Ethereum vs Apple (ETH vs AAPL) 2026: Returns, Risk & Volatility

Q: Which is a better investment: ETH or AAPL?

Over the past year, AAPL looks like the better investment: it had higher total return (AAPL +31.1% vs ETH +29.1%) and a higher Sharpe ratio (AAPL 1.11 vs ETH 0.67). On risk, AAPL was less volatile (AAPL 23.4% vs ETH 71.8%), AAPL had a smaller max drawdown (AAPL -13.8% vs ETH -61.5%), and AAPL had less severe losses on the worst 5% of days (Expected Shortfall of AAPL -3.13% vs ETH -7.68%).

Written by Gale Finance Team

Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder

Two industry titans - one for the digital assets, and one for tech.

Quick answer

Which is a better investment: ETH or AAPL?

Over the past year, AAPL outperformed ETH. AAPL returned +31.1% compared with ETH’s +29.1%. AAPL had the better risk-adjusted return, with a Sharpe ratio of 1.11 versus ETH’s 0.67. AAPL was less volatile than ETH, and AAPL had a smaller max drawdown than ETH.

Total Return

ETH +29.1%

AAPL +31.1%

Sharpe Ratio

ETH 0.67

AAPL 1.11

Annualized Volatility

ETH 71.8%

AAPL 23.4%

Max Drawdown

ETH -61.5%

AAPL -13.8%

Metric winners: Total Return: AAPL; Sharpe Ratio: AAPL; Annualized Volatility: AAPL (less volatile); Max Drawdown: AAPL (smaller drawdown).

ETH Total Return

↑ +29.1%

AAPL Total Return

↑ +31.1%

Relative Performance of ETH vs AAPL (Normalized to 100)

ETH AAPL

Normalized to 100 at start date for comparison

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Key Takeaways

Total Return: ETH delivered a +29.1% total return, while AAPL returned +31.1% over the same period. AAPL outperformed on total returns.
Risk-Adjusted Return (Sharpe Ratio): AAPL had a higher Sharpe (1.11 vs 0.67), indicating better risk-adjusted performance.
Volatility (Annualized): ETH was more volatile, with 71.8% annualized volatility, versus 23.4% for AAPL.
Maximum Drawdown: AAPL's maximum drawdown was -13.8%, while ETH experienced a deeper drawdown of -61.5%.
Tail Risk (VaR & Expected Shortfall): At the 5% level (daily log returns), ETH's VaR was -5.69% and its Expected Shortfall (CVaR) was -7.68%; AAPL's were -2.23% and -3.13%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move on the worst days.
Skew & Kurtosis: Skew: ETH 0.44 vs AAPL 0.36. Excess kurtosis: ETH 2.81 vs AAPL 2.22. Negative skew leans downside; higher excess kurtosis means fatter tails.
Tail Days & Extremes: 2σ tail days (down/up): ETH 8/9, AAPL 8/10. Worst day: ETH -12.20% (2025-10-10) vs AAPL -5.00% (2026-02-12). Best day: ETH +21.39% (2025-05-08) vs AAPL +6.31% (2025-05-12).
Risk ratios: Sortino - ETH: 1.04 vs. AAPL: 1.75 , Calmar - ETH: 0.50 vs. AAPL: 2.27 , Sterling - ETH: 0.98 vs. AAPL: 1.96 , Treynor - ETH: 0.22 vs. AAPL: 0.26 , Ulcer Index - ETH: 33.13% vs. AAPL: 5.88%

Investment Comparison

If you invested $10,000 in each asset on April 25, 2025:

ETH $12,913.16 +29.1%

AAPL $13,109 +31.1%

Difference: $195.84 (AAPL ahead)

Ethereum vs Apple Performance Over Time

Metric	ETH	AAPL
30 Days	6.3%	8.7%
90 Days	-21.9%	10.2%
180 Days	-41.6%	4.1%
1 Year	30.5%	31.1%

Shorter time frames can show different leaders as market conditions change. Consider your investment horizon when comparing performance.

Ethereum vs Apple Correlation

Average Correlation

weakly correlated

0.16

Current (30-day) -0.11

30-day rolling range -0.34 to +0.53

Ethereum and Apple are weakly correlated over the past year. With a correlation of 0.16, these assets show meaningful independence, offering diversification benefits when held together.

For portfolio construction, this weak correlation suggests that combining ETH and AAPL could reduce overall portfolio variance. However, correlations can increase during market stress.

Metric	Value
Current (30-day)	-0.11
Average (full period)	0.16
Minimum (30-day rolling)	-0.34
Maximum (30-day rolling)	0.53

Correlation measures how closely two assets move together. Values near +1 indicate strong co-movement, near 0 indicates independence, and negative values indicate inverse movement. Current, minimum, and maximum figures are 30-day rolling correlations on shared daily returns.

Drawdown

Maximum Drawdown

ETH

-61.5%

AAPL

-13.8%

Ethereum experienced its maximum drawdown of -61.5% from 2025-08-22 to 2026-02-23. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

Apple experienced its maximum drawdown of -13.8% from 2025-12-02 to 2026-03-30. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

Smaller drawdowns and faster recoveries indicate lower downside risk and greater resilience during market stress.

Ethereum vs Apple Volatility (ETH vs AAPL)

ETH Volatility

71.8%

±3.76% 1-day vol

AAPL Volatility

23.4%

±1.48% 1-day vol

1-day volatility (1σ)

ETH

±3.76%

AAPL

±1.48%

Ethereum's 71.8% annualized volatility translates to about ±3.76% one-standard-deviation daily volatility.

Apple's 23.4% annualized volatility translates to about ±1.48% one-standard-deviation daily volatility.

ETH had the wider volatility profile over this window. That means its day-to-day return distribution was broader; AAPL was calmer, but lower volatility does not by itself mean better returns.

Treat the ± daily figure as a one-standard-deviation estimate from historical returns, not a forecast or expected absolute daily move. For context, 15-18% annualized volatility is roughly ±1% one-standard-deviation daily volatility.

Risk-adjusted ratios

Sharpe Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sharpe Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Return per total volatility

Sharpe gives us excess return per unit of risk. Upside and downside volatility both count as risk.

Higher is better

excess return / total volatility

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of risk (volatility). A higher Sharpe indicates better risk-adjusted performance. AAPL had a higher Sharpe (1.11 vs 0.67), indicating better risk-adjusted performance.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Sortino Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sortino Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Return per downside volatility

Sortino keeps the return-over-risk idea, but only returns below the target rate count as volatility.

Higher is better

excess return / downside volatility

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio measures return per unit of downside risk. Unlike Sharpe, it only counts downside deviation (returns below the target return). AAPL had better downside-adjusted returns.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Downside deviation: ETH 45.9% vs AAPL 14.8%. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Calmar Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Calmar Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

CAGR per worst drawdown

Calmar compares CAGR against the single deepest peak-to-trough loss over the period.

Higher is better

CAGR / max drawdown

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio compares CAGR to maximum drawdown. Higher Calmar means more return per unit of worst drawdown. AAPL posted the higher Calmar ratio.

Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.

Sterling Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sterling Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Return per average drawdown

Sterling smooths the drawdown penalty by using average drawdown events instead of only the worst one.

Higher is better

excess annual return / average deep drawdown

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio measures excess return per unit of average drawdown (typically drawdowns worse than 10%). AAPL posted the higher Sterling ratio.

Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.

Treynor Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Treynor Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Excess return per market beta

Treynor divides excess annualized return by beta — the sensitivity of the asset to broad-market moves. The slope shown is each asset’s beta vs SPY.

Higher is better

excess return / market beta

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market risk (beta) instead of total volatility. AAPL posted the higher Treynor ratio.

Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.

Ulcer Index of ETH and AAPL

Ulcer Index: ETH vs. AAPL

Drawdown pain

Ulcer Index is a risk index, not a return-over-risk ratio. Lower means smaller and shorter drawdowns.

Lower is better

root-mean-square drawdown

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index captures drawdown depth and duration. Lower Ulcer Index means less drawdown pain. AAPL had the lower Ulcer Index (less drawdown pain).

Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape (1-Year): Ethereum vs. Apple

This section looks at the shape of daily returns, not just the average. Tail stats are computed per asset on its own daily series (crypto includes weekends). We use daily log returns $\ln\left(\frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}}\right)$ so multi-day moves add cleanly.

Definitions: Value at Risk (VaR), Expected Shortfall, skew, kurtosis, and fat tails.

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape: ETH vs. AAPL (1-Year)

Actual daily return tails

The bars are real daily log-return observations from the article window. Darker bars are observations at or beyond each asset’s 5% VaR cutoff.

Observed returns

VaR marks the 5th percentile loss cutoff; Expected Shortfall averages the observations beyond that cutoff.

Formula

\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}=Q_{0.05}(r_t),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%}=\mathbb{E}[r_t\mid r_t\le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]

Metric (1-Year)	ETH	AAPL
5% VaR (daily log return)	-5.69%	-2.23%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-7.68% (worst 19 days)	-3.13% (worst 13 days)
Skew	0.44	0.36
Excess kurtosis	2.81	2.22
2σ tail days (down / up)	8 / 9	8 / 10
Worst day	-12.20% (2025-10-10)	-5.00% (2026-02-12)
Best day	+21.39% (2025-05-08)	+6.31% (2025-05-12)

Downside co-moves (2σ) — 1-Year

Computed on shared dates only (n=249). A “2σ downside move” means a shared-close log return more than 2 standard deviations below that asset’s own mean on this shared-date series. Dates below show simple returns (%) for readability.

Downside co-move map: ETH vs. AAPL (2σ)

Shared-close daily returns

Dots mark actual downside days: asset-colored dots are one-sided downside moves, and red dots are joint downside days. Grey dots add sampled shared-return context when available. The shaded lower-left zone shows where both ETH and AAPL crossed their own 2σ downside threshold.

2σ

Show downside tail dates

Dates below are shared-date observations. The “Date” is the period end (close). Tail thresholds are computed on log returns, but the table shows simple returns (%) for readability. Returns are computed from the previous shared close to this one (for example, Friday → Monday includes weekend moves).

Days when both ETH and AAPL had a big down day (2σ)

Date (interval)	ETH	AAPL
2025-10-10	-12.20%	-3.45%
2026-01-16 → 2026-01-20	-8.72%	-3.46%

Days when ETH had a big down day

Date (interval)	ETH	AAPL
2025-08-22 → 2025-08-25	-9.27%	-0.26%
2025-10-10	-12.20%	-3.45%
2025-11-04	-8.44%	+0.37%
2026-01-16 → 2026-01-20	-8.72%	-3.46%
2026-01-30	-10.58%	+0.46%
2026-02-04	-11.38%	+2.50%

Days when AAPL had a big down day

Date (interval)	ETH	AAPL
2025-05-02	+0.14%	-3.74%
2025-05-02 → 2025-05-05	-1.16%	-3.15%
2025-05-23	-5.17%	-3.02%
2025-09-10	+0.88%	-3.23%
2025-10-10	-12.20%	-3.45%
2026-01-16 → 2026-01-20	-8.72%	-3.46%
2026-02-12	+5.68%	-5.00%
2026-02-27	+2.45%	-3.21%

Read this as “how ugly the ugly days get”, not as a precise forecast. One-year samples are small, so tail estimates are inherently noisy.

Full Comparison of Ethereum vs. Apple (1-Year)

Metric	ETH	AAPL
Total Return	+29.1%	+31.1%
Annualized Volatility	71.8%	23.4%
Sharpe Ratio	0.67	1.11
Sortino Ratio	1.04	1.75
Calmar Ratio	0.50	2.27
Sterling Ratio	0.98	1.96
Treynor Ratio	0.22	0.26
Ulcer Index	33.13%	5.88%
Max Drawdown	-61.5%	-13.8%
Avg Correlation to S&P 500	0.47	0.50
5% VaR (daily log return)	-5.69%	-2.23%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-7.68%	-3.13%
Skew	0.44	0.36
Excess kurtosis	2.81	2.22
2σ tail days (down / up)	8 / 9	8 / 10

Audit this calculation

Formulas, inputs, and conventions used to compute the metrics on this page.

Inputs & conventions

Shared window for pair metrics: 2025-04-25 → 2026-04-23 (last shared close).
Rolling correlation sample (shared closes): 220 rolling 30-day values (from 249 shared daily returns).
Annualization (days/year): ETH: 365 days/year; AAPL: 252 days/year.
Risk-free rate: Uses the 3-month U.S. Treasury yield (FRED: DGS3MO), averaged over each asset’s window:

ETH: 4.17% over 2025-04-24 → 2026-04-23.

AAPL: 4.17% over 2025-04-25 → 2026-04-23.
Volatility drag (rule of thumb): Estimated from annualized volatility (simple returns). For the log-return framing, see Log returns.

ETH: ≈ -25.8%/yr

AAPL: ≈ -2.7%/yr
Data alignment: No forward fill. Correlation and tail co-moves are computed on shared closes only.
For cross-calendar pairs (e.g., crypto vs stocks), weekend/holiday moves roll into the next shared close.
Return conventions: Volatility/Sharpe/Sortino use simple daily returns. Tail-risk uses daily log returns for distribution stats (but tables show simple returns). Log returns.

Formulas

Daily simple return

r_t = \frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}} - 1

Volatility

\sigma_{ann} = \sigma(r_t)\sqrt{A}

Volatility drag (approx.)

\text{drag} \approx \tfrac{1}{2}\sigma_{ann}^2

Sharpe Ratio

S = \frac{A\,\bar{r} - r_f}{\sigma(r_t)\sqrt{A}}

Sortino Ratio

So = \frac{A\,\bar{r} - r_f}{\sqrt{\mathbb{E}[\min(0,\,r_t - r_f/A)^2]}\,\sqrt{A}}

Maximum Drawdown

MDD = \min_t\left(\frac{P_t}{\max_{s \le t} P_s} - 1\right)

Average Correlation

\rho = \frac{\operatorname{cov}(r^A,\,r^B)}{\sigma_A\,\sigma_B}

Log returns

\ell_t = \ln\left(\frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}}\right)

Notation

$P_t$: Price on day t.
$r_t$: Simple daily return.
$\ell_t$: Log daily return.
$\bar{r}$: Average daily return.
$\sigma(r_t)$: Standard deviation of daily returns.
$A$: Annualization factor (days/year).
$r_f$: Annual risk-free rate.

Ethereum vs Apple: Frequently Asked Questions

Which has higher volatility: ETH or AAPL?

ETH showed higher volatility at 71.8% annualized, compared to 23.4% for AAPL Over the past year. Higher volatility means larger price swings in both directions.

Does ETH provide diversification when held with AAPL?

ETH and AAPL are weakly correlated over the past year, with an average correlation of 0.16. This weak correlation suggests meaningful diversification benefits when held together.

How bad are the worst 5% days for ETH vs AAPL?

Over the past year, ETH's 5% VaR was -5.69% and its 5% Expected Shortfall was -7.68% (worst 19 days). AAPL's were -2.23% and -3.13% (worst 13 days).

Do ETH and AAPL crash together on bad days?

On shared dates (n=249), when AAPL has a 2σ down day, ETH also does 25.0% (2/8 days). In the other direction, when ETH has one, AAPL also does 33.3% (2/6 days).

Which has better risk-adjusted returns: ETH or AAPL?

AAPL showed better risk-adjusted performance with a Sharpe ratio of 1.11 versus ETH's 0.67 Over the past year.

Can ETH and AAPL be combined in a portfolio?

Yes, though allocation sizing matters. Their weak correlation could meaningfully reduce overall portfolio variance. ETH's higher volatility (71.8%) means even small allocations can materially impact overall portfolio risk.

Explore our financial glossary

Which is a better investment: ETH or AAPL?

Share This Comparison of ETH vs AAPL

Relative Performance of ETH vs AAPL (Normalized to 100)

Trade ETH or AAPL

Key Takeaways

Investment Comparison

Ethereum vs Apple Performance Over Time

Ethereum vs Apple Correlation

Drawdown

Ethereum vs Apple Volatility (ETH vs AAPL)

Risk-adjusted ratios

Sharpe Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sharpe Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Sortino Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sortino Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Calmar Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Calmar Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Sterling Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Sterling Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Treynor Ratio of ETH and AAPL

Treynor Ratio: ETH vs. AAPL

Ulcer Index of ETH and AAPL

Ulcer Index: ETH vs. AAPL

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape (1-Year): Ethereum vs. Apple

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape: ETH vs. AAPL (1-Year)

Downside co-moves (2σ) — 1-Year

Downside co-move map: ETH vs. AAPL (2σ)

Days when both ETH and AAPL had a big down day (2σ)

Days when ETH had a big down day

Days when AAPL had a big down day

Full Comparison of Ethereum vs. Apple (1-Year)

Inputs & conventions

Formulas

Ethereum vs Apple: Frequently Asked Questions

Which has higher volatility: ETH or AAPL?

Does ETH provide diversification when held with AAPL?

How bad are the worst 5% days for ETH vs AAPL?

Do ETH and AAPL crash together on bad days?

Which has better risk-adjusted returns: ETH or AAPL?

Can ETH and AAPL be combined in a portfolio?