What if you'd held NKX?
A $1,000 investment in Nuveen California AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NKX) at the month-end close of 2003-01 would be worth $3,056 at the close of 2026-09 — +205.6% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $14,085.
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 2003
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $1,000 | — |
| 2004 | $1,080 | +8.0% |
| 2005 | $1,085 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | $1,253 | +15.4% |
| 2007 | $1,258 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | $963 | -23.5% |
| 2009 | $1,258 | +30.6% |
| 2010 | $1,283 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | $1,640 | +27.9% |
| 2012 | $1,745 | +6.4% |
| 2013 | $1,540 | -11.7% |
| 2014 | $1,983 | +28.7% |
| 2015 | $2,193 | +10.6% |
| 2016 | $2,160 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | $2,443 | +13.1% |
| 2018 | $2,115 | -13.4% |
| 2019 | $2,650 | +25.3% |
| 2020 | $2,865 | +8.1% |
| 2021 | $3,003 | +4.8% |
| 2022 | $2,448 | -18.5% |
| 2023 | $2,403 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | $2,800 | +16.5% |
| 2025 | $2,968 | +6.0% |
| 2026 | $2,995 | +0.9% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought NKX was 2003-08 ($3.73): $1,000 then is $3,212 today. The worst was 2026-05 ($12.46): $1,000 then is $961.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in NKX be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Nuveen California AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NKX) at the start of 2003 would be worth about $3,056 today, a total return of +205.6%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for NKX?
Nuveen California AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NKX)'s strongest calendar year since 2003 was 2009, a +30.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,306 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -23.5%.
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 NKX have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2003-01 would have grown to about $50,951 on $28,500 invested.
Did NKX 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 $14,085. NKX trailed the S&P 500 by +78.3% 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
Nuveen California AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NKX) historical total-return data from 2003-01 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.