If I'd invested in Microsoft since 1988
$1,000 put into Microsoft at the end of 1988 would be worth about $1,056,054 today — a 1,056× return, or roughly 20.5% a year. Change the amount below to run your own number.
You'd have
$1,056,054
from $1,000 invested — up 105505%.
The story behind the number
Microsoft since 1988 has been a remarkably smooth ride. $1,000 put in at the end of 1988 grew to $1,056,054 — a 1,056× return, or about 20.5% a year.
The ride mattered as much as the destination. The strongest single year was 2001, up 41%; the worst was 2000, down 34%.
Holding on took nerve: the position fell as much as 72% from its 1999 peak to its 2009 low, before climbing back above that high by 2014.
Common questions
- How much would I have if I'd invested $1,000 in Microsoft in 1988?
- $1,000 invested in Microsoft at the end of 1988 would be worth about $1,056,054 today — a 1,056× return, or roughly 20.5% per year.
- What were the best and worst years for Microsoft since 1988?
- The best year was 2001, up about 41%. The toughest was 2000, when it fell about 34%. Across the window, 176 of 450 years finished lower than they started.
- What was the biggest drop along the way?
- The steepest decline was about 72%, from a peak in 1999 to a low in 2009, with the value recovering above its prior high by 2014.
The chart above shows the whole journey, not just the destination. Try switching to a bit each year to see how spreading your buying would have changed the outcome — or skip the latte to find out what a small daily habit could have grown into instead.
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