Nasdaq-100 vs Microsoft: which won?
Nasdaq-100 edged out Microsoft since 1999.
Nasdaq-100
Winner$7,894
7.89× · +8.1%/yr
Microsoft
Runner-up$6,693
6.69× · +7.5%/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
| Nasdaq-100 | Microsoft | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $7,894 | $6,693 |
| Total return | 7.89× | 6.69× |
| Annual return | +8.1% | +7.5% |
| Best single year | +19% (2000) | +41% (2001) |
| Worst single year | −26% (2001) | −34% (2000) |
| Deepest drop | −81.1% | −72.3% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1999 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Nasdaq-100 stake is worth about $7,894 — a 7.89× return, or roughly +8.1% a year. The same money in Microsoft grew to about $6,693 (6.69×). It's close, but Nasdaq-100 comes out ahead — by about $1,201 on a $1,000 stake.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Microsoft's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while Nasdaq-100 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Nasdaq-100 managed to win while also handing investors the calmer ride of the two — the rarer combination.
Neither was a straight line. Nasdaq-100's ugliest calendar year was −26% (2001) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −81.1%, recovered by 2014. Microsoft bottomed at −34% (2000) with a deepest drop of −72.3%. 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 Microsoft a better investment since 1999?
- Over 1999–2026, Nasdaq-100 was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $7,894 (7.89×), versus about $6,693 (6.69×) for Microsoft — a narrow win.
- How much would $1,000 in Nasdaq-100 be worth versus Microsoft?
- Starting at the end of 1999, $1,000 in Nasdaq-100 would be worth about $7,894 today, and in Microsoft about $6,693 — a difference of roughly $1,201 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Nasdaq-100 or Microsoft?
- Microsoft was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −72.3%, while Nasdaq-100 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −81.1%).
- Did Nasdaq-100 always beat Microsoft?
- 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.