S&P 500 vs Nasdaq-100: which won?
Nasdaq-100 crushed S&P 500 since 1999 — about 1.6× as much.
Nasdaq-100
Winner$7,894
7.89× · +8.1%/yr
S&P 500
Runner-up$5,050
5.05× · +6.3%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1999 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Nasdaq-100 | S&P 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $7,894 | $5,050 |
| Total return | 7.89× | 5.05× |
| Annual return | +8.1% | +6.3% |
| Best single year | +19% (2000) | +13% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −26% (2001) | −17% (2008) |
| Deepest drop | −81.1% | −52.2% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1999 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Nasdaq-100 stake is worth about $7,894 — a 7.89× return, or roughly +8.1% a year. The same money in S&P 500 grew to about $5,050 (5.05×). Nasdaq-100 wins this window decisively: about 1.6× as much, or about $2,844 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Nasdaq-100's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while S&P 500 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Nasdaq-100's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Nasdaq-100's ugliest calendar year was −26% (2001) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −81.1%, recovered by 2014. S&P 500 bottomed at −17% (2008) with a deepest drop of −52.2%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100 a better investment since 1999?
- Over 1999–2026, Nasdaq-100 was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $7,894 (7.89×), versus about $5,050 (5.05×) for S&P 500 — about 1.6× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Nasdaq-100 be worth versus S&P 500?
- Starting at the end of 1999, $1,000 in Nasdaq-100 would be worth about $7,894 today, and in S&P 500 about $5,050 — a difference of roughly $2,844 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100?
- Nasdaq-100 was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −81.1%, while S&P 500 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −52.2%).
- Did Nasdaq-100 always beat S&P 500?
- No. This compares a single start year (1999, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.