DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2018: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2018 (460 buys, $46,000 in total) would be worth $88,160 today (+91.65%).
Backtest 1 January 2018 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$88,160
+91.65% · +14.38%/yr
- Invested
- $46,000.00
- Buys
- 460
- Average cost
- $4,007.29
Lump sum, day one
Winner$132,137
+187.26%
- Invested
- $46,000.00
- Bought at
- $2,673.61
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$157,899
+243.26%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $2,237.40
- 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 7.4% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 63 days (to 4 Feb 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 21.1% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 14 May 2020. The average cost per unit was $4,007.29 against a price today of $7,680.08 (+91.65%). The cheapest buy was $2,237.40 on 23 Mar 2020 and the priciest $7,807.24 on 12 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2018 | $5,300 | $4,857 | -8.35% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $10,500 | $12,036 | +14.62% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $15,700 | $20,137 | +28.26% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $20,900 | $31,387 | +50.18% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $26,100 | $30,178 | +15.62% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $31,300 | $43,297 | +38.33% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $36,600 | $59,162 | +61.65% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $41,800 | $74,620 | +78.52% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $46,000 | $88,160 | +91.65% |
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 2018 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2018 (460 buys, $46,000 in total) would be worth $88,160 today (+91.65%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2018?
- Investing the same $46,000 in one go on 1 January 2018 would be worth $132,137 today (+187.26%), 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 2018?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 7.4% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 63 days (ending 4 Feb 2019).