Why the S&P 500 Is Suddenly Your 401(k) Account’s Worst Performer

Your exchange-traded fund is flat. Remember that ETF you tucked away that invests in developed markets outside the U.S.—the one that looked cheap but has lagged behind the S&P 500 forever because it’s loaded with crusty old companies in Europe and Japan? By the way, both of these overseas funds, developed and emerging, beat the S&P 500 by a lot in 2025, too, but that was partly because the value of the dollar tanked last year as the Federal Reserve was cutting interest rates.