^HSI vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Hang Seng Index (^HSI) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993.

Performance

^HSI vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a HK$10,000 investment in Hang Seng Index (^HSI) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

^HSI vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
^HSI Hang Seng Index	-3.29%	27.77%	17.67%	-13.82%	-15.46%	-14.08%	-3.40%	9.07%	-13.61%	35.99%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-3.67%	17.95%	24.24%	26.16%	-18.04%	29.43%	17.80%	30.53%	-4.36%	22.64%

Different Trading Currencies

^HSI is traded in HKD, while SPY is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the SPY values have been converted to HKD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, ^HSI achieves a -3.29% return, which is significantly higher than SPY's -3.67% return. Over the past 10 years, ^HSI has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 1.92%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 14.10% annualized return.

^HSI

• 1D: 0.15%
• 1M: -6.92%
• YTD: -3.29%
• 6M: -7.70%
• 1Y: 7.22%
• 3Y*: 6.71%
• 5Y*: -3.05%
• 10Y*: 1.92%

SPY

• 1D: 2.96%
• 1M: -4.73%
• YTD: -3.67%
• 6M: -1.10%
• 1Y: 18.49%
• 3Y*: 18.14%
• 5Y*: 11.87%
• 10Y*: 14.10%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

^HSI vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

^HSI

^HSI Risk / Return Rank: 29
^HSI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 31
^HSI Sortino Ratio Rank: 27
^HSI Omega Ratio Rank: 30
^HSI Calmar Ratio Rank: 27
^HSI Martin Ratio Rank: 28

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 64
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 75

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

^HSI vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Hang Seng Index (^HSI) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	^HSI	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.32	0.98	-0.65
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.54	1.51	-0.97
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.08	1.23	-0.15
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.27	1.59	-1.31
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.92	7.68	-6.76
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

^HSI vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ^HSI Sharpe Ratio is 0.32, which is lower than the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.98. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ^HSI and SPY, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	^HSI	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.32	0.98	-0.65
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.12	0.70	-0.82
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.09	0.79	-0.70
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.27	0.52	-0.25

Correlation

The correlation between ^HSI and SPY is 0.17, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Drawdowns

^HSI vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ^HSI drawdown since its inception was -65.18%, which is greater than SPY's maximum drawdown of -55.21%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ^HSI and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	^HSI	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-65.18%	-55.19%	-9.99%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.56%	-12.05%	-2.51%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-50.16%	-24.50%	-25.66%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-55.70%	-33.72%	-21.98%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-25.23%	-6.24%	-18.99%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-24.18%	-9.09%	-15.09%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.04%	2.52%	+2.52%

Volatility

^HSI vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

Hang Seng Index (^HSI) has a higher volatility of 7.16% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.33%. This indicates that ^HSI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	^HSI	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.16%	5.33%	+1.83%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.14%	9.45%	+4.69%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	23.06%	19.04%	+4.02%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	25.25%	17.05%	+8.20%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.94%	17.89%	+4.05%