Benchmark research · Nvidia
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed NVDA (Nvidia)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation), we screened NVDA 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 NVDA live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top NVDA: It was difficult to keep ahead of Nvidia across both short- and long-term periods. Of 958 eligible ETFs, none met the consistency rule, while 1 of 1,501 eligible stocks did, a share of less than 0.1%. No ETF or stock was all-weather.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: MU qualified with outperformance in 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes. AMD fell short with 3 of 5 short-term and 1 of 3 long-term periods, while IYW and VGT each led in 5 of 5 short-term periods but 0 of 3 long-term periods. The semiconductor ETFs SMH and SOXX each outperformed in 3 of 5 short-term periods and 0 of 3 long-term periods.
- Top ETFs: No ETFs met the consistency rule, so there are no qualifying ETF categories or standouts to name.
- Top stocks: One stock made the cut: MU, a Technology company in the Semiconductors industry.
- The risk trade-off: The qualifying stock MU had similar volatility to NVDA over 5 years, at 57.1% versus 51.9%, and a higher Sharpe ratio, at 1.19 versus 1.12. That means MU delivered more return per unit of risk over this period, despite its somewhat higher volatility figure.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against NVDA, 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 | ||
| NVDA NVIDIA Corporation (benchmark) | — | −7.3% | +0.2% | +5.0% | +12.6% | +18.0% | +395% | +839% | +12,166% | 51.9% | 1.12 |
| MU Made the listMicron Technology, Inc. | 3/5 short2/3 long | −21.9% | −10.7% | +75.8% | +172% | +332% | +1,193% | +1,199% | +5,050% | 57.1%1.1× NVDA | 1.19 |
| AMD Fell shortAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 3/5 short1/3 long | −18.6% | −8.0% | +67.4% | +127% | +121% | +408% | +324% | +7,146% | 57.7%1.1× NVDA | 0.79 |
| IYW Fell shortiShares U.S. Technology ETF | 5/5 short0/3 long | −6.4% | +2.4% | +16.3% | +24.7% | +26.1% | +138% | +135% | +773% | 26.7%0.5× NVDA | 0.78 |
| VGT Fell shortVanguard Information Technology ETF | 5/5 short0/3 long | −6.1% | +2.7% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.7% | +135% | +130% | +753% | 26.1%0.5× NVDA | 0.77 |
| XLK Fell shortState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 4/5 short0/3 long | −7.1% | +1.3% | +15.6% | +26.8% | +28.4% | +126% | +139% | +741% | 26.1%0.5× NVDA | 0.80 |
| TXN Fell shortTexas Instruments Incorporated | 4/5 short0/3 long | +3.0% | −4.5% | +19.5% | +60.1% | +68.0% | +108% | +61.8% | +413% | 33.8%0.6× NVDA | 0.45 |
| SMH Fell shortVanEck Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short0/3 long | −13.8% | −10.8% | +9.8% | +40.2% | +55.0% | +272% | +304% | +1,570% | 37.0%0.7× NVDA | 0.94 |
| SOXX Fell shortiShares Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short0/3 long | −17.0% | −14.3% | +10.3% | +51.9% | +68.0% | +219% | +221% | +1,297% | 39.0%0.8× NVDA | 0.80 |
| QQQ Fell shortInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 3/5 short0/3 long | −5.8% | 0.0% | +7.8% | +15.3% | +16.9% | +101% | +94.0% | +531% | 23.0%0.4× NVDA | 0.69 |
| INTC Fell shortIntel Corp. | 3/5 short0/3 long | −31.0% | −16.7% | +31.0% | +117% | +132% | +157% | +87.6% | +199% | 55.5%1.1× NVDA | 0.50 |
| FTXR Fell shortFirst Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF | 2/5 short0/3 long | −1.0% | −7.4% | +3.5% | +7.8% | +18.9% | +69.0% | +37.0% | +138% | 23.9%0.5× NVDA | 0.38 |
| AVGO Fell shortBroadcom Inc. | 0/5 short0/3 long | −11.3% | −18.4% | −23.3% | −6.5% | −4.3% | +287% | +585% | +2,254% | 44.6%0.9× NVDA | 1.09 |
ETFs that consistently outperformed NVDA
No eligible ETF outperformed NVDA in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods.
Stocks that consistently outperformed NVDA
Top 1 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 | |||
| — | NVDA NVIDIA Corporation (benchmark) | — | −7.3% | +0.2% | +5.0% | +12.6% | +18.0% | +395% | +839% | +12,166% | 51.9% | 1.12 | |
| 1 | MU SemiconductorsMicron Technology, Inc. | 3/5 short2/3 long | −21.9% | −10.7% | +75.8% | +172% | +332% | +1,193% | +1,199% | +5,050% | 57.1%1.1× NVDA | 1.19 | $969B |
What stands out
The results show how hard it was for diversified funds and individual stocks to keep ahead of NVDA across both short- and long-term periods. Technology funds such as IYW and VGT held a short-term lead, but neither outperformed in any long-term timeframe. MU was the only stock to meet the consistency rule, with results spanning both groups of periods.
The winner came from semiconductors, a sector that includes companies tied to chip design and production. The table’s risk figures show that MU’s volatility was similar to NVDA’s over 5 years, while its Sharpe ratio was higher. That points to stronger risk-adjusted returns over that span, though it does not mean the stock’s ride was smooth.
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 NVDA's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of NVDA'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.