PayPal vs SoFi Technologies (PYPL vs SOFI) 2026: Stock Returns, Risk & Volatility

Q: Which is a better investment: PYPL or SOFI?

Over the past year, SOFI looks like the better investment: it had higher total return (SOFI +42.2% vs PYPL -23.7%) and a higher Sharpe ratio (SOFI 0.86 vs PYPL -0.61). On risk, PYPL was less volatile (PYPL 38.6% vs SOFI 53.3%), PYPL had a smaller max drawdown (PYPL -49.9% vs SOFI -53.0%), and PYPL had less severe losses on the worst 5% of days (Expected Shortfall of PYPL -6.26% vs SOFI -7.53%).

Written by Gale Finance Team

Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder

Quick answer

Which is a better investment: PYPL or SOFI?

Over the past year, SOFI outperformed PYPL. SOFI returned +42.2% compared with PYPL’s -23.7%. SOFI had the better risk-adjusted return, with a Sharpe ratio of 0.86 versus PYPL’s -0.61. PYPL was less volatile than SOFI, and PYPL had a smaller max drawdown than SOFI.

Total Return

PYPL -23.7%

SOFI +42.2%

Sharpe Ratio

PYPL -0.61

SOFI 0.86

Annualized Volatility

PYPL 38.6%

SOFI 53.3%

Max Drawdown

PYPL -49.9%

SOFI -53.0%

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

PYPL Total Return

↓ -23.7%

SOFI Total Return

↑ +42.2%

Relative Performance of PYPL vs SOFI (Normalized to 100)

PYPL SOFI

Normalized to 100 at start date for comparison

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Key Takeaways

Total Return: PYPL delivered a -23.7% total return, while SOFI returned +42.2% over the same period. SOFI outperformed on total returns.
Risk-Adjusted Return (Sharpe Ratio): PYPL had a negative Sharpe (-0.61) while SOFI was positive (0.86), indicating SOFI had meaningfully better risk-adjusted performance in this period.
Volatility (Annualized): SOFI was more volatile, with 53.3% annualized volatility, versus 38.6% for PYPL.
Maximum Drawdown: PYPL's maximum drawdown was -49.9%, while SOFI experienced a deeper drawdown of -53.0%.
Tail Risk (VaR & Expected Shortfall): At the 5% level (daily log returns), PYPL's VaR was -3.39% and its Expected Shortfall (CVaR) was -6.26%; SOFI's were -6.16% and -7.53%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move on the worst days.
Skew & Kurtosis: Skew: PYPL -3.10 vs SOFI -0.36. Excess kurtosis: PYPL 25.34 vs SOFI 0.56. Negative skew leans downside; higher excess kurtosis means fatter tails.
Tail Days & Extremes: 2σ tail days (down/up): PYPL 5/2, SOFI 6/5. Worst day: PYPL -20.31% (2026-02-03) vs SOFI -11.86% (2025-11-13). Best day: PYPL +6.74% (2026-02-24) vs SOFI +8.77% (2025-11-24).
Risk ratios: Sortino - PYPL: -0.75 vs. SOFI: 1.24 , Calmar - PYPL: -0.48 vs. SOFI: 0.80 , Sterling - PYPL: -0.56 vs. SOFI: 1.65 , Treynor - PYPL: -0.17 vs. SOFI: 0.18 , Ulcer Index - PYPL: 24.08% vs. SOFI: 22.55%

Investment Comparison

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

PYPL $7,631.75 -23.7%

SOFI $14,223.6 +42.2%

Difference: $6,591.85 (SOFI ahead)

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Performance Over Time

Metric	PYPL	SOFI
30 Days	12.5%	9.7%
90 Days	-12.1%	-29.1%
180 Days	-28.5%	-36.8%
1 Year	-23.7%	42.2%

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

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Correlation

Average Correlation

moderately correlated

0.35

Current (30-day) 0.71

30-day rolling range -0.32 to +0.73

PayPal and SoFi Technologies are moderately correlated over the past year. With a correlation of 0.35, these assets show moderate co-movement, offering some diversification when held together.

For portfolio construction, this moderate correlation offers some diversification benefit, though the assets still tend to move together during major market moves.

Metric	Value
Current (30-day)	0.71
Average (full period)	0.35
Minimum (30-day rolling)	-0.32
Maximum (30-day rolling)	0.73

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

PYPL

-49.9%

SOFI

-53.0%

PayPal experienced its maximum drawdown of -49.9% from 2025-07-28 to 2026-02-12. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

SoFi Technologies experienced its maximum drawdown of -53% from 2025-11-12 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.

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Volatility (PYPL vs SOFI)

PYPL Volatility

38.6%

±2.43% 1-day vol

SOFI Volatility

53.3%

±3.36% 1-day vol

1-day volatility (1σ)

PYPL

±2.43%

SOFI

±3.36%

PayPal's 38.6% annualized volatility translates to about ±2.43% one-standard-deviation daily volatility.

SoFi Technologies's 53.3% annualized volatility translates to about ±3.36% one-standard-deviation daily volatility.

SOFI had the wider volatility profile over this window. That means its day-to-day return distribution was broader; PYPL 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 PYPL and SOFI

Sharpe Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

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. PYPL had a negative Sharpe (-0.61) while SOFI was positive (0.86), indicating SOFI had meaningfully better risk-adjusted performance in this period.

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 PYPL and SOFI

Sortino Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

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). SOFI 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: PYPL 31.6% vs SOFI 36.9%. 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 PYPL and SOFI

Calmar Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

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. SOFI 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 PYPL and SOFI

Sterling Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

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%). SOFI 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 PYPL and SOFI

Treynor Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

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. SOFI 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 PYPL and SOFI

Ulcer Index: PYPL vs. SOFI

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. SOFI 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): PayPal vs. SoFi Technologies

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: PYPL vs. SOFI (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)	PYPL	SOFI
5% VaR (daily log return)	-3.39%	-6.16%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-6.26% (worst 13 days)	-7.53% (worst 13 days)
Skew	-3.10	-0.36
Excess kurtosis	25.34	0.56
2σ tail days (down / up)	5 / 2	6 / 5
Worst day	-20.31% (2026-02-03)	-11.86% (2025-11-13)
Best day	+6.74% (2026-02-24)	+8.77% (2025-11-24)

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: PYPL vs. SOFI (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 PYPL and SOFI 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 PYPL and SOFI had a big down day (2σ)

Date (interval)	PYPL	SOFI
2025-10-10	-7.80%	-7.94%

Days when PYPL had a big down day

Date (interval)	PYPL	SOFI
2025-06-13	-5.32%	-5.44%
2025-07-11	-5.73%	+1.10%
2025-07-29	-8.66%	+6.57%
2025-10-10	-7.80%	-7.94%
2026-02-03	-20.31%	-1.45%

Days when SOFI had a big down day

Date (interval)	PYPL	SOFI
2025-10-10	-7.80%	-7.94%
2025-11-06	-2.64%	-9.68%
2025-11-13	-2.78%	-11.86%
2025-11-20	-3.34%	-6.77%
2026-01-06	+0.88%	-7.86%
2026-02-27	+1.49%	-7.02%

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 PayPal vs. SoFi Technologies (1-Year)

Metric	PYPL	SOFI
Total Return	-23.7%	+42.2%
Annualized Volatility	38.6%	53.3%
Sharpe Ratio	-0.61	0.86
Sortino Ratio	-0.75	1.24
Calmar Ratio	-0.48	0.80
Sterling Ratio	-0.56	1.65
Treynor Ratio	-0.17	0.18
Ulcer Index	24.08%	22.55%
Max Drawdown	-49.9%	-53.0%
Avg Correlation to S&P 500	0.48	0.61
5% VaR (daily log return)	-3.39%	-6.16%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-6.26%	-7.53%
Skew	-3.10	-0.36
Excess kurtosis	25.34	0.56
2σ tail days (down / up)	5 / 2	6 / 5

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): PYPL: 252 days/year; SOFI: 252 days/year.
Risk-free rate: Uses the 3-month U.S. Treasury yield (FRED: DGS3MO), averaged over each asset’s window:

PYPL: 4.17% over 2025-04-25 → 2026-04-23.

SOFI: 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.

PYPL: ≈ -7.4%/yr

SOFI: ≈ -14.2%/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.

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies: Frequently Asked Questions

Which has higher volatility: PYPL or SOFI?

SOFI showed higher volatility at 53.3% annualized, compared to 38.6% for PYPL Over the past year. Higher volatility means larger price swings in both directions.

Does PYPL provide diversification when held with SOFI?

PYPL and SOFI are moderately correlated over the past year, with an average correlation of 0.35. This offers some diversification benefit, though they still tend to move together during major market moves.

How bad are the worst 5% days for PYPL vs SOFI?

Over the past year, PYPL's 5% VaR was -3.39% and its 5% Expected Shortfall was -6.26% (worst 13 days). SOFI's were -6.16% and -7.53% (worst 13 days).

Do PYPL and SOFI crash together on bad days?

On shared dates (n=249), when SOFI has a 2σ down day, PYPL also does 16.7% (1/6 days). In the other direction, when PYPL has one, SOFI also does 20.0% (1/5 days).

Which has better risk-adjusted returns: PYPL or SOFI?

PYPL had a negative Sharpe (-0.61) while SOFI was positive (0.86) Over the past year, indicating SOFI had meaningfully better risk-adjusted performance.

Can PYPL and SOFI be combined in a portfolio?

Yes, though allocation sizing matters. Their moderate correlation offers some diversification benefits. SOFI's higher volatility (53.3%) means even small allocations can materially impact overall portfolio risk.

Explore our financial glossary

Which is a better investment: PYPL or SOFI?

Share This Comparison of PYPL vs SOFI

Relative Performance of PYPL vs SOFI (Normalized to 100)

Trade PYPL or SOFI

Key Takeaways

Investment Comparison

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Performance Over Time

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Correlation

Drawdown

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies Volatility (PYPL vs SOFI)

Risk-adjusted ratios

Sharpe Ratio of PYPL and SOFI

Sharpe Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

Sortino Ratio of PYPL and SOFI

Sortino Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

Calmar Ratio of PYPL and SOFI

Calmar Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

Sterling Ratio of PYPL and SOFI

Sterling Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

Treynor Ratio of PYPL and SOFI

Treynor Ratio: PYPL vs. SOFI

Ulcer Index of PYPL and SOFI

Ulcer Index: PYPL vs. SOFI

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape (1-Year): PayPal vs. SoFi Technologies

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape: PYPL vs. SOFI (1-Year)

Downside co-moves (2σ) — 1-Year

Downside co-move map: PYPL vs. SOFI (2σ)

Days when both PYPL and SOFI had a big down day (2σ)

Days when PYPL had a big down day

Days when SOFI had a big down day

Full Comparison of PayPal vs. SoFi Technologies (1-Year)

Inputs & conventions

Formulas

PayPal vs SoFi Technologies: Frequently Asked Questions

Which has higher volatility: PYPL or SOFI?

Does PYPL provide diversification when held with SOFI?

How bad are the worst 5% days for PYPL vs SOFI?

Do PYPL and SOFI crash together on bad days?

Which has better risk-adjusted returns: PYPL or SOFI?

Can PYPL and SOFI be combined in a portfolio?