What if you'd held EWY?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) at the month-end close of 2000-05 would be worth $12,951 at the close of 2026-09 — +1195.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $8,745.
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 2026-09, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 2000
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $1,000 | — |
| 2001 | $1,457 | +45.7% |
| 2002 | $1,510 | +3.6% |
| 2003 | $2,080 | +37.8% |
| 2004 | $2,438 | +17.2% |
| 2005 | $3,752 | +53.9% |
| 2006 | $4,170 | +11.1% |
| 2007 | $5,493 | +31.7% |
| 2008 | $2,418 | -56.0% |
| 2009 | $4,154 | +71.8% |
| 2010 | $5,381 | +29.6% |
| 2011 | $4,654 | -13.5% |
| 2012 | $5,676 | +22.0% |
| 2013 | $5,878 | +3.6% |
| 2014 | $5,085 | -13.5% |
| 2015 | $4,679 | -8.0% |
| 2016 | $5,073 | +8.4% |
| 2017 | $7,355 | +45.0% |
| 2018 | $5,857 | -20.4% |
| 2019 | $6,323 | +8.0% |
| 2020 | $8,817 | +39.4% |
| 2021 | $8,148 | -7.6% |
| 2022 | $5,982 | -26.6% |
| 2023 | $7,121 | +19.0% |
| 2024 | $5,662 | -20.5% |
| 2025 | $11,060 | +95.3% |
| 2026 | $20,348 | +84.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought EWY was 2001-09 ($7.96): $1,000 then is $22,470 today. The worst was 2026-05 ($206): $1,000 then is $869.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in EWY be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) at the start of 2000 would be worth about $12,951 today, a total return of +1195.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for EWY?
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY)'s strongest calendar year since 2000 was 2025, a +95.3% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,953 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -56.0%.
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 EWY have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2000-05 would have grown to about $176,769 on $31,700 invested.
Did EWY 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 $8,745. EWY beat the S&P 500 by +48.1% 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 South Korea ETF (EWY) historical total-return data from 2000-05 to 2026-09, 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 2026-09-02. Not financial advice.