NDAQ vs. CME

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) and CME Group Inc. (CME).

Performance

NDAQ vs. CME - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) and CME Group Inc. (CME). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NDAQ vs. CME - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.	-12.06%	27.19%	34.85%	-3.66%	-11.19%	60.13%	25.99%	33.88%	8.21%	16.76%
CME CME Group Inc.	11.34%	19.83%	15.41%	31.32%	-22.89%	29.47%	-6.34%	9.67%	32.15%	32.35%

Fundamentals

Market Cap NDAQ : $49.09B CME : $106.97B
EPS NDAQ : $3.09 CME : $11.23
PE Ratio NDAQ : 27.52 CME : 26.45
PEG Ratio NDAQ : 2.64 CME : 2.31
PS Ratio NDAQ : 5.99 CME : 16.41
PB Ratio NDAQ : 4.01 CME : 3.72
Total Revenue (TTM) NDAQ : $8.22B CME : $6.52B
Gross Profit (TTM) NDAQ : $3.94B CME : $5.61B
EBITDA (TTM) NDAQ : $3.13B CME : $5.72B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NDAQ achieves a -12.06% return, which is significantly lower than CME's 11.34% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with NDAQ having a 16.32% annualized return and CME not far behind at 16.25%.

NDAQ

• 1D: 0.31%
• 1M: -3.03%
• YTD: -12.06%
• 6M: -1.42%
• 1Y: 13.34%
• 3Y*: 17.55%
• 5Y*: 12.63%
• 10Y*: 16.32%

CME

• 1D: 0.54%
• 1M: -6.87%
• YTD: 11.34%
• 6M: 14.90%
• 1Y: 17.57%
• 3Y*: 20.84%
• 5Y*: 12.17%
• 10Y*: 16.25%

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

Return for Risk

NDAQ vs. CME — Risk / Return Rank

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

NDAQ

NDAQ Risk / Return Rank: 55
NDAQ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
NDAQ Sortino Ratio Rank: 50
NDAQ Omega Ratio Rank: 52
NDAQ Calmar Ratio Rank: 56
NDAQ Martin Ratio Rank: 57

CME

CME Risk / Return Rank: 66
CME Sharpe Ratio Rank: 71
CME Sortino Ratio Rank: 61
CME Omega Ratio Rank: 61
CME Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
CME Martin Ratio Rank: 67

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.

NDAQ vs. CME - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) and CME Group Inc. (CME). 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.

	NDAQ	CME	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.50	0.91	-0.40
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.82	1.26	-0.44
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.12	1.17	-0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.63	1.60	-0.98
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.65	3.14	-1.49
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NDAQ vs. CME - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NDAQ Sharpe Ratio is 0.50, which is lower than the CME Sharpe Ratio of 0.91. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NDAQ and CME, 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

	NDAQ	CME	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.50	0.91	-0.40
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.54	0.62	-0.09
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.68	0.69	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.37	0.62	-0.24

Correlation

The correlation between NDAQ and CME is 0.45, 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

NDAQ vs. CME - Dividend Comparison

NDAQ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.27%, less than CME's 3.77% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.	1.27%	1.08%	1.22%	1.48%	1.27%	1.00%	1.46%	1.73%	2.08%	1.90%	1.80%	1.55%
CME CME Group Inc.	3.77%	1.83%	4.48%	4.58%	5.05%	3.00%	3.24%	2.74%	2.42%	4.20%	4.90%	5.41%

Drawdowns

NDAQ vs. CME - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NDAQ drawdown since its inception was -68.48%, smaller than the maximum CME drawdown of -77.50%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NDAQ and CME.

Drawdown Indicators

	NDAQ	CME	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-68.48%	-77.50%	+9.02%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-21.76%	-10.13%	-11.63%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-32.84%	-31.74%	-1.10%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-38.31%	-37.36%	-0.95%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-15.41%	-6.87%	-8.54%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-23.91%	-20.77%	-3.14%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	8.24%	5.16%	+3.08%

Volatility

NDAQ vs. CME - Volatility Comparison

Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) has a higher volatility of 6.74% compared to CME Group Inc. (CME) at 5.84%. This indicates that NDAQ's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CME based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NDAQ	CME	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.74%	5.84%	+0.90%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	19.29%	13.87%	+5.42%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	26.62%	19.49%	+7.13%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	23.65%	19.58%	+4.07%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	24.10%	23.70%	+0.40%

Financials

NDAQ vs. CME - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Nasdaq, Inc. and CME Group Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

NDAQ - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Nasdaq, Inc. reported a gross profit of 1.39B and revenue of 2.08B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 66.9%.

CME - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, CME Group Inc. reported a gross profit of 1.41B and revenue of 1.65B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 85.4%.

NDAQ - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Nasdaq, Inc. reported an operating income of 630.00M and revenue of 2.08B, resulting in an operating margin of 30.3%.

CME - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, CME Group Inc. reported an operating income of 1.02B and revenue of 1.65B, resulting in an operating margin of 61.8%.

NDAQ - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Nasdaq, Inc. reported a net income of 519.00M and revenue of 2.08B, resulting in a net margin of 25.0%.

CME - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, CME Group Inc. reported a net income of 1.17B and revenue of 1.65B, resulting in a net margin of 70.8%.