On average, investors generally expect the market to provide roughly a 10% return each year. In fact, if you look at the long-term history of the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), that's about what you get, ******* uming you reinvest dividends. So what should an investor make of the fact that the first six months of 2026 saw the S&P 500 index advance 9.5% on a price-only basis and nearly 10.2% with dividends reinvested?
The first issue to address regarding market returns is that it includes bull and bear markets. A bull market is when the market goes up 20%, while a bear market is when it falls 20%. Bull and bear markets represent moves much larger than 10% and highlight that the market does not just go up at a steady, comfortable pace. The markets can be, and often are, quite volatile.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
To be fair, if you bought and held the S&P 500 index over the long term, you would have seen the value of your portfolio rise dramatically. You can easily buy the index with a low-cost exchange-trade fund like Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). But you have had to hold on through some pretty trying periods. For example, since the turn of the century, SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY), the oldest ETF tracking this index, is up roughly 400% on a price-only basis, with reinvested dividends bringing the total return up to just over 700%.
SPY data by YCharts
#market #bull #bear #markets
The first issue to address regarding market returns is that it includes bull and bear markets. A bull market is when the market goes up 20%, while a bear market is when it falls 20%. Bull and bear markets represent moves much larger than 10% and highlight that the market does not just go up at a steady, comfortable pace. The markets can be, and often are, quite volatile.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
To be fair, if you bought and held the S&P 500 index over the long term, you would have seen the value of your portfolio rise dramatically. You can easily buy the index with a low-cost exchange-trade fund like Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). But you have had to hold on through some pretty trying periods. For example, since the turn of the century, SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY), the oldest ETF tracking this index, is up roughly 400% on a price-only basis, with reinvested dividends bringing the total return up to just over 700%.
SPY data by YCharts
#market #bull #bear #markets
10 hours ago
