The S&P 500 Price index returned -19.64% in 2022. Using a better calculation which includes dividend reinvestment, the S&P 500 returned -18.32%.
Maximizing 2022 S&P 500 Return: Buy It, Hold It, and Reinvest It
The numbers I just quoted you assume you did all your investing in a single year. Specifically, I assumed you bought the market open on January 3, 2022, and sold at the exact close on December 30, 2022. (Which is nearly impossible to do).
If you alternatively meant a "one-year span", those two returns, respectively, are -19.44% and -18.11%. This assumes, instead, that you bought the December 31, 2021 close.
S&P 500 Index Price Calculation
| Price Based On | 2022 Begin | Dec 30 Close | Return |
| Jan 3 Open | 4778.14 | 3839.50 | -19.64% |
| Dec 31 Close | 4766.18 | 3839.50 | -19.44% |
S&P 500 Total Return Price Calculation
| Price Based On | 2022 Begin | Dec 30 Close | Return |
| Jan 3 Open | 10011.81 | 8178.02 | -18.32% |
| Dec 31 Close | 9986.70 | 8178.02 | -18.11% |
Dividends Matter
The exact date you pick doesn't much matter... as long as you keep your timeframes consistent. (However, you do need to mind the dividends!)
It was a very weak year for equity returns in the United States. Coming off the stimulative environment (or excesses, as some would argue...) of the early COVID Pandemic, stocks fell as Federal reserves across the world increased rates and sold assets (or allowed assets to roll off their balance sheets). However, when you consider dividend reinvestment, your returns "didn't look as bad."
Yes, they were still weak. But including dividends is an important consideration.
Source on the 2022 S&P 500 Return Calculations
Please visit S&P Dow Jones Indices, who owns the S&P 500 Index and its total return index. They added the total return index in 1987. Before then, you have to construct your own index proxy to see how the index has fared.
We have a collection of investing calculators and tools – most including provisions for dividend, coupon, or interest reinvestment. Here are some which highlight the S&P 500:
- S&P 500 Dividend Reinvestment Calculator
Dividend reinvestment calculations on the S&P 500 back as far as we can cover them – 1871, as of now - S&P 500 Periodic Reinvestment and Dividend Calculator
A tool which additionally tries to estimate fees and taxes. Allows periodic scheduled additions to investments. - S&P 500 Historical Return Calculator
See the average, median, best, and worst returns on the S&P 500 over a time period.
The 2022 S&P 500 Return
You can quickly find the S&P 500 and Total Return index at Yahoo!. Here's a graph showing the delta in 2022:
Other years:
