Nasdaq-100 vs Amazon: which won?
Amazon crushed Nasdaq-100 since 1999 — about 7.9× as much.
Amazon
Winner$62,612
62.6× · +17.0%/yr
Nasdaq-100
Runner-up$7,894
7.89× · +8.1%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1999 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Amazon | Nasdaq-100 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $62,612 | $7,894 |
| Total return | 62.6× | 7.89× |
| Annual return | +17.0% | +8.1% |
| Best single year | +63% (2001) | +19% (2000) |
| Worst single year | −41% (2001) | −26% (2001) |
| Deepest drop | −92.1% | −81.1% |
| The ride | Fairly steady climb | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1999 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Amazon stake is worth about $62,612 — a 62.6× return, or roughly +17.0% a year. The same money in Nasdaq-100 grew to about $7,894 (7.89×). Amazon wins this window decisively: about 7.9× as much, or about $54,718 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Amazon's path was a fairly steady climb, while Nasdaq-100 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Amazon's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Amazon's ugliest calendar year was −41% (2001) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −92.1%, recovered by 2007. Nasdaq-100 bottomed at −26% (2001) with a deepest drop of −81.1%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Nasdaq-100 or Amazon a better investment since 1999?
- Over 1999–2026, Amazon was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $62,612 (62.6×), versus about $7,894 (7.89×) for Nasdaq-100 — about 7.9× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Amazon be worth versus Nasdaq-100?
- Starting at the end of 1999, $1,000 in Amazon would be worth about $62,612 today, and in Nasdaq-100 about $7,894 — a difference of roughly $54,718 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Nasdaq-100 or Amazon?
- Amazon was the wilder ride — fairly steady climb — with a deepest fall of −92.1%, while Nasdaq-100 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −81.1%).
- Did Amazon always beat Nasdaq-100?
- No. This compares a single start year (1999, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.