What if you'd held CENX?
A $1,000 investment in Century Aluminum Company (CENX) at the month-end close of 1996-03 would be worth $3,794 at the close of 2026-08 — +279.4% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $11,947.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1996
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $1,000 | — |
| 1997 | $793 | -20.7% |
| 1998 | $563 | -29.0% |
| 1999 | $921 | +63.5% |
| 2000 | $711 | -22.8% |
| 2001 | $843 | +18.5% |
| 2002 | $474 | -43.8% |
| 2003 | $1,215 | +156.5% |
| 2004 | $1,679 | +38.1% |
| 2005 | $1,676 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | $2,855 | +70.4% |
| 2007 | $3,449 | +20.8% |
| 2008 | $639 | -81.5% |
| 2009 | $1,035 | +61.9% |
| 2010 | $993 | -4.1% |
| 2011 | $544 | -45.2% |
| 2012 | $560 | +2.9% |
| 2013 | $669 | +19.4% |
| 2014 | $1,560 | +133.3% |
| 2015 | $283 | -81.9% |
| 2016 | $547 | +93.7% |
| 2017 | $1,256 | +129.4% |
| 2018 | $467 | -62.8% |
| 2019 | $481 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | $705 | +46.7% |
| 2021 | $1,059 | +50.1% |
| 2022 | $523 | -50.6% |
| 2023 | $776 | +48.4% |
| 2024 | $1,165 | +50.1% |
| 2025 | $2,505 | +115.0% |
| 2026 | $2,979 | +18.9% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought CENX was 2009-03 ($2.11): $1,000 then is $22,081 today. The worst was 2008-05 ($73.00): $1,000 then is $638.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in CENX be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Century Aluminum Company (CENX) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $3,794 today, a total return of +279.4%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for CENX?
Century Aluminum Company (CENX)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2003, a +156.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,565 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2015, at -81.9%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in CENX have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-03 would have grown to about $151,413 on $36,600 invested.
Did CENX beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $11,947. CENX trailed the S&P 500 by +68.2% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Century Aluminum Company (CENX) historical total-return data from 1996-03 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (EODHD): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.