Top Stocks
US-listed stocks, excluding REITs, ranked by total return with dividends included. The risk-return chart plots the top 25.
| Data | Series | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Universe | US exchange-listed common stocks and depositary shares, excluding REITs | Nasdaq Trader symbol directory; SEC company classifications |
| Price history | Weekly dividend-adjusted closes | Yahoo Finance |
| Trend-line intercept | 3-month T-bill rate, DGS3MO | FRED |
The trend line fits the plotted points with its intercept fixed at the latest T-bill rate; at least three eligible points are required, and fixed-period charts exclude securities without that period of returns. REITs are listed in Top REITs. Missing history or classifications do not remove a listing. Performance colours follow percentile rank from red to gold to green within the selected category, before search or pagination: higher returns, yields and ratios are greener, and smaller drawdowns are greener.
About this tool
Plot stocks on a risk-versus-return scatter to see which names delivered their returns efficiently and which made shareholders endure outsized volatility for the same result, with regression context for judging the trade-off.
The scatter teaches the market's most underrated lesson: return alone is half a number. Two stocks with identical gains are not equal if one doubled the volatility of the other, because volatility is what shakes investors out of positions before the return arrives.
What is risk-adjusted return?
Return per unit of risk taken, with volatility as the usual risk proxy. It rewards steady compounders over wild rides that happen to end well.
Is volatility really risk?
It is one honest proxy: permanent capital loss is the truer risk, but volatility is what triggers the panic selling that converts temporary declines into permanent ones.