What if you'd held SPY?
A $1,000 investment in State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) at the month-end close of 1993-01 would be worth $31,898 at the close of 2026-08 — +3089.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $17,567.
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 1993
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | $1,000 | — |
| 1994 | $1,004 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | $1,386 | +38.0% |
| 1996 | $1,698 | +22.5% |
| 1997 | $2,266 | +33.5% |
| 1998 | $2,917 | +28.7% |
| 1999 | $3,511 | +20.4% |
| 2000 | $3,169 | -9.7% |
| 2001 | $2,797 | -11.8% |
| 2002 | $2,193 | -21.6% |
| 2003 | $2,811 | +28.2% |
| 2004 | $3,112 | +10.7% |
| 2005 | $3,262 | +4.8% |
| 2006 | $3,779 | +15.8% |
| 2007 | $3,973 | +5.1% |
| 2008 | $2,511 | -36.8% |
| 2009 | $3,173 | +26.4% |
| 2010 | $3,651 | +15.1% |
| 2011 | $3,720 | +1.9% |
| 2012 | $4,315 | +16.0% |
| 2013 | $5,709 | +32.3% |
| 2014 | $6,478 | +13.5% |
| 2015 | $6,557 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | $7,345 | +12.0% |
| 2017 | $8,939 | +21.7% |
| 2018 | $8,530 | -4.6% |
| 2019 | $11,193 | +31.2% |
| 2020 | $13,245 | +18.3% |
| 2021 | $17,051 | +28.7% |
| 2022 | $13,952 | -18.2% |
| 2023 | $17,604 | +26.2% |
| 2024 | $21,985 | +24.9% |
| 2025 | $25,880 | +17.7% |
| 2026 | $29,342 | +13.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought SPY was 1993-01 ($24.11): $1,000 then is $31,898 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($769): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in SPY be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) at the start of 1993 would be worth about $31,898 today, a total return of +3089.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for SPY?
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)'s strongest calendar year since 1993 was 1995, a +38.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,380 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -36.8%.
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 SPY have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1993-01 would have grown to about $362,805 on $40,400 invested.
Did SPY beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $17,567. SPY beat the S&P 500 by +81.6% 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
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) historical total-return data from 1993-01 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.