What if you invested in Dow Jones (DIA) in 1998?
DIA · Index · Data through 2026-06-01
If you invested $1,000 in Dow Jones (DIA) in 1998
The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $12,380(+1138%)
The S&P 500 returned $12,380 on the same $1,000. S&P 500 outperformed by $468.
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See how Dow Jones (DIA) stacks up since 1998, head to head.
What if Dow Jones (DIA) keeps this up?
Project forward at Dow Jones (DIA)'s 9.1% historical growth rate. See 5-30 year scenarios.
Growth of $1,000
Dow Jones (DIA) vs. S&P 500 vs. US Dollar, 1998 to present
Year-by-Year Returns
$1,000 invested in Dow Jones (DIA) starting January 1998
| Year | Price | Value | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $43.73 | $1,000 | - |
| 1999 | $52.21 | $1,194 | +19.4% |
| 2000 | $62.20 | $1,422 | +19.1% |
| 2001 | $62.56 | $1,430 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | $58.08 | $1,328 | -7.1% |
| 2003 | $48.24 | $1,103 | -17% |
| 2004 | $64.04 | $1,464 | +32.8% |
| 2005 | $65.25 | $1,492 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | $68.85 | $1,574 | +5.5% |
| 2007 | $82.06 | $1,876 | +19.2% |
| 2008 | $83.64 | $1,912 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | $54.64 | $1,249 | -34.7% |
| 2010 | $70.81 | $1,619 | +29.6% |
| 2011 | $85.71 | $1,960 | +21% |
| 2012 | $93.42 | $2,136 | +9% |
| 2013 | $105.22 | $2,406 | +12.6% |
| 2014 | $121.91 | $2,788 | +15.9% |
| 2015 | $136.10 | $3,112 | +11.6% |
| 2016 | $133.52 | $3,053 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | $165.18 | $3,777 | +23.7% |
| 2018 | $222.63 | $5,091 | +34.8% |
| 2019 | $217.49 | $4,973 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | $251.14 | $5,742 | +15.5% |
| 2021 | $272.41 | $6,229 | +8.5% |
| 2022 | $324.39 | $7,417 | +19.1% |
| 2023 | $321.10 | $7,342 | -1% |
| 2024 | $366.48 | $8,380 | +14.1% |
| 2025 | $435.28 | $9,953 | +18.8% |
| 2026 | $485.39 | $11,099 | +11.5% |
What this return means
$1,000 in Dow Jones (DIA) in 1998 grew to $11,912. That works out to +1091.2%, about 12x the original stake, as of 2026-06-01.
That is about 9.1% a year compounded, broadly in line with long-run stock market averages. Because this is a broad S&P 500 fund, it is the benchmark here rather than something measured against it.
The path was not smooth. The best single year was 2018 at +34.8%, and the worst was 2009 at -34.7%. At its lowest point the position was down about 35% from an earlier high. These figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, trading fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.
This is historical math, not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
What if you invested $100 a month instead?
Most people do not drop a lump sum in on day one. They add a fixed amount every month. Putting $100 into Dow Jones (DIA) at the close of every month from January 1998 through June 2026 means 342 buys and $34,200 contributed over about 28.5 years.
$100/month, dollar-cost averaged
$183,745
+437.3% on $34,200 in
Same $34,200, all in at the start
$407,436
+1,091.3% on $34,200 in
Going all in at the start beat spreading the buys out by $223,691. That is the usual result when a stock trends up: each monthly buy pays a higher price than the last, so the average cost climbs. Averaging in also meant an average buy price of $96.97 per share across the whole stretch, so the monthly buyer never had to time a single low. Neither number counts dividends, taxes, or trading costs.
Illustrative fixed $100/month example, not a recommendation. Figures are computed from DIA split-adjusted monthly closes through June 2026. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Dow Jones (DIA) at different times
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Numbers worth sharing
Occasional data drops when something interesting surfaces. No schedule, just signal.
For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.