If I had bought SPY
If I had bought SPY
Dates within the last week use the minute candle — accurate to the minute of purchase.
Ready examples: $100 put into SPY
a week ago+1.1%$100 → $101
a month ago+1.9%$100 → $102
three months ago+3.5%$100 → $103
six months ago+14.8%$100 → $115
since our history starts, April 6, 2026+18.5%$100 → $119
Dates within the last week use the minute candle — accurate to the minute of purchase.
A year of buying SPY
Over the last 188 days SPY closed between $657.78 (April 6, 2026) and $780.27 (October 6, 2026). One hundred dollars put in at the low would be worth $119 today; at the high, $100. The current price $779.52 is above 186 of those 188 daily closes, so a purchase on a random day of that stretch would be in profit 99% of the time — fees aside.
A typical day moves SPY by 0.7%: a $1,000 position swings about $7 a day.
Low of the stretch$657.78 · $100 → $119
High of the stretch$780.27 · $100 → $100
Share of profitable dates99% · 186/188
The same calculation for neighbouring instruments
Calculators for other instruments in the “exchange-traded fund” category.