What if you'd held GDX?
A $1,000 investment in VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) at the month-end close of 2006-05 would be worth $3,011 at the close of 2026-09 — +201.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $8,933.
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 2006
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $1,000 | — |
| 2007 | $1,168 | +16.8% |
| 2008 | $863 | -26.1% |
| 2009 | $1,180 | +36.7% |
| 2010 | $1,581 | +33.9% |
| 2011 | $1,326 | -16.1% |
| 2012 | $1,208 | -8.9% |
| 2013 | $555 | -54.0% |
| 2014 | $487 | -12.4% |
| 2015 | $366 | -24.7% |
| 2016 | $560 | +53.0% |
| 2017 | $627 | +12.0% |
| 2018 | $572 | -8.8% |
| 2019 | $800 | +39.8% |
| 2020 | $989 | +23.7% |
| 2021 | $895 | -9.5% |
| 2022 | $815 | -9.0% |
| 2023 | $896 | +10.0% |
| 2024 | $991 | +10.6% |
| 2025 | $2,525 | +154.7% |
| 2026 | $2,922 | +15.7% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GDX was 2015-09 ($12.35): $1,000 then is $8,037 today. The worst was 2026-02 ($116): $1,000 then is $857.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GDX be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) at the start of 2006 would be worth about $3,011 today, a total return of +201.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GDX?
VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)'s strongest calendar year since 2006 was 2025, a +154.7% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,547 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2013, at -54.0%.
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 GDX have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2006-05 would have grown to about $85,501 on $24,500 invested.
Did GDX 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 $8,933. GDX trailed the S&P 500 by +66.3% 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
VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) historical total-return data from 2006-05 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 2026-09-04. Not financial advice.