What investing from 2000 was like
The dot-com bubble burst right away. The market lost money in 2000, 2001 and 2002, then 2008 cut it by 37%. At the end of 2009, $100 invested at the start of 2000 was worth about $91, dividends included. Only two ten-year stretches in the data did worse: 1999–2008 and 1929–1938.
Holding on still worked out. Since 2000 the S&P 500 has returned 8.06% a year: below its long-run average, but well ahead of inflation at 2.52%.
All at once, or a little each month?
$10,000 invested on the first day of 2000 grew to $75,043 by the end of 2025. The same $10,000 spread evenly over all 312 months, $32.05 a month, grew to $55,556. Across every 26-year period in the data, investing it all at once came out ahead in 99% of them, because money invested sooner spends longer in a market that rises more often than it falls.
How 2000–2025 ranks
There are 130 periods of 26 calendar years in the data, which starts in 1871. This one ranks 87 of 130, with 8.06% a year. The best was 1975–2000 at 16.22%, the median 9.09%, and the worst 1907–1932 at 4.72%.
Every year since 2000: returns, inflation and the value of $100
| Year | Total return | Inflation | Real return | $100 from 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | −9.1% | +3.4% | −12.1% | $90.89 |
| 2001 | −12.0% | +1.6% | −13.3% | $80.00 |
| 2002 | −22.3% | +2.4% | −24.1% | $62.19 |
| 2003 | +28.7% | +1.9% | +26.3% | $80.04 |
| 2004 | +10.8% | +3.3% | +7.3% | $88.71 |
| 2005 | +4.8% | +3.4% | +1.3% | $92.95 |
| 2006 | +15.7% | +2.5% | +12.9% | $107.59 |
| 2007 | +5.5% | +4.1% | +1.3% | $113.46 |
| 2008 | −37.2% | +0.1% | −37.3% | $71.23 |
| 2009 | +27.1% | +2.7% | +23.8% | $90.54 |
| 2010 | +14.9% | +1.5% | +13.1% | $104.00 |
| 2011 | +2.1% | +3.0% | −0.9% | $106.16 |
| 2012 | +15.9% | +1.7% | +13.9% | $123.01 |
| 2013 | +32.4% | +1.5% | +30.5% | $162.91 |
| 2014 | +13.8% | +0.8% | +12.9% | $185.41 |
| 2015 | +1.3% | +0.7% | +0.6% | $187.83 |
| 2016 | +11.9% | +2.1% | +9.7% | $210.24 |
| 2017 | +21.9% | +2.1% | +19.4% | $256.37 |
| 2018 | −4.4% | +1.9% | −6.2% | $245.06 |
| 2019 | +31.7% | +2.3% | +28.8% | $322.85 |
| 2020 | +18.4% | +1.4% | +16.8% | $382.19 |
| 2021 | +28.8% | +7.0% | +20.4% | $492.37 |
| 2022 | −18.1% | +6.5% | −23.1% | $403.20 |
| 2023 | +26.3% | +3.3% | +22.2% | $509.21 |
| 2024 | +25.0% | +2.9% | +21.5% | $636.61 |
| 2025 | +17.9% | +2.7% | +14.8% | $750.43 |
How this is calculated
Returns are calendar-year total returns: the change in the S&P 500 plus dividends, reinvested. Before 1957 the figures are Robert Shiller’s reconstruction of the broad U.S. market, as the index itself didn’t yet have 500 stocks. Real returns subtract December-to-December inflation. The data is yearly, so falls within a year, like the spring of 2020, don’t show; the biggest fall here is measured between year-end values. Fees and taxes are left out.
For what prices did over the same years, see what $100 in 2000 is worth today. Every figure here comes from the same data as the S&P 500 return calculator. The method is on the methodology page.
Sources
- Robert J. Shiller, U.S. stock market data (S&P Composite, dividends and CPI), Yale University.
- S&P Dow Jones Indices, S&P 500 total returns for recent years.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), December values.