What if you'd held RTH?
A $1,000 investment in VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) at the month-end close of 2001-05 would be worth $11,359 at the close of 2026-09 — +1035.9% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $9,880.
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 2001
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | $1,000 | — |
| 2002 | $727 | -27.3% |
| 2003 | $947 | +30.3% |
| 2004 | $1,044 | +10.2% |
| 2005 | $1,063 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | $1,138 | +7.1% |
| 2007 | $1,083 | -4.8% |
| 2008 | $886 | -18.2% |
| 2009 | $1,128 | +27.3% |
| 2010 | $1,290 | +14.3% |
| 2011 | $1,353 | +4.9% |
| 2012 | $1,624 | +20.0% |
| 2013 | $2,277 | +40.3% |
| 2014 | $2,692 | +18.2% |
| 2015 | $2,987 | +11.0% |
| 2016 | $2,966 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | $3,631 | +22.4% |
| 2018 | $3,772 | +3.9% |
| 2019 | $4,868 | +29.1% |
| 2020 | $6,407 | +31.6% |
| 2021 | $8,006 | +24.9% |
| 2022 | $6,591 | -17.7% |
| 2023 | $7,914 | +20.1% |
| 2024 | $9,498 | +20.0% |
| 2025 | $10,672 | +12.4% |
| 2026 | $11,271 | +5.6% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought RTH was 2003-01 ($16.12): $1,000 then is $16,347 today. The worst was 2026-04 ($270): $1,000 then is $976.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in RTH be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) at the start of 2001 would be worth about $11,359 today, a total return of +1035.9%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for RTH?
VanEck Retail ETF (RTH)'s strongest calendar year since 2001 was 2013, a +40.3% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,403 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2002, at -27.3%.
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 RTH have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2001-05 would have grown to about $195,106 on $30,500 invested.
Did RTH 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 $9,880. RTH beat the S&P 500 by +15.0% 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 Retail ETF (RTH) historical total-return data from 2001-05 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 2026-09-03. Not financial advice.