USO vs. SPY
Compare and contrast key facts about United States Oil Fund LP (USO) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).
USO and SPY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. USO is a passively managed fund by Concierge Technologies that tracks the performance of the Front Month Light Sweet Crude Oil. It was launched on Apr 10, 2006. 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. Both USO and SPY are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.
Scroll down to visually compare performance, riskiness, drawdowns, and other indicators and decide which better suits your portfolio: USO or SPY.
Key characteristics
| USO | SPY | |
|---|---|---|
| YTD Return | 12.84% | 10.44% |
| 1Y Return | 19.40% | 28.54% |
| 3Y Return (Ann) | 18.98% | 9.53% |
| 5Y Return (Ann) | -6.49% | 14.57% |
| 10Y Return (Ann) | -12.88% | 12.81% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.79 | 2.52 |
| Daily Std Dev | 26.90% | 11.50% |
| Max Drawdown | -98.19% | -55.19% |
| Current Drawdown | -92.00% | 0.00% |
Correlation
The correlation between USO and SPY is 0.31, 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.
Performance
USO vs. SPY - Performance Comparison
In the year-to-date period, USO achieves a 12.84% return, which is significantly higher than SPY's 10.44% return. Over the past 10 years, USO has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of -12.88%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 12.81% annualized return. The chart below displays the growth of a $10,000 investment in both assets, with all prices adjusted for splits and dividends.
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USO vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison
USO has a 0.79% expense ratio, which is higher than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio.
Risk-Adjusted Performance
USO vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Performance Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for United States Oil Fund LP (USO) and 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.
Dividends
USO vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison
USO has not paid dividends to shareholders, while SPY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.28%.
| TTM | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USO United States Oil Fund LP | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 1.28% | 1.40% | 1.65% | 1.20% | 1.52% | 1.75% | 2.04% | 1.80% | 2.03% | 2.06% | 1.87% | 1.81% |
Drawdowns
USO vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum USO drawdown since its inception was -98.19%, which is greater than SPY's maximum drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for USO and SPY. For additional features, visit the drawdowns tool.
Volatility
USO vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison
United States Oil Fund LP (USO) has a higher volatility of 5.68% compared to SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 3.34%. This indicates that USO'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.