On this page is a NASDAQ Historical Return Calculator. It shows the NASDAQ Composite's annualized rolling returns across common holding periods, plus any custom period you type in. You can toggle dividend reinvestment, adjust for inflation, and switch the chart between a returns-over-time view and a percentile distribution view.
The default view shows the NASDAQ's annualized total returns (dividends reinvested, nominal). Everything updates in real time as you change a setting.
Here's what each control does:
Below is a static reference table of NASDAQ rolling returns across the canonical holding periods. Both price return and total return (that is, dividends reinvested) versions are shown. The numbers come from monthly-average NASDAQ Composite closes going back to February 1971.
| Holding Period | Worst | Best | Median | Average | Most Recent | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price return (no dividends) | ||||||
| 1 Year | -59.41% | 100.87% | 14.82% | 13.03% | 33.42% | 653 |
| 3 Year | -34.52% | 55.28% | 12.43% | 10.96% | 24.92% | 629 |
| 5 Year | -15.82% | 42.86% | 12.44% | 11.04% | 13.24% | 605 |
| 10 Year | -6.85% | 27.11% | 11.49% | 10.92% | 18.38% | 545 |
| 20 Year | 2.44% | 19.29% | 9.94% | 10.26% | 13.36% | 425 |
| 30 Year | 7.86% | 12.72% | 10.16% | 10.21% | 10.82% | 305 |
| Total return (dividends reinvested) | ||||||
| 1 Year | -59.28% | 101.36% | 16.55% | 14.43% | 34.03% | 653 |
| 3 Year | -34.27% | 55.85% | 14.21% | 12.37% | 25.75% | 629 |
| 5 Year | -15.44% | 43.55% | 14.05% | 12.46% | 14.05% | 605 |
| 10 Year | -6.28% | 28.12% | 12.87% | 12.26% | 19.42% | 545 |
| 20 Year | 3.34% | 20.74% | 10.97% | 11.43% | 14.46% | 425 |
| 30 Year | 9.15% | 14.33% | 11.26% | 11.34% | 11.70% | 305 |
NASDAQ Composite daily prices come from the Federal Reserve's NASDAQCOM series on FRED, with each monthly value being the average of that month's daily closes.
Because we use monthly averages, the numbers here will differ slightly from quoted Jan-open-to-Dec-close figures in volatile years. For those, and for additional detail on the dividend estimates, see DQYDJ's year-specific NASDAQ return posts and the NASDAQ Return Calculator.
A rolling return is the annualized return over a fixed-length holding period, calculated for every possible starting point in the dataset.
Take a 5-year rolling return: instead of one number for "the NASDAQ's 5-year return," you get a number for every overlapping 5-year window in the data – the 5 years ending February 1976, then ending March 1976, and so on through to today. That's a bit over 600 monthly-stepped 5-year windows. Each one is annualized so the 5-year, the 10-year, and the 30-year all sit on the same scale.
One quirk worth flagging: at 55 years, the Composite is the youngest dataset of the three major US indices on DQYDJ. The S&P 500 (via Shiller's spliced series) runs back to 1871 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average to 1896. So the NASDAQ has ~300 rolling 30-year windows on file vs. the other two having well over a thousand each. Treat the 30-year line as suggestive, not statistically as deep as the DJIA or S&P 500.
The annualized return formula:
r_{\text{annualized}} = \left(\frac{V_{\text{end}}}{V_{\text{start}}}\right)^{12/N} - 1Where Vstart and Vend are the index levels (or the dividend-reinvested totals) at the start and end of the window, and N is the number of months in the window.
Flip the chart to Return Distribution and the NASDAQ tells a different story than other indices. The 1-year line is wild even by equity standards: best case +101% (the dot-com run ending March 2000), worst case −59% (the back half of the same crash, ending September 2001).
The 10-year window also tells a NASDAQ-specific story: all three major US indices have had negative 10-year rolling total returns at some point. The NASDAQ's worst 10-year ended in March 2010, the dot-com round-trip, and it was deeper: −6.28% annualized. A $10,000 investment turned into roughly $5,200 even with dividends reinvested. The other indices' worst-decade is ancient history; the NASDAQ's is within living memory.
And yet – pull the horizon out to 20 years and the NASDAQ's worst return floor is +3.3% (the window ending March 2020), actually a bit above the S&P 500's worst 20-year floor and the Dow's. Pull it to 30 years and the NASDAQ has the highest 30-year worst-case of the three (+9.2%), though that's flattered by the dataset starting in 1971 – and, you know, missing the Great Depression.
Either way: volatility was the entry fee. The premium got paid; you just had to be willing to sit through the part where it didn't!
Introducing the Avalanche Drawdown Calculator - your go-to tool for unmasking potential risks within your Avalanche (AVAX) investment. This calculator lets you analyze historical drawdowns, volatility, and peak-to-trough declines, providing valuable insights to fortify your investment strategy against unexpected frights.
Ready to unveil the past secrets of an Avalanche investment? Here's how to operate this tool:
Understanding drawdowns is important for any crypto investor seeking to suss out potential risks and see past volatility. These metrics measure the decline from peak to trough, providing insights into your investment's potential downside exposure by showing you the past.

This Avalanche calculator is packed with these extra features:
This calculator makes its calculations from historical Avalanche price data provided by CoinGecko.
For more Avalanche-focused tools, explore our AVAX Investment Calculator, AVAX Daily Moving Average tool, Avalanche to USD Converter, and USD to Avalanche Converter.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator should be treated as estimates only - not financial advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns, so always do your own research and consult professionals before making any investment decisions.
We hope this Avalanche Drawdown Calculator empowers you to make well-informed, courageous decisions regarding your investments in AVAX. For more financial tools and resources, explore our Investing category page.
The Cardano Drawdown Calculator allows you to analyze historical drawdowns, volatility, and peak-to-trough declines for your Cardano (ADA) investment. This provides some insights into realized risks and might help inform your investment strategy.
Follow these steps to use the tool:
Analyzing drawdowns helps evaluate potential risks and volatility of your Cardano investment. These metrics measure peak-to-trough declines, providing insights into downside exposure.

The calculator uses historical Cardano price data from CoinGecko.
Check out our other Cardano tools: Investment Calculator, Drawdown Analyzer, Daily Moving Averages, ADA to USD , USD to ADA.
This calculator's results are for informational purposes only, not financial advice. Past performance doesn't guarantee future returns. Always do your own research and consult professionals before investing.
We hope this Cardano Drawdown Calculator helps inform your investment decisions. Visit our Investing section for more tools.
Here is a Chainlink Drawdown Calculator, a tool designed to provide investors with a comprehensive analysis of the potential risks and volatility associated with their LINK investments. Dissect historical drawdowns, evaluate volatility metrics, and assess peak-to-trough declines to help make informed decisions regarding your Chainlink investment strategy.
Follow these straightforward steps to use the tool:
Understanding drawdowns is crucial for any investor seeking to evaluate the potential risks and volatility associated with their investments. These metrics measure the decline from peak to bottom, providing valuable insights into the potential downside exposure and overall volatility of your Chainlink investment.

The Chainlink Drawdown Calculator is equipped with several features to enhance your analysis:
The Chainlink Drawdown Calculator utilizes historical price data for Chainlink from CoinGecko.
For additional Chainlink-focused tools, explore our Chainlink Investment Calculator, Chainlink Daily Moving Average Analyzer, Chainlink to USD Converter, and USD to Chainlink Converter.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Always conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
We hope this Chainlink Drawdown Calculator empowers you to make well-informed decisions regarding your investments in this innovative blockchain network. For more financial tools and resources, explore our Investing category page.
On this page is the Solana Drawdown Calculator, a tool designed to provide insightful perspective on the potential risks and volatility associated with past investments in SOL. This tool lets you analyze historical drawdowns, volatility, and peak-to-trough declines, hopefully giving you a good input into your Solana investment strategy.
Follow these simple steps to use the tool:
Understanding drawdowns is important for any investor seeking to evaluate the potential risks and volatility associated with their investments. These metrics measure the decline from peak to bottom, providing valuable insights into the potential downside exposure and overall volatility of your Solana investment.

The Solana Drawdown Calculator has several features to enhance your analysis:
The Solana Drawdown Calculator utilizes historical price data for Solana from CoinGecko.
For additional Solana-focused tools, explore our Solana Investment Calculator, Solana Daily Moving Average Calculator, Solana to USD Converter, and USD to Solana Converter.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Always conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
We hope this Solana Drawdown Calculator helps you make well-informed decisions regarding your investments in SOL. For more financial tools and resources, explore our Investing category page.
Introducing the Shiba Inu Drawdown Calculator - the ultimate tool for unmasking the risks behind the self-proclaimed "Doge Killer." This nifty calculator helps SHIB hodlers (or appreciators) analyze the coin's drawdowns, volatility, and more. 🐕
Ready to unleash the power of the Shiba Inu? Here's how to operate this calculator:
Understanding drawdowns is important for any crypto investor understanding past risks. These dips from peak-to-trough reveal the rollercoaster you might face.

This Shiba Inu calculator isn't all bark and no bite. It packs some powerful features:
This calculator crunches numbers based on historical Shiba Inu price data from CoinGecko.
For more Shiba tools, check out the Shiba Inu Investment Calculator, Shiba Inu Daily Moving Average Calculator, Shiba to USD converter, and USD to Shiba converter.
While utmost care is taken to ensure accuracy, this calculator's results should be treated as estimates only. This is not financial advice - always do your own research and consult professionals before making any investment decisions. Past performance isn't indicative of future results!
We hope this tool helps you make informed decisions as you invest in the Shiba Inu ecosystem. For more calculators and crypto guides, visit our Investing category page.
Here is my Dogecoin Drawdown Calculator! This tool helps unleash the power of meme analysis to scrutinize the heckin' good rises and bad falls in a Dogecoin investment. Chart the rollercoaster, visualize the wow-and-wow-nots, and let the numbers do the barking. 🎢
Here's how to use this calculator like a pro:
Understanding drawdowns is crucial for any crypto hodler. These dips from peak-to-trough reveal past volatility, returns, and peak to trough declines on Doge.

This Dogecoin tool isn't just any ordinary calculator. It's packed with wow-worthy features:
The brains behind this calculator rely on historical Dogecoin price data from CoinGecko.
For more DOGE tools, check out the Dogecoin Investment Calculator, Dogecoin Daily Moving Average tool, Dogecoin to USD converter, and USD to Dogecoin converter. Much utility!
While this calculator aims for maximum accuracy, the results are for informational purposes only. Not to be taken as financial advice - always do your own research and consult a professional before making any investment decisions. Past results are no guarantee of future doge returns or declines! 🐕
We hope this Dogecoin tool helps you navigate the dips and stays on the path to financial enrichment. For more crypto calculators and guides, check out our Investing hub.
On this pags is a Litecoin Drawdown Calculator. This tool helps show the potential downside risks associated with a Litecoin investment by either calculating the maximum drawdown and drawdown periods within a selected timeframe and graphing past performance and drawdowns, or displaying a drawdown period table with summary stats.
To effectively use this tool to analyze drawdowns in a Litecoin investment, follow these steps:
Understanding drawdowns is important. They measure the drop from peak to bottom in the value of a portfolio, providing an insight into potential risk and volatility of Litecoin investments.
The Litecoin Drawdown Calculator offers a few awesome features you likely won't find elsewhere:
The calculator uses historical price data for Litecoin from CoinGecko with additional historical data from CryptoCompare.
When you're bored of this tool, I also built a Litecoin Investment Calculator, a Litecoin Daily Moving Average Analyzer, a Litecoin to USD tool, and USD to Litecoin calculator.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Always conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
We hope this tool aids you in making informed decisions about Litecoin investments. For more financial tools, check out our Investing category page.
Below is the the Ethereum Drawdown Calculator. This tool can help investors understand potential downside risks associated with an Ethereum investment by calculating the maximum drawdown and drawdown periods within their selected timeframe. You can either graph drawdowns, or display a drawdown period table.
To use this tool to analyze drawdowns in an Ethereum investment, set the following:
Understanding drawdowns is important. They measure the drop from peak to bottom in the value of a portfolio, thus providing insights into the potential risk and volatility of Ethereum investments.

The Ethereum Drawdown Calculator offers a few unique features:
The calculator uses historical price data for Ethereum from CoinGecko and from Ethereum Price History.
For after: I also built an Ethereum Investment Calculator, an Ethereum Daily Moving Average Calculator, an Ethereum to USD tool, and USD to Ethereum calculator with the same data.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Always conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
We hope this tool aids you in making informed decisions about Ethereum investments. For more financial tools, check out our Investing category page.
Introducing the Bitcoin Drawdown Calculator. This tool can help investors understand the potential downside risks associated with a Bitcoin investment by calculating the maximum drawdown and drawdown periods within a selected timeframe. Either graph the output, or display a drawdown period table.
To effectively use this tool to analyze drawdowns in a Bitcoin investment, follow these steps:
Understanding drawdowns is important. They measure the drop from peak to bottom in the value of a portfolio, thus providing insights into the potential risk and volatility of Bitcoin investments.

The Bitcoin Drawdown Calculator offers a few unique features:
The calculator uses historical price data for Bitcoin from CoinGecko as well as historical bitcoin return data from Bitcoinity. I also built a Bitcoin Investment Calculator, a Bitcoin Daily Moving Average Calculator, a Bitcoin to USD tool, and USD to Bitcoin calculator.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the results from this calculator are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Always conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
We hope this tool aids you in making informed decisions about your Bitcoin investments. For more financial tools, check out our Investing category page.