Stock Market Returns

Stock market performance can be shown in many different ways. There are rolling returns, tables, charts and graphs, and even things called stock market maps. Here you’ll find five ways to view past stock market performance, some bright and colorful, others that take a more intellectual view point.

Market maps provide a unique and colorful way to view the performance of stocks, asset classes, sectors, or an entire country’s stock market relative to its peers.

The charts in this series show investment performance in the form of rolling index returns, showing stock and bond index returns from 1973 - April 2009.

This table shows you historical stock market returns from 1973 through 2009, on a year by year basis. Negative stock market returns occur, on average, one out of every four years.

Should you make investment decisions differently during an election year? Here's a history of how the market has performed during election years.

Average investors earn market returns substantially less than the historical returns they should be earning. Find out why.

Although scary, market corrections are normal. To be a successful investor, you have to know how to handle market corrections.

Market Returns Ending in 2011

Future expected stock market returns are based on a concept called the equity risk premium. In a nutshell, it says you should be rewarded for taking on investment risk.