What if you'd held DFEN?
A $1,000 investment in Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X ETF (DFEN) at the month-end close of 2017-05 would be worth $4,042 at the close of 2026-08 — +304.2% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $3,196.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 2017
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $1,000 | — |
| 2018 | $671 | -32.9% |
| 2019 | $1,310 | +95.1% |
| 2020 | $390 | -70.2% |
| 2021 | $439 | +12.8% |
| 2022 | $470 | +7.0% |
| 2023 | $586 | +24.6% |
| 2024 | $745 | +27.1% |
| 2025 | $1,912 | +156.7% |
| 2026 | $2,425 | +26.8% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought DFEN was 2020-10 ($6.84): $1,000 then is $11,832 today. The worst was 2026-02 ($90.23): $1,000 then is $897.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in DFEN be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X ETF (DFEN) at the start of 2017 would be worth about $4,042 today, a total return of +304.2%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for DFEN?
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X ETF (DFEN)'s strongest calendar year since 2017 was 2025, a +156.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,567 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2020, at -70.2%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in DFEN have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2017-05 would have grown to about $44,171 on $11,200 invested.
Did DFEN beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $3,196. DFEN beat the S&P 500 by +26.5% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X ETF (DFEN) historical total-return data from 2017-05 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.