What if you'd held CNI?
A $1,000 investment in Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) at the month-end close of 1996-11 would be worth $63,005 at the close of 2026-08 — +6200.5% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $17,328.
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 | $1,270 | +27.0% |
| 1998 | $1,422 | +11.9% |
| 1999 | $1,486 | +4.6% |
| 2000 | $1,708 | +14.9% |
| 2001 | $2,827 | +65.5% |
| 2002 | $2,481 | -12.2% |
| 2003 | $3,849 | +55.1% |
| 2004 | $5,681 | +47.6% |
| 2005 | $7,530 | +32.5% |
| 2006 | $8,205 | +9.0% |
| 2007 | $9,086 | +10.7% |
| 2008 | $7,254 | -20.2% |
| 2009 | $10,946 | +50.9% |
| 2010 | $13,622 | +24.4% |
| 2011 | $16,384 | +20.3% |
| 2012 | $19,324 | +17.9% |
| 2013 | $24,605 | +27.3% |
| 2014 | $30,162 | +22.6% |
| 2015 | $24,865 | -17.6% |
| 2016 | $30,541 | +22.8% |
| 2017 | $38,000 | +24.4% |
| 2018 | $34,724 | -8.6% |
| 2019 | $43,151 | +24.3% |
| 2020 | $53,362 | +23.7% |
| 2021 | $60,676 | +13.7% |
| 2022 | $59,822 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | $64,508 | +7.8% |
| 2024 | $53,211 | -17.5% |
| 2025 | $52,811 | -0.8% |
| 2026 | $68,114 | +29.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought CNI was 1997-03 ($1.73): $1,000 then is $72,838 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($127): $1,000 then is $991.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in CNI be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $63,005 today, a total return of +6200.5%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for CNI?
Canadian National Railway Company (CNI)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2001, a +65.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,655 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -20.2%.
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 CNI have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-11 would have grown to about $447,063 on $35,800 invested.
Did CNI beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the S&P 500 Total Return index) would be worth $17,328. CNI beat the S&P 500 by +263.6% 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
Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) historical total-return data from 1996-11 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.