{
  "id": 17337530,
  "title": "History Says No 20-Year Stretch in the S&P 500 Has Lost Money Since 1950. Here's What the Worst One Returned.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/history-says-no-20-year-stretch-in-the-s-p-500-has-lost-money-since",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-31T04:38:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/10/31/history-says-no-20-year-stretch-in-the-s-and-p-500-has-lost-money-since-1950-here-s-what-the-worst-one-returned/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Since 1950, no 20-year period in the S&P 500 has produced a loss in value, according to data from January 1950 month-end closes. Out of 681 completed 20-year periods, all ended with a higher value. Even the weakest stretch, from March 1962 to March 1982, gained about 61% before dividends, and about 7% after accounting for inflation, before reinvesting dividends. The S&P 500's dividend yield varied, but reinvested dividends more than doubled the annual return in the worst 20-year period. While today's starting point appears worse than in 1962, history suggests buying near a high can still be a viable strategy if the investment can be held for two decades.",
  "summary": "The weakest 20-year run since 1950 still finished higher. But did it keep up with inflation?",
  "key_points": [
    "No 20-year S&P 500 period lost value since 1950",
    "Weakest stretch (Mar 1962-Mar 1982) gained 61% pre-dividends",
    "Reinvested dividends more than doubled annual return in worst period"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Long-term holding periods mitigate the risks of buying at market peaks, as historical data suggests that patience can overcome even the most stagnant decades of stock market performance.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "History Says No 20-Year Stretch in the S&P 500 Has Lost Money Since 1950. Here's What the Worst One Returned.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/history-says-no-20-year-stretch-in-the-s-p-500-has-lost-money-since-17345530",
        "published": "2026-10-31T04:58:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}