What if you'd held GOVT?
A $1,000 investment in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) at the month-end close of 2012-02 would be worth $1,189 at the close of 2026-08 — +18.9% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $5,644.
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 2012
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $1,000 | — |
| 2013 | $975 | -2.5% |
| 2014 | $1,021 | +4.7% |
| 2015 | $1,029 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | $1,036 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | $1,058 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | $1,061 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | $1,140 | +7.4% |
| 2020 | $1,222 | +7.3% |
| 2021 | $1,209 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | $1,047 | -13.4% |
| 2023 | $1,090 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $1,123 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | $1,165 | +3.8% |
| 2026 | $1,165 | -0.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GOVT was 2012-03 ($18.80): $1,000 then is $1,199 today. The worst was 2020-07 ($24.22): $1,000 then is $931.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GOVT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) at the start of 2012 would be worth about $1,189 today, a total return of +18.9%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GOVT?
iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT)'s strongest calendar year since 2012 was 2019, a +7.4% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,074 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2022, at -13.4%.
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 GOVT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2012-02 would have grown to about $18,882 on $17,500 invested.
Did GOVT beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $5,644. GOVT trailed the S&P 500 by +78.9% 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
iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) historical total-return data from 2012-02 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.