Market Returns

How the Markets Have Actually Done

Returns for the major U.S. and international indexes, from this year back to 10 years, updated automatically. The point isn't to chase last year's winner. It's to see how much short stretches swing and how steady the long ones look by comparison.

Total returns by index
Index	YTD	1 yr	3 yr	5 yr	10 yr	$10k, 10 yrs ago
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How to read these numbers

Short periods swing a lot. A single year can be very good or very bad. The 10-year column is closer to the long-run averages people quote, and even 10-year numbers move around depending on where they start and end.
These are before inflation. The calculators on this site plan with 7% a year after inflation. To compare, take inflation off these figures. The 30-year returns article walks through that math.
Last decade's leader isn't guaranteed to lead the next. Large U.S. companies, especially tech, have had a strong run. Small companies and international stocks have had their own stretches on top before.
Bonds do a different job. They're there to steady a portfolio and cover money needed soon, not to beat stocks over decades.
Each index is measured through a low-cost ETF (the ticker under each name), so the fund's small yearly fee is already included. These are returns an actual investor could have earned, with dividends reinvested and before taxes.

Read: What the Stock Market Actually Returns Over 30 Years, After Inflation → Read: Index Funds vs. Picking Stocks: What the Data Shows → Run your own numbers: Compound Interest Calculator →

Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. These figures are for education only and aren't a recommendation to buy or sell any fund. Data comes from Alpha Vantage and may be delayed or contain errors.