Missing the S&P 500's 10 Best Days in 20 Years Cut a $10,000 Investment's Ending Value by More Than Half
Most of those 10 days came within two weeks of one of the market's worst days.
Over the past two decades, investors who missed the 10 best days of the S&P 500 have seen their initial $10,000 investment's value drop by more than half, ending at around $35,700 instead of $82,300. These key days include the October 2008 rebound of 14.5%, the March 2020 recovery of 8.5%, and the April 2025 bounce of 10.5%. The S&P 500 ETF experienced its worst days alongside these gains, with declines reaching 10.9% and 9.6% in March 2020.
While missed days were concentrated during market downturns, investors who avoided the 10 best days altogether would have ended with around $84,300. Despite the allure of potentially higher returns, it appears challenging to avoid both bad and good days without also missing some of the best.
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