DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2020: $100 weekly
Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2020 (359 buys, $35,900 in total) would be worth $59,570 today (+65.93%).
Backtest 1 January 2020 to 11 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$59,570
+65.93% · +14.66%/yr
- Invested
- $35,900.00
- Buys
- 359
- Average cost
- $4,595.51
Lump sum, day one
Winner$84,733
+136.03%
- Invested
- $35,900.00
- Bought at
- $3,230.78
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$122,354
+240.82%
- 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 5.2% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 84 days (to 17 May 2020). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 28.4% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 10 Nov 2022. The average cost per unit was $4,595.51 against a price today of $7,625.46 (+65.93%). The cheapest buy was $2,398.10 on 18 Mar 2020 and the priciest $7,801.77 on 7 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2020 | $5,300 | $6,233 | +17.60% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $10,500 | $13,740 | +30.86% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $15,700 | $15,959 | +1.65% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $20,900 | $25,639 | +22.68% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $26,100 | $37,285 | +42.85% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $31,400 | $49,252 | +56.85% |
| 11 Nov 2026 | $35,900 | $59,570 | +65.93% |
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 2020 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every week into S&P 500 since 1 January 2020 (359 buys, $35,900 in total) would be worth $59,570 today (+65.93%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2020?
- Investing the same $35,900 in one go on 1 January 2020 would be worth $84,733 today (+136.03%), 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 2020?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 5.2% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 84 days (ending 17 May 2020).