BATS.L vs. ^GSPC

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L) and S&P 500 Index (^GSPC).

Performance

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L) and S&P 500 Index (^GSPC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
BATS.L British American Tobacco plc	3.82%	56.35%	37.24%	-23.51%	28.17%	9.10%	-9.61%	38.29%	-47.15%	13.39%
^GSPC S&P 500 Index	-2.36%	8.10%	25.46%	18.02%	-9.86%	28.09%	12.84%	23.98%	-0.68%	9.09%

Different Trading Currencies

BATS.L is traded in GBp, while ^GSPC is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the ^GSPC values have been converted to GBp using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BATS.L achieves a 3.82% return, which is significantly higher than ^GSPC's -2.36% return. Over the past 10 years, BATS.L has underperformed ^GSPC with an annualized return of 7.39%, while ^GSPC has yielded a comparatively higher 13.04% annualized return.

BATS.L

• 1D: -1.33%
• 1M: -5.27%
• YTD: 3.82%
• 6M: 15.40%
• 1Y: 43.71%
• 3Y*: 24.51%
• 5Y*: 18.44%
• 10Y*: 7.39%

^GSPC

• 1D: 0.49%
• 1M: -3.37%
• YTD: -2.36%
• 6M: -0.37%
• 1Y: 13.80%
• 3Y*: 14.19%
• 5Y*: 11.28%
• 10Y*: 13.04%

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

Return for Risk

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC — Risk / Return Rank

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

BATS.L

BATS.L Risk / Return Rank: 87
BATS.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 90
BATS.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 88
BATS.L Omega Ratio Rank: 83
BATS.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
BATS.L Martin Ratio Rank: 87

^GSPC

^GSPC Risk / Return Rank: 67
^GSPC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 63
^GSPC Sortino Ratio Rank: 64
^GSPC Omega Ratio Rank: 69
^GSPC Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
^GSPC Martin Ratio Rank: 77

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.

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L) and S&P 500 Index (^GSPC). 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.

	BATS.L	^GSPC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.01	0.74	+1.27
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.71	1.15	+1.56
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.32	1.18	+0.14
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.43	1.22	+2.21
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.20	4.79	+4.41
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BATS.L Sharpe Ratio is 2.01, which is higher than the ^GSPC Sharpe Ratio of 0.74. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BATS.L and ^GSPC, 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

	BATS.L	^GSPC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.01	0.74	+1.27
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.90	0.71	+0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.31	0.72	-0.41
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.47	0.55	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between BATS.L and ^GSPC is 0.26, 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

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BATS.L drawdown since its inception was -64.53%, which is greater than ^GSPC's maximum drawdown of -37.67%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BATS.L and ^GSPC.

Drawdown Indicators

	BATS.L	^GSPC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-64.53%	-56.78%	-7.75%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.70%	-12.14%	-1.56%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-29.68%	-25.43%	-4.25%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-54.44%	-33.92%	-20.52%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.72%	-5.78%	+0.06%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-14.08%	-10.75%	-3.33%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.11%	2.60%	+2.51%

Volatility

BATS.L vs. ^GSPC - Volatility Comparison

British American Tobacco plc (BATS.L) has a higher volatility of 7.79% compared to S&P 500 Index (^GSPC) at 4.58%. This indicates that BATS.L's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than ^GSPC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BATS.L	^GSPC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.79%	4.58%	+3.21%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.74%	9.50%	+6.24%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	21.65%	18.75%	+2.90%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.43%	15.90%	+4.53%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	23.63%	18.17%	+5.46%