S&P 500 Index Historic Calendar Year Returns 1926-2007
Chart of the Week for May 02, 2008 - May 08, 2008
The graph above shows how calendar year returns for the S&P 500 Index have ranged over the last 82 years. The green bars represent positive calendar year returns, while the red bars represent negative calendar year returns. For the 82 years ended 12/31/2007, the S&P 500 Index posted 59 positive calendar return years and 23 negative calendar year returns. The frequency of returns are skewed to the positive side as 72% of the time the S&P 500 Index had positive return years, while 28% of the time the S&P 500 Index had negative return years. The S&P 500 Index returned an average of 21.27% over the positive years and -13.34% over the negative years. Overall, the average return for the period is 10.36%. For the returns each year, a table is provided below.
The S&P 500 Index may not continue the same pattern as the past 82 years. However, the graph confirms the long standing belief that investors have been rewarded over the years with more positive years than negative years. Also, the positive return years on average have been greater than the negative return years. With short-term market swings in the news on a daily basis, investors should view their portfolios within their time horizon and consider their time in the market.
View Data Sorted by Date | View Data Sorted by Return
| Return Ranges | Years and Returns | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% — 60% | 1933 | 1954 | |||||||||||||
| 53.99% | 52.62% | ||||||||||||||
| 40% — 50% | 1935 | 1928 | 1958 | ||||||||||||
| 47.67% | 43.61% | 43.36% | |||||||||||||
| 30% — 40% | 1927 | 1995 | 1975 | 1945 | 1936 | 1997 | 1980 | 1985 | 1950 | 1955 | 1989 | 1938 | 1991 | ||
| 37.49% | 37.43% | 37.20% | 36.44% | 33.92% | 33.36% | 32.42% | 32.16% | 31.71% | 31.56% | 31.49% | 31.12% | 30.55% | |||
| 20% — 30% | 2003 | 1998 | 1961 | 1943 | 1951 | 1967 | 1976 | 1996 | 1963 | 1983 | 1982 | 1999 | 1942 | ||
| 28.70% | 28.58% | 26.89% | 25.90% | 24.02% | 23.98% | 23.84% | 23.07% | 22.80% | 22.51% | 21.41% | 21.04% | 20.34% | |||
| 10% — 20% | 1944 | 1972 | 1949 | 1986 | 1979 | 1952 | 1988 | 1964 | 2006 | 1971 | 1965 | 1959 | 1926 | 1968 | 2004 |
| 19.75% | 18.98% | 18.79% | 18.47% | 18.44% | 18.37% | 16.81% | 16.48% | 15.80% | 14.31% | 12.45% | 11.96% | 11.62% | 11.06% | 10.87% | |
| 0% — 10% | 1993 | 1992 | 1978 | 1956 | 1984 | 1947 | 1948 | 2007 | 1987 | 2005 | 1970 | 1994 | 1960 | ||
| 9.99% | 7.67% | 6.56% | 6.56% | 6.27% | 5.71% | 5.50% | 5.49% | 5.23% | 4.91% | 4.01% | 1.31% | 0.47% | |||
| -10% — 0% | 1939 | 1953 | 1934 | 1990 | 1981 | 1977 | 1946 | 1932 | 1929 | 1969 | 1962 | 2000 | 1940 | ||
| -0.41% | -0.99% | -1.44% | -3.17% | -4.91% | -7.18% | -8.07% | -8.19% | -8.42% | -8.50% | -8.73% | -9.11% | -9.78% | |||
| -20% — -10% | 1966 | 1957 | 1941 | 2001 | 1973 | ||||||||||
| -10.06% | -10.78% | -11.59% | -11.88% | -14.66% | |||||||||||
| -30% — -20% | 2002 | 1930 | 1974 | ||||||||||||
| -22.10% | -24.90% | -26.47% | |||||||||||||
| -40% — -30% | 1937 | 2008 | |||||||||||||
| -35.03% | -37.00% | ||||||||||||||
| -50% — -40% | 1931 | ||||||||||||||
| -43.34% | |||||||||||||||
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