What if you'd held EWG?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (EWG) at the month-end close of 1996-03 would be worth $6,756 at the close of 2026-08 — +575.6% 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 | $1,237 | +23.7% |
| 1998 | $1,585 | +28.2% |
| 1999 | $1,942 | +22.5% |
| 2000 | $1,594 | -17.9% |
| 2001 | $1,250 | -21.6% |
| 2002 | $824 | -34.1% |
| 2003 | $1,372 | +66.6% |
| 2004 | $1,597 | +16.3% |
| 2005 | $1,750 | +9.6% |
| 2006 | $2,362 | +35.0% |
| 2007 | $3,158 | +33.7% |
| 2008 | $1,786 | -43.5% |
| 2009 | $2,152 | +20.5% |
| 2010 | $2,329 | +8.2% |
| 2011 | $1,917 | -17.7% |
| 2012 | $2,536 | +32.3% |
| 2013 | $3,319 | +30.9% |
| 2014 | $2,922 | -11.9% |
| 2015 | $2,841 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | $2,944 | +3.6% |
| 2017 | $3,750 | +27.4% |
| 2018 | $2,948 | -21.4% |
| 2019 | $3,512 | +19.1% |
| 2020 | $3,884 | +10.6% |
| 2021 | $4,111 | +5.8% |
| 2022 | $3,196 | -22.3% |
| 2023 | $3,942 | +23.3% |
| 2024 | $4,327 | +9.8% |
| 2025 | $5,876 | +35.8% |
| 2026 | $6,289 | +7.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought EWG was 2003-03 ($5.16): $1,000 then is $8,641 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($44.59): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in EWG be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (EWG) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $6,756 today, a total return of +575.6%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for EWG?
iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (EWG)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2003, a +66.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,666 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -43.5%.
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 EWG have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-03 would have grown to about $112,698 on $36,600 invested.
Did EWG beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $11,947. EWG trailed the S&P 500 by +43.4% 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
iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (EWG) 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.