BAC vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Bank of America Corporation (BAC) 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

BAC vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Bank of America Corporation (BAC) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BAC vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
BAC Bank of America Corporation	-10.86%	28.04%	33.85%	4.83%	-23.82%	49.61%	-11.63%	46.19%	-15.00%	35.69%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-4.37%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-18.18%	28.73%	18.33%	31.22%	-4.57%	21.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BAC achieves a -10.86% return, which is significantly lower than SPY's -4.37% return. Over the past 10 years, BAC has outperformed SPY with an annualized return of 16.19%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively lower 13.98% annualized return.

BAC

• 1D: 3.22%
• 1M: -1.61%
• YTD: -10.86%
• 6M: -4.48%
• 1Y: 19.45%
• 3Y*: 22.60%
• 5Y*: 6.87%
• 10Y*: 16.19%

SPY

• 1D: 2.91%
• 1M: -4.94%
• YTD: -4.37%
• 6M: -1.82%
• 1Y: 17.59%
• 3Y*: 18.19%
• 5Y*: 11.69%
• 10Y*: 13.98%

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

Return for Risk

BAC vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

BAC

BAC Risk / Return Rank: 65
BAC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 68
BAC Sortino Ratio Rank: 58
BAC Omega Ratio Rank: 61
BAC Calmar Ratio Rank: 67
BAC Martin Ratio Rank: 69

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.

BAC vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Bank of America Corporation (BAC) 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.

	BAC	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.73	0.93	-0.20
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.06	1.45	-0.40
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.16	1.22	-0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.16	1.53	-0.36
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.17	7.30	-4.13
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BAC vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BAC Sharpe Ratio is 0.73, which is comparable to the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.93. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BAC 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

	BAC	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.73	0.93	-0.20
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.26	0.69	-0.43
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.53	0.78	-0.25
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.20	0.56	-0.37

Correlation

The correlation between BAC and SPY is 0.62, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

BAC vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

BAC's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.26%, more than SPY's 1.14% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BAC Bank of America Corporation	2.26%	1.96%	2.28%	2.73%	2.60%	1.75%	2.38%	1.87%	2.19%	1.32%	1.13%	1.19%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.14%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

BAC vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BAC drawdown since its inception was -93.10%, which is greater than SPY's maximum drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BAC and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	BAC	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-93.10%	-55.19%	-37.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-17.93%	-12.05%	-5.88%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-46.64%	-24.50%	-22.14%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-48.95%	-33.72%	-15.23%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-14.37%	-6.24%	-8.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-28.40%	-9.09%	-19.31%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.57%	2.52%	+4.05%

Volatility

BAC vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

Bank of America Corporation (BAC) has a higher volatility of 6.67% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.31%. This indicates that BAC'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

	BAC	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.67%	5.31%	+1.36%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.72%	9.47%	+7.25%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	26.82%	19.05%	+7.77%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	26.84%	17.06%	+9.78%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	30.80%	17.92%	+12.88%