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Stock · Trading days

General Motors (GM)

General Motors's returns, drawdowns, and beta to S&P 500, in one view.

Last updated:

Gale Finance Team
Written by Gale Finance Team
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder
Quick Answer

What is General Motors' risk, return, and volatility like?

General Motors returned +55.3% over the 1Y window. On the 5Y lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.27, annualized volatility is 36.5%, and max drawdown is -59.0%.

Total Return
1Y +55.3%
5Y +45.1%
Sharpe Ratio
1Y 1.35
5Y 0.27
Annualized Volatility
1Y 33.9%
5Y 36.5%
Max Drawdown
1Y -16.2%
5Y -59.0%

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Price history

General Motors price over the past 5Y

Track General Motors's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.

General Motors price over the past 5Y

GM
7 events in this period
Show events
Latest close $76.44 Data through 2026-05-12
5Y low $26.03 Window low
5Y high $86.38 Window high

Key takeaways

  • Total Return: GM returned +55.3% over the 1Y window and +45.1% over the 5Y window ; annualized return over 5Y was +7.7%.
  • Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.27 and Sortino was 0.39 over 5Y. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
  • Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 33.9% over 1Y and 36.5% over 5Y ; max drawdown was -16.2% over 1Y and -59.0% over 5Y .
  • Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over 5Y, daily VaR (5%) was -3.6% and Expected Shortfall was -5.2%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
  • Skew & kurtosis: Over 5Y, skew was 0.10 and excess kurtosis was 2.78. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
  • Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.39 , Calmar Ratio: 0.13 , Sterling Ratio: 0.12 , Treynor Ratio: 0.08 , Ulcer Index: 32.34% .

General Motors Drawdown

GM 1Y Max Drawdown
↓ -16.2%
2026-01-27 to 2026-03-13
GM 5Y Max Drawdown
↓ -59.0%
2022-01-04 to 2023-11-09

Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline General Motors suffered in each research window. 1Y: -16.2%; 5Y: -59.0%.

General Motors is currently -11.5% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $86.38. 5Y low is $26.03.

GM underwater plot (5Y). Zero means at a prior peak; dips show how far below peak the close was on each day. Deepest trough: -59.0% on Nov 9, 2023.
-59.0% 2021-05-13 2026-05-12 0% -59%

5Y drawdown episodes

#1
-59.0% Jan 4, 2022 to Nov 9, 2023
Recovered Oct 21, 2025 1386 total days
#2
-24.6% Jun 8, 2021 to Aug 23, 2021
Recovered Nov 17, 2021 162 total days
#3
-16.4% Nov 17, 2021 to Dec 20, 2021
Recovered Jan 4, 2022 48 total days

General Motors Volatility

GM 1Y Volatility
33.9%
Annualized daily closes
GM 5Y Volatility
36.5%
Annualized daily closes

Volatility General Motors's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and 5Y. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 33.9%; 5Y: 36.5%.

Benchmark context

Where GM fits relative to other lenses

Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.

Default benchmark

S&P 500

SPY

Broad equity benchmark

1Y return
↑ +26.9%
GM minus SPY
↑ +25.8%
Correlation
0.33
1Y
GM vs SPY average correlation
Moderately linked
0.33
QQQ

Nasdaq 100

Corr 0.25

Growth and tech benchmark

1Y return +37.7%
GM minus QQQ +15.0%
BTC

Bitcoin

Corr 0.05

Cross-asset crypto benchmark

1Y return -22.0%
GM minus BTC +74.7%
XAU

Gold

Corr -0.13

Store-of-value benchmark

1Y return +45.1%
GM minus XAU +7.6%

Risk-adjusted ratios

These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.

General Motors Sharpe Ratio

GM 1Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 1.35
Recent window
GM 5Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 0.27
Deeper research window

GM Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Return per total volatility

The dot sits at (General Motors's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.

Higher is better
Excess return Annualized volatility 0 50% vol 36.5% · excess +9.9%
excess annualized return / total volatility
Formula Sharpe=E[R]−RfσR\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio General Motors's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: 1.35; 5Y: 0.27.

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).

General Motors Sortino Ratio

GM 1Y Sortino ratio
↑ 2.34
Recent window
GM 5Y Sortino ratio
↑ 0.39
Deeper research window

GM Sortino Ratio (5Y)

Return per downside volatility

General Motors's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.

Higher is better
Frequency (days) Daily return (%) target -9.9% +15.8% 214 0
excess annualized return / downside volatility
Formula Sortino=E[R]−Rfσdown\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio General Motors's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: 2.34; 5Y: 0.39.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). 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).

General Motors Calmar Ratio

GM 1Y Calmar ratio
↑ 3.42
Recent window
GM 5Y Calmar ratio
↑ 0.13
Deeper research window

GM Calmar Ratio (5Y)

CAGR per worst drawdown

General Motors's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.

Higher is better
0% GM 5Y +7.7% -59.0%
CAGR / max drawdown
Formula Calmar=CAGR∣MaxDD∣\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio General Motors's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: 3.42; 5Y: 0.13.

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

General Motors Sterling Ratio

GM 1Y Sterling ratio
↑ 3.16
Recent window
GM 5Y Sterling ratio
↑ 0.12
Deeper research window

GM Sterling Ratio (5Y)

Return per average drawdown

The underwater curve shows General Motors's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.

Higher is better
0% -15% -31% -46% -62% 10% drawdown threshold
excess CAGR / average deep drawdown
Formula Sterling=CAGR−RfD‾>10%\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio General Motors's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: 3.16; 5Y: 0.12.

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

General Motors Ulcer Index

GM 1Y Ulcer Index
6.19
Recent window
GM 5Y Ulcer Index
32.34
Deeper research window

GM Ulcer Index (5Y)

Drawdown pain

The underwater curve shows how deep and how long General Motors's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.

Lower is better
0% -15% -31% -46% -62%
root-mean-square drawdown
Formula UI=E[Dt2]\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index General Motors's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 6.19; 5Y: 32.34.

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

General Motors Treynor Ratio

GM 1Y Treynor
↑ 0.43
Beta 1.07 vs SPY
GM 5Y Treynor
↑ 0.08
Beta 1.17 vs SPY

GM Treynor Ratio (5Y)

Excess return per beta vs SPY

The line's slope is General Motors's beta to SPY — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.

Higher is better
Asset return Market return 0 0 β 1.17
excess return / market beta
Formula Treynor=E[R]−Rfβ\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus SPY. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.

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

General Motors Tail Risk

Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.

The histogram shows the shape of General Motors's daily log returns over the 5Y window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.

GM daily return distribution (5Y)

GM daily return distribution (5Y)

Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.

Days
GM 5Y VaR 5% ES 5% -16.0% 0% +16.0% Daily log return
worst-5% daily return and the average loss inside it
Formula VaR5%=Q0.05(R),ES5%=E[R∣R≤VaR5%]\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%} = Q_{0.05}(R),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%} = \mathbb{E}[R \mid R \le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]
Metric 1Y5Y
VaR (5%) -3.0% Historical daily threshold -3.6% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%) -4.0% Beyond the VaR threshold -5.2% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew 1.30 0.10
Excess kurtosis 8.82 2.78

Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.

Full stats table

Every window-consistent research metric

Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.

Metric
1Y Recent window
5Y Deeper research window
Total return
+55.3%
+45.1%
Annualized return
+55.3%
+7.7%
Volatility
33.9% Annualized daily closes
36.5% Annualized daily closes
Sharpe ratio
1.35
0.27
Sortino ratio
2.34
0.39
Calmar ratio
3.42
0.13
Sterling ratio
3.16
0.12
Ulcer Index
6.19
32.34
Max drawdown
-16.2% 2026-01-27 to 2026-03-13
-59.0% 2022-01-04 to 2023-11-09
VaR (5%)
-3.0% Historical daily threshold
-3.6% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%)
-4.0% Beyond the VaR threshold
-5.2% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew
1.30
0.10
Excess kurtosis
8.82
2.78

What viewers usually ask next

What is General Motors's 5Y CAGR?

General Motors's 5y cagr is +7.7% on Gale using the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 1-year volatility?

Annualized volatility is 33.9% over the past year.

What is General Motors's 5-year Sharpe ratio?

General Motors's Sharpe ratio is 0.27 using the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 5-year Sortino ratio?

General Motors's Sortino ratio is 0.39 using the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 5-year Calmar ratio?

General Motors's Calmar ratio is 0.13 using the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 5-year Sterling ratio?

General Motors's Sterling ratio is 0.12 using the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 5-year Ulcer Index?

General Motors's Ulcer Index is 32.34 using the past 5 years. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.

What is General Motors's 5-year max drawdown?

Max drawdown is -59.0% over the past 5 years from 2022-01-04 to 2023-11-09.

What is General Motors's 5-year daily Value at Risk?

Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -3.62% over the past 5 years.

What is General Motors's 5-year Expected Shortfall?

Expected Shortfall is -5.16% over the past 5 years, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.

Is General Motors still below its all-time high?

Current drawdown is -11.5% versus the all-time high of $86.38 reached on 2026-01-27.

Which benchmark should viewers open first for General Motors?

S&P 500 is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for General Motors's recent behavior.