% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| [SBUX](https://easycompare.io/research/sbux): Starbucks Corporation | +20.6% | +13.8% | −1.7% | +130% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |
| DIN: Dine Brands Global, Inc. | +19.0% | −26.3% | −51.3% | −38.2% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.11 |
| SHAK: Shake Shack Inc. | −24.7% | +27.0% | −5.7% | +115% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [MCD](https://easycompare.io/research/mcd): McDonald's Corporation | −17.8% | +2.7% | +15.5% | +181% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.25 |
| DPZ: Domino's Pizza, Inc. | −23.6% | −4.4% | −25.7% | +116% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.05 |
| YUMC: Yum China Holdings, Inc. | +2.9% | −7.1% | −19.4% | +108% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.07 |
| WEN: The Wendy's Company | −22.3% | −59.5% | −63.0% | −16.5% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.37 |
| PZZA: Papa John's International, Inc. | −63.5% | −67.8% | −82.0% | −70.9% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.59 |
| JACK: Jack in the Box Inc. | −30.0% | −80.1% | −86.8% | −85.0% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.52 |
| DNUT: Krispy Kreme, Inc. | −8.9% | −75.6% | −77.7% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.25 |

### How did YUM do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1998, along with where YUM ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- YUM finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 28 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, YUM finished in the top quarter in seven of 28 years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 3 of 26.
- Among its popular alternatives, WING came out ahead of YUM most often, in seven of the ten years both traded.

| Year | YUM | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +14.9% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +4.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +3.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −6.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +30.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +9.8% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +11.4% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +14.6% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +31.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +23.4% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How YUM 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 YUM's worst declines?

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

- In four of YUM's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: YUM fell 67.6% from April 1999 to July 2000, while the S&P 500 rose 11.3%.
- The slowest recovery came after YUM fell 67.6% from April 1999 to July 2000; it did not regain that peak until February 2004, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −67.6% | April 1, 1999 | July 28, 2000 | February 26, 2004 | +11.3% | dot-com bust |
| −52.2% | September 6, 2019 | March 23, 2020 | April 12, 2021 | −24.0% | Covid crash |
| −45.5% | May 15, 2008 | November 20, 2008 | April 5, 2010 | −46.5% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −35.4% | September 16, 1997 | January 8, 1998 | August 25, 1998 | +1.6% |  |
| −30.0% | May 20, 2015 | February 11, 2016 | January 25, 2017 | −12.7% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

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

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

- Among its popular alternatives, MCD held up best, falling less than YUM in six of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- YUM fell less than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when YUM fell 33.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

| Crash | Dates | YUM fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −33.0% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −45.5% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −12.3% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −24.7% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −7.7% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −6.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −46.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −22.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does YUM 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, YUM captured 67% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 70% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.82. Its share of the market's losses was slightly larger than its share of the gains.
- MCD took just 52% of the S&P 500's losses, against 70% for YUM, while still keeping 58% of its gains.
- Four of the 18 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than YUM's 0.96, led by TXRH, MCD and DRI.

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

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YUM: Yum! Brands, Inc. (this page) | 67.0% | 70.0% | 0.82 |
| USFD: US Foods Holding Corp. | 100% | 103% | 1.29 |
| DRI: Darden Restaurants, Inc. | 96.0% | 92.0% | 1.06 |
| EAT: Brinker International, Inc. | 139% | 168% | 1.98 |
| PFGC: Performance Food Group Co | 105% | 116% | 1.27 |
| TXRH: Texas Roadhouse, Inc. | 93.0% | 78.0% | 0.94 |
| QSR: Restaurant Brands International Inc. | 67.0% | 78.0% | 0.83 |
| [SYY](https://easycompare.io/research/syy): Sysco Corporation | 76.0% | 100% | 1.02 |
| WING: Wingstop Inc. | 123% | 137% | 1.57 |
| [CMG](https://easycompare.io/research/cmg): Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. | 103% | 111% | 1.16 |
| BLMN: Bloomin' Brands, Inc. | 70.0% | 173% | 1.70 |
| [SBUX](https://easycompare.io/research/sbux): Starbucks Corporation | 81.0% | 107% | 0.94 |
| DIN: Dine Brands Global, Inc. | 76.0% | 189% | 1.52 |
| SHAK: Shake Shack Inc. | 85.0% | 131% | 1.68 |
| [MCD](https://easycompare.io/research/mcd): McDonald's Corporation | 58.0% | 52.0% | 0.52 |
| DPZ: Domino's Pizza, Inc. | 77.0% | 98.0% | 0.75 |
| WEN: The Wendy's Company | 32.0% | 78.0% | 0.68 |
| PZZA: Papa John's International, Inc. | 32.0% | 141% | 1.08 |
| JACK: Jack in the Box Inc. | 49.0% | 214% | 1.61 |

### What diversifies YUM?

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 YUM into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 16% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+4.2% for YUM alone, +8.8% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, DXJ, MLPX and SMH have moved largely independently of YUM over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.48 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- Among large stocks, CAH, CLS and FIX have moved largely independently of YUM over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.35 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with YUM | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in YUM's 6 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.31 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 6 |
| MLPX: Global X - MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | 0.48 | +135% | 19.7% | 0.97 | 2 of 6 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.20 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 1 of 6 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.22 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 1 of 6 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.33 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 0 of 6 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.29 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 3 of 6 |
| VLUE: iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | 0.41 | +109% | 18.4% | 0.90 | 1 of 6 |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.22 | +153% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 1 of 6 |

## Common questions

### What was YUM's worst drawdown?

YUM's deepest decline since it began trading in 1997 was 67.6%, from April 1999 to July 2000. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

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

Over 28 full calendar years, YUM's best year was 1998, when it returned 72.3%. Its worst was 1999, with a return of -22.9%.

### Is there a better investment than YUM?

Among YUM's popular alternatives, USFD, EAT and DRI were ahead of YUM in most short and long periods, though with much bigger swings (29.8%, 48.8% and 27.2% volatility against 21.2%). Looking beyond its popular alternatives, KO (food & beverages) earned more than YUM with less volatility over the past 5 years: 14.7% a year at 16.8% volatility, against 5.8% a year at 21.2%.

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

Yes. YUM's volatility over the past 5 years was 21.2%, 1.2 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, YUM's return lands within 21.2% 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 YUM's Sharpe ratio?

YUM's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.37, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so YUM 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 YUM with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, YUM's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.40 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 YUM instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a YUM holding.

### What are the best alternatives to YUM?

Of the 25 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed YUM in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: USFD, DRI and EAT.

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

YUM finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 28 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +14.9%, against +17.7% for the index.

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

YUM fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in six of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in three. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when YUM fell 33.0% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies YUM?

These had a low correlation with YUM over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, DXJ (correlation 0.31), MLPX (correlation 0.48) and SMH (correlation 0.20); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.35), CLS (correlation -0.09) and FIX (correlation 0.24). 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/yum
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against YUM live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=YUM&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research