Benchmark research · Microsoft
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed MSFT (Microsoft)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of MSFT (Microsoft Corporation), we screened MSFT against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs across 8 different time windows from 1 month to 10 years, including reinvested dividends. A contender had to come out ahead in both the short term and the long term to make the list. Data as of October 22, 2026.
Compare the entire market against MSFT live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top MSFT: Of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs screened, just 23 of 958 eligible ETFs (2.4%) and 161 of 1,501 eligible stocks (11%) met the consistency rule. None of the ETFs were all-weather, while 12 stocks were. The benchmark was difficult to top consistently.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: AAPL and INTC made the list, with AAPL outperforming in 3 of 5 short-term and 3 of 3 long-term timeframes, and INTC in 3 of 5 and 2 of 3. VGT, XLK, and QQQ fell short, each outperforming in 2 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes. No same-index funds were excluded.
- Top ETFs: Commodities and technology led among the standout ETFs. Oil-focused BNO and USO, energy fund DBE, and technology funds RSPT and CIBR appeared among the leaders. In all, 23 ETFs made the cut, though the table shows only the top 15.
- Top stocks: 161 stocks made the cut, including 12 all-weather names. The top stocks include energy companies MPC, CVI, and VLO, plus industrials FRO and DHT, which operate in marine shipping. The table shows only the top 10 stocks.
- The risk trade-off: Over 5 years, the top ETFs had lower median volatility than MSFT, and all had higher Sharpe ratios, a measure of return relative to risk. The top stocks had moderately higher median volatility, but all had higher Sharpe ratios. In other words, the stock winners took a bumpier ride, while the ETF group was less volatile overall.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against MSFT, sorted by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term.
| Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | ||
| MSFT Microsoft Corporation (benchmark) | — | +4.6% | +33.7% | +20.9% | +10.9% | +0.9% | +61.9% | +75.6% | +862% | 28.2% | 0.54 |
| AAPL Made the listApple Inc. | 3/5 short3/3 long | +2.5% | +6.9% | +27.7% | +28.8% | +35.2% | +104% | +140% | +1,194% | 28.0%1.0× MSFT | 0.77 |
| INTC Made the listIntel Corp. | 3/5 short2/3 long | −31.0% | −16.7% | +31.0% | +117% | +132% | +157% | +87.6% | +199% | 55.5%2.0× MSFT | 0.50 |
| VGT Fell shortVanguard Information Technology ETF | 2/5 short2/3 long | −6.1% | +2.7% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.7% | +135% | +130% | +753% | 26.1%0.9× MSFT | 0.77 |
| XLK Fell shortState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 2/5 short2/3 long | −7.1% | +1.3% | +15.6% | +26.8% | +28.4% | +126% | +139% | +741% | 26.1%0.9× MSFT | 0.80 |
| QQQ Fell shortInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 2/5 short2/3 long | −5.8% | 0.0% | +7.8% | +15.3% | +16.9% | +101% | +94.0% | +531% | 23.0%0.8× MSFT | 0.69 |
| CSCO Fell shortCisco Systems, Inc. | 2/5 short2/3 long | −1.1% | −6.2% | +17.7% | +39.7% | +51.2% | +117% | +118% | +361% | 26.1%0.9× MSFT | 0.73 |
| VOO Fell shortVanguard S&P 500 ETF | 2/5 short2/3 long | −1.2% | +2.5% | +8.0% | +12.7% | +15.7% | +88.8% | +80.8% | +319% | 16.9%0.6× MSFT | 0.79 |
| SPY Fell shortState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 2/5 short2/3 long | −1.2% | +2.5% | +8.0% | +12.7% | +15.6% | +88.4% | +80.3% | +316% | 17.2%0.6× MSFT | 0.78 |
| IBM Fell shortInternational Business Machines Corporation | 1/5 short2/3 long | +9.0% | +23.4% | +1.6% | −11.8% | −10.0% | +103% | +150% | +163% | 30.2%1.1× MSFT | 0.76 |
| VTI Fell shortVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | 2/5 short1/3 long | −1.4% | +1.9% | +7.3% | +12.4% | +15.3% | +87.3% | +71.5% | +298% | 17.5%0.6× MSFT | 0.71 |
| AMZN Fell shortAmazon.com, Inc. | 1/5 short1/3 long | −1.8% | +2.3% | −1.9% | +10.5% | +14.9% | +97.8% | +50.1% | +498% | 36.6%1.3× MSFT | 0.41 |
| ORCL Fell shortOracle Corporation | 0/5 short0/3 long | −15.6% | +0.1% | −32.6% | −35.0% | −53.4% | +25.4% | +36.7% | +281% | 44.3%1.6× MSFT | 0.36 |
ETFs that consistently outperformed MSFT
Top 15 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Green cells outperformed MSFT in that period. Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Fund | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Expense | Assets | |||
| — | MSFT Microsoft Corporation (benchmark) | — | +4.6% | +33.7% | +20.9% | +10.9% | +0.9% | +61.9% | +75.6% | +862% | 28.2% | 0.54 | ||
| 1 | BNO CommoditiesUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP | 4/5 short2/3 long | +19.0% | +34.0% | +36.4% | +144% | +139% | +118% | +205% | +359% | 37.1%1.3× MSFT | 0.79 | 1.15% | $768M |
| 2 | DBE AlternativesInvesco DB Energy Fund | 4/5 short2/3 long | +11.4% | +26.4% | +33.5% | +130% | +123% | +98.0% | +149% | +268% | 30.6%1.1× MSFT | 0.75 | 0.79% | $132M |
| 3 | DBO AlternativesInvesco DB Oil Fund | 4/5 short2/3 long | +10.4% | +18.6% | +27.1% | +114% | +109% | +70.0% | +93.9% | +231% | 34.0%1.2× MSFT | 0.56 | 0.81% | $278M |
| 4 | USO CommoditiesUnited States Oil Fund, LP | 4/5 short2/3 long | +12.8% | +23.4% | +25.6% | +136% | +130% | +106% | +180% | +77.7% | 37.7%1.3× MSFT | 0.74 | 0.86% | $1.9B |
| 5 | RSPT TechnologyInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | −3.9% | +6.2% | +21.6% | +40.0% | +43.0% | +141% | +116% | +559% | 25.1%0.9× MSFT | 0.74 | 0.40% | $6.1B |
| 6 | CIBR TechnologyFirst Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +0.2% | +15.1% | +49.3% | +45.8% | +35.2% | +134% | +96.7% | +461% | 26.2%0.9× MSFT | 0.65 | 0.58% | $17B |
| 7 | UGA CommoditiesUnited States Gasoline Fund, LP | 3/5 short2/3 long | −0.6% | +16.0% | +32.8% | +132% | +125% | +117% | +227% | +401% | 35.1%1.2× MSFT | 0.85 | 1.08% | $167M |
| 8 | HACK TechnologyAmplify Cybersecurity ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +0.6% | +15.7% | +51.5% | +54.8% | +42.0% | +142% | +87.4% | +381% | 25.8%0.9× MSFT | 0.62 | 0.60% | $3.3B |
| 9 | CRAK EnergyVanEck Oil Refiners ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +0.5% | +15.8% | +36.4% | +69.7% | +74.3% | +118% | +143% | +325% | 20.9%0.7× MSFT | 0.96 | 0.61% | $810M |
| 10 | VLUE Broad MarketiShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | −4.4% | −0.4% | +22.8% | +40.8% | +54.9% | +139% | +112% | +286% | 18.4%0.7× MSFT | 0.91 | 0.15% | $9.0B |
| 11 | IAK Broad MarketiShares U.S. Insurance ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +7.8% | +4.5% | +14.3% | +13.7% | +20.1% | +73.9% | +94.3% | +247% | 18.1%0.6× MSFT | 0.83 | 0.37% | $452M |
| 12 | KBWP FinancialsInvesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +10.9% | +6.5% | +14.7% | +12.7% | +19.5% | +72.4% | +89.6% | +242% | 18.8%0.7× MSFT | 0.78 | 0.35% | $283M |
| 13 | DJD Dividend & IncomeInvesco Dow Jones Industrial Average Dividend ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +5.5% | +6.8% | +13.2% | +20.5% | +24.9% | +83.5% | +79.9% | +233% | 13.3%0.5× MSFT | 0.95 | 0.07% | $506M |
| 14 | QVAL Broad MarketAlpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF | 3/5 short2/3 long | +7.1% | +11.2% | +16.8% | +30.8% | +39.9% | +88.9% | +91.7% | +229% | 21.4%0.8× MSFT | 0.72 | 0.28% | $642M |
| 15 | FDL Dividend & IncomeFirst Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund | 3/5 short2/3 long | +6.3% | +5.6% | +9.9% | +22.5% | +28.5% | +89.5% | +97.6% | +207% | 14.5%0.5× MSFT | 1.02 | 0.43% | $8.0B |
Stocks that consistently outperformed MSFT
Top 10 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Individual stocks swing far more than funds; check the volatility column.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Company | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Market cap | |||
| — | MSFT Microsoft Corporation (benchmark) | — | +4.6% | +33.7% | +20.9% | +10.9% | +0.9% | +61.9% | +75.6% | +862% | 28.2% | 0.54 | |
| 1 | MPC Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingMarathon Petroleum Corporation | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +17.9% | +45.8% | +108% | +181% | +148% | +226% | +660% | +1,314% | 33.4%1.2× MSFT | 1.39 | $129B |
| 2 | CVI Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingCVR Energy, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +12.5% | +68.6% | +88.5% | +134% | +62.6% | +105% | +289% | +1,306% | 52.4%1.9× MSFT | 0.79 | $5.9B |
| 3 | FRO Marine ShippingFrontline Plc | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +6.9% | +41.8% | +62.0% | +182% | +148% | +222% | +762% | +1,270% | 49.7%1.8× MSFT | 1.12 | $11B |
| 4 | HALO BiotechnologyHalozyme Therapeutics, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +8.2% | +60.0% | +82.1% | +77.1% | +89.4% | +258% | +220% | +1,255% | 40.4%1.4× MSFT | 0.78 | $14B |
| 5 | ANF Apparel - RetailAbercrombie & Fitch Co. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +18.6% | +68.2% | +74.7% | +30.6% | +136% | +169% | +323% | +1,132% | 62.9%2.2× MSFT | 0.77 | $6.9B |
| 6 | DHT Marine ShippingDHT Holdings, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +12.8% | +41.9% | +50.2% | +133% | +126% | +207% | +443% | +1,094% | 39.0%1.4× MSFT | 1.07 | $3.9B |
| 7 | VLO Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingValero Energy Corporation | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +13.0% | +37.6% | +83.5% | +162% | +169% | +254% | +515% | +1,014% | 36.9%1.3× MSFT | 1.18 | $123B |
| 8 | NTRA Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchNatera, Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +2.7% | +51.9% | +93.2% | +75.4% | +113% | +901% | +249% | +3,934% | 57.6%2.0× MSFT | 0.73 | $58B |
| 9 | LLY Drug Manufacturers - GeneralEli Lilly and Company | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +11.7% | +12.5% | +42.3% | +21.5% | +61.9% | +131% | +461% | +1,870% | 32.8%1.2× MSFT | 1.22 | $1.2T |
| 10 | URI Rental & Leasing ServicesUnited Rentals, Inc. | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +6.5% | +7.5% | +38.9% | +32.3% | +13.0% | +179% | +213% | +1,407% | 39.1%1.4× MSFT | 0.78 | $69B |
What stands out
The ETF leaders came from distinct areas, especially commodities and technology. Oil-linked funds such as BNO and USO and technology funds such as RSPT and CIBR met the rule across both short- and long-term periods, though none qualified as all-weather. Among popular alternatives, AAPL and INTC kept ahead often enough to qualify, while VGT, XLK, and QQQ fell short of the consistency bar.
The stock results were more concentrated in energy and shipping among the names shown. MPC, CVI, VLO, FRO, and DHT outperformed in every measured timeframe, while healthcare and consumer discretionary names also appeared among the leaders. Over 5 years, every top stock had a higher Sharpe ratio than MSFT despite higher median volatility. The ETF results were less volatile overall, and every ETF in the top group also had a higher Sharpe ratio.
Methodology
- Short-term periods: 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y. Long-term periods: 3Y, 5Y, 10Y. An investment outperformed a period when its total return, with dividends reinvested, was higher than MSFT's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of MSFT's (whichever is larger) count as a tie and are shown in gray.
- Consistent means outperforming in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, so a recent hot streak alone is not enough. All-weather means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Rankings use long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then the 10Y return.
- Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
- Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over 5 years. The Sharpe ratio is return above cash divided by volatility over the same period: higher means more return per unit of risk.
- Returns and risk figures are computed from daily adjusted prices and update with each market day. Past performance does not predict future results.