TY vs. SSO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) and ProShares Ultra S&P500 (SSO).

SSO is a passively managed fund by ProShares that tracks the performance of the S&P 500. It was launched on Jun 19, 2006.

Performance

TY vs. SSO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) and ProShares Ultra S&P500 (SSO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

TY vs. SSO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
TY Tri-Continental Corporation	-2.40%	16.12%	22.01%	17.86%	-16.32%	29.45%	12.38%	28.60%	-5.84%	28.47%
SSO ProShares Ultra S&P500	-10.23%	26.19%	43.48%	46.65%	-38.98%	60.57%	21.54%	63.45%	-14.60%	44.35%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, TY achieves a -2.40% return, which is significantly higher than SSO's -10.23% return. Over the past 10 years, TY has underperformed SSO with an annualized return of 13.40%, while SSO has yielded a comparatively higher 21.06% annualized return.

TY

• 1D: 2.20%
• 1M: -3.67%
• YTD: -2.40%
• 6M: 0.40%
• 1Y: 16.06%
• 3Y*: 15.88%
• 5Y*: 9.59%
• 10Y*: 13.40%

SSO

• 1D: 5.75%
• 1M: -10.37%
• YTD: -10.23%
• 6M: -7.08%
• 1Y: 26.35%
• 3Y*: 28.27%
• 5Y*: 15.34%
• 10Y*: 21.06%

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

Return for Risk

TY vs. SSO — Risk / Return Rank

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

TY

TY Risk / Return Rank: 75
TY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
TY Sortino Ratio Rank: 69
TY Omega Ratio Rank: 75
TY Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
TY Martin Ratio Rank: 82

SSO

SSO Risk / Return Rank: 51
SSO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
SSO Sortino Ratio Rank: 49
SSO Omega Ratio Rank: 53
SSO Calmar Ratio Rank: 53
SSO Martin Ratio Rank: 58

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.

TY vs. SSO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) and ProShares Ultra S&P500 (SSO). 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.

	TY	SSO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.08	0.73	+0.35
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.53	1.23	+0.30
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.25	1.19	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.48	1.20	+0.28
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.57	5.18	+1.39
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

TY vs. SSO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current TY Sharpe Ratio is 1.08, which is higher than the SSO Sharpe Ratio of 0.73. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of TY and SSO, 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

	TY	SSO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.08	0.73	+0.35
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.68	0.46	+0.22
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.81	0.59	+0.23
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.32	0.38	-0.06

Correlation

The correlation between TY and SSO is 0.87, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

TY vs. SSO - Dividend Comparison

TY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 12.40%, more than SSO's 0.82% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
TY Tri-Continental Corporation	12.40%	11.97%	10.61%	4.36%	8.71%	14.13%	6.25%	6.86%	8.13%	4.69%	4.12%	4.05%
SSO ProShares Ultra S&P500	0.82%	0.68%	0.85%	0.18%	0.50%	0.18%	0.20%	0.50%	0.75%	0.39%	0.51%	0.63%

Drawdowns

TY vs. SSO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum TY drawdown since its inception was -67.71%, smaller than the maximum SSO drawdown of -84.67%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for TY and SSO.

Drawdown Indicators

	TY	SSO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-67.71%	-84.67%	+16.96%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.11%	-23.17%	+12.06%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-20.78%	-46.73%	+25.95%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-38.57%	-59.34%	+20.77%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.74%	-13.46%	+8.72%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-15.67%	-19.72%	+4.05%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.51%	5.38%	-2.87%

Volatility

TY vs. SSO - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Tri-Continental Corporation (TY) is 4.84%, while ProShares Ultra S&P500 (SSO) has a volatility of 10.60%. This indicates that TY experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than SSO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	TY	SSO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.84%	10.60%	-5.76%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.69%	18.95%	-11.26%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.00%	36.45%	-21.45%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.22%	33.66%	-19.44%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.51%	35.86%	-19.35%