DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2016: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2016 (564 buys, $56,400 in total) would be worth $123,705 today (+119.33%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$123,705
+119.33% · +13.89%/yr
- Invested
- $56,400.00
- Buys
- 564
- Average cost
- $3,501.54
Lump sum, day one
Winner$211,922
+275.75%
- Invested
- $56,400.00
- Bought at
- $2,043.94
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$236,817
+319.89%
- Bought on
- 11 Feb 2016
- At a price of
- $1,829.08
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 1.6% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 25 days (to 28 Jan 2016). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 11.5% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 6 Apr 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,501.54 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+119.33%). The cheapest buy was $1,864.78 on 12 Feb 2016 and the priciest $7,811.54 on 9 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $5,300 | $5,680 | +7.17% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $10,500 | $12,466 | +18.72% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $15,700 | $16,446 | +4.75% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $20,900 | $26,970 | +29.04% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $26,100 | $37,502 | +43.68% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $31,400 | $53,527 | +70.47% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $36,600 | $48,024 | +31.21% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $41,800 | $65,456 | +56.59% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $47,000 | $86,368 | +83.76% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $52,200 | $106,293 | +103.63% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $56,400 | $123,705 | +119.33% |
Try a different start
Weekly $100 into S&P 500, by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every week in S&P 500 since 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2016 (564 buys, $56,400 in total) would be worth $123,705 today (+119.33%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2016?
- Investing the same $56,400 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $211,922 today (+275.75%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was S&P 500 DCA underwater since 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.6% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 25 days (ending 28 Jan 2016).