Average Return of SPY Since Inception
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SPY is one of the most popular ticker symbols in the world.
Its performance is considered a reflection of the stock market's overall performance since it is an ETF that correlates with the S&P 500.
This article will show what SPY's average annual return is as well as what it's SPY's annual return by year has been.
SPY's Average Return
SPY reached its 30-year anniversary on January 29, 2023.
As of that date, the average return of SPY has been
That calculation is based on the adjusted close values of SPY. This means that dividends were accounted for in calculating that return.
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Average Annualized Return
79.4%
How to Calculate the Average Return of SPY?
The way we calculated the average annual return is by taking the price of SPY at the close on February 1, 2023, which was $409.24, and dividing by the adjusted close of SPY on February 1, 1993, which was $25.30.
We then take that number, and raise it to the power of 1/30 (since there are 30 years). That give us the average annual rate of return for SPY.
People who own shares of SPY receive dividends. The adjusted close accounts for those dividends, and therefore the return from the dividends is included in the 9.72% average annual return.
SPY's Annual Return by Year
Below is a table that shows the annual return of SPY by year, including dividends.
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
-18.2%
28.7%
18.3%
31.2%
-4.6%
21.7%
12.0%
1.2%
13.5%
32.3%
16.0%
1.9%
15.0%
26.3%
-36.8%
5.1%
15.9%
4.8%
10.7%
28.2%
-21.6%
-11.8%
-9.7%
20.4%
28.7%
33.5%
22.5%
38.0%
0.4%
$380.98
$465.60
$361.69
$305.66
$232.93
$244.08
$200.55
$179.07
$176.88
$155.89
$117.83
$101.58
$99.69
$86.65
$68.58
$108.50
$103.19
$89.07
$84.97
$76.76
$59.88
$76.37
$86.54
$95.88
$79.65
$61.89
$46.37
$37.85
$27.42
Should You Invest in SPY?
Warren Buffett, who is perhaps the most famous investor in the world, has publicly shared his advice for people about investing.
He says he thinks most people are best served by investing in simple market ETFs for the long haul. So if you think Warren Buffett's knows what he's talking about, you can consider buying shares of SPY as a form of long term investment.
How Do You Invest in SPY?
To be able to take advantage of SPY's annual returns, you need to buy shares of SPY. To do that, you need a brokerage account.
We created a guide that shows how to buy stocks. You can follow the steps shown there, and simply look for the ticker symbol SPY.
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Average Annualized Return
79.4%