What if you'd held VGK?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard FTSEEuropean ETF (VGK) at the month-end close of 2005-03 would be worth $4,031 at the close of 2026-09 — +303.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $9,824.
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 2005
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | $1,000 | — |
| 2006 | $1,331 | +33.1% |
| 2007 | $1,507 | +13.3% |
| 2008 | $834 | -44.6% |
| 2009 | $1,096 | +31.3% |
| 2010 | $1,162 | +6.0% |
| 2011 | $1,026 | -11.7% |
| 2012 | $1,248 | +21.6% |
| 2013 | $1,552 | +24.4% |
| 2014 | $1,441 | -7.1% |
| 2015 | $1,414 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | $1,408 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | $1,787 | +27.0% |
| 2018 | $1,522 | -14.9% |
| 2019 | $1,900 | +24.8% |
| 2020 | $2,015 | +6.1% |
| 2021 | $2,356 | +16.9% |
| 2022 | $1,979 | -16.0% |
| 2023 | $2,379 | +20.2% |
| 2024 | $2,423 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $3,292 | +35.8% |
| 2026 | $3,678 | +11.7% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought VGK was 2009-02 ($16.07): $1,000 then is $5,709 today. The worst was 2026-09 ($91.74): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in VGK be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard FTSEEuropean ETF (VGK) at the start of 2005 would be worth about $4,031 today, a total return of +303.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for VGK?
Vanguard FTSEEuropean ETF (VGK)'s strongest calendar year since 2005 was 2025, a +35.8% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,358 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -44.6%.
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 VGK have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2005-03 would have grown to about $64,743 on $25,900 invested.
Did VGK 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 $9,824. VGK trailed the S&P 500 by +59.0% 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
Vanguard FTSEEuropean ETF (VGK) historical total-return data from 2005-03 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.