What if you'd held EWK?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI Belgium ETF (EWK) at the month-end close of 1996-03 would be worth $6,527 at the close of 2026-08 — +552.7% 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 | $1,121 | +12.1% |
| 1998 | $1,770 | +57.9% |
| 1999 | $1,524 | -13.9% |
| 2000 | $1,241 | -18.6% |
| 2001 | $1,099 | -11.4% |
| 2002 | $998 | -9.2% |
| 2003 | $1,427 | +43.0% |
| 2004 | $2,078 | +45.6% |
| 2005 | $2,243 | +7.9% |
| 2006 | $3,040 | +35.5% |
| 2007 | $2,985 | -1.8% |
| 2008 | $1,144 | -61.7% |
| 2009 | $1,710 | +49.5% |
| 2010 | $1,797 | +5.1% |
| 2011 | $1,520 | -15.4% |
| 2012 | $2,057 | +35.3% |
| 2013 | $2,562 | +24.6% |
| 2014 | $2,577 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | $2,934 | +13.9% |
| 2016 | $2,894 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | $3,579 | +23.7% |
| 2018 | $2,850 | -20.4% |
| 2019 | $3,588 | +25.9% |
| 2020 | $3,590 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | $4,051 | +12.8% |
| 2022 | $3,484 | -14.0% |
| 2023 | $3,744 | +7.5% |
| 2024 | $3,751 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | $5,076 | +35.3% |
| 2026 | $5,865 | +15.5% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought EWK was 2003-02 ($4.02): $1,000 then is $6,900 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($27.74): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in EWK be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI Belgium ETF (EWK) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $6,527 today, a total return of +552.7%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for EWK?
iShares MSCI Belgium ETF (EWK)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 1998, a +57.9% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,579 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -61.7%.
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 EWK have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-03 would have grown to about $110,586 on $36,600 invested.
Did EWK beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $11,947. EWK trailed the S&P 500 by +45.4% 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 Belgium ETF (EWK) 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.