What if you'd held NLY?
A $1,000 investment in Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NLY) at the month-end close of 1997-10 would be worth $15,010 at the close of 2026-08 — +1401.0% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $14,108.
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 1997
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | $1,000 | — |
| 1998 | $860 | -14.0% |
| 1999 | $1,053 | +22.5% |
| 2000 | $1,240 | +17.7% |
| 2001 | $2,478 | +99.9% |
| 2002 | $3,369 | +36.0% |
| 2003 | $3,660 | +8.6% |
| 2004 | $4,342 | +18.6% |
| 2005 | $2,580 | -40.6% |
| 2006 | $3,429 | +32.9% |
| 2007 | $4,785 | +39.5% |
| 2008 | $4,772 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | $6,067 | +27.1% |
| 2010 | $7,276 | +19.9% |
| 2011 | $7,454 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | $7,450 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | $5,959 | -20.0% |
| 2014 | $7,189 | +20.6% |
| 2015 | $7,032 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | $8,382 | +19.2% |
| 2017 | $11,057 | +31.9% |
| 2018 | $10,258 | -7.2% |
| 2019 | $10,999 | +7.2% |
| 2020 | $11,261 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | $11,541 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $9,070 | -21.4% |
| 2023 | $9,518 | +4.9% |
| 2024 | $10,286 | +8.1% |
| 2025 | $14,400 | +40.0% |
| 2026 | $15,857 | +10.1% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought NLY was 1998-08 ($1.02): $1,000 then is $22,566 today. The worst was 2026-08 ($23.04): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in NLY be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NLY) at the start of 1997 would be worth about $15,010 today, a total return of +1401.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for NLY?
Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NLY)'s strongest calendar year since 1997 was 2001, a +99.9% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,999 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2005, at -40.6%.
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 NLY have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1997-10 would have grown to about $149,608 on $34,700 invested.
Did NLY 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 $14,108. NLY beat the S&P 500 by +6.4% 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
Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NLY) historical total-return data from 1997-10 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.