Portfolio vs Benchmark: Chart Your Index Against the S&P 500 and More
Indexes charts your index against the benchmarks that matter, so relative performance is a single glance instead of a spreadsheet. Plot an AI-infrastructure basket over the S&P 500 and see the stretches where the theme led and the stretches where it lagged.
Educational only · Never places a trade
In short
A portfolio versus benchmark comparison plots the performance of your holdings against a reference index, such as the S&P 500 or BTC, so you can see whether your basket moved with, ahead of, or behind the broader market. Indexes makes this portfolio vs benchmark study simple: it charts your custom index next to one or more benchmarks over the same period, so relative performance is easy to read. You can compare your index to the S&P 500 for equities or to BTC for a crypto basket, and study the stretches where an AI-infrastructure theme pulled ahead versus the stretches where it fell behind. Seeing the lines together, rather than two separate returns, is what turns a raw number into understanding. These comparisons are hypothetical historical performance, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Indexes is an informational and educational tool only, it does not constitute investment advice, and it never places a trade, connects to a brokerage, or holds any money.
What you get
Benchmarks, built for investors and analysts
One chart, clear story
Your index and the benchmark share a single chart over the same window, so leading and lagging stretches are obvious at a glance.
Pick the right benchmark
Compare an equity basket to the S&P 500 or a crypto basket to BTC, so relative performance is measured against a reference that actually fits.
Study relative moves
See not just who ended ahead but when and by how much, so you understand how an AI-infrastructure theme behaved through different conditions.
Context, not a verdict
Comparisons are hypothetical historical performance and educational only, so the chart informs your understanding rather than telling you to act.
How it works
From holdings to a tracked index in four steps
Open your index
Choose the custom index you built from stocks or crypto that you want to measure against the market.
Pick a benchmark
Add the S&P 500, BTC, or another reference, so your basket is charted against something meaningful for its theme.
Read the chart
Study the two lines over the same period and note the stretches where your index led or lagged the benchmark.
Keep it educational
Use the comparison to understand relative performance. It is hypothetical, past performance is no guarantee, and Indexes never trades.
Questions
Comparing a portfolio to a benchmark, answered
How do I compare my portfolio to a benchmark?
Combine your holdings and their weights into a single index, then chart that line against the benchmark over identical start and end dates using total return figures. Comparing holding by holding tells you very little. The comparison only carries information once the portfolio is one weighted series.
What is a benchmark index?
A benchmark index is a published, rules-based basket of securities used as the standard of comparison for a portfolio. The S&P 500 tracks 500 large US companies, so it is the benchmark for US large-cap holdings. Its job is to show what the market handed you before you made any decisions.
How do I know which benchmark to use?
Match the benchmark to what you actually hold: large caps to the S&P 500, mid caps to the S&P MidCap 400, small caps to the S&P SmallCap 600, and a mixed portfolio to a weighted blend of several indexes. Our portfolio benchmark guide maps holdings to indexes row by row.
Can I compare two portfolios against each other?
Yes. Build each one as its own index and chart them together over the same window. This is the cleanest way to test a design question, such as whether an equal weight version of a basket behaved differently from the cap weighted version, because the only variable left is the one you changed.
What is a good benchmark for a mixed stock and bond portfolio?
A blended benchmark, weighted to match your allocation and rebalanced on a set schedule. The conventional 60/40 version is 60% S&P 500 plus 40% Bloomberg US Aggregate. The 60/40 benchmark guide covers the calculation and the rebalancing detail that trips people up.
Should I use price return or total return for the comparison?
Always total return. A price return index leaves out dividends, which understates the benchmark by a meaningful margin each year and quietly hands your portfolio a lead it did not earn. Make sure both sides of the comparison use the same convention before reading anything into the gap.
More features
Build your index and see how it backtests
Bundle stocks or crypto into your own weighted index, backtest it against real market history, and track it against the S&P 500 or BTC. No brokerage account and no spreadsheets. Indexes is educational and informational only, and it never places a trade.