What if you'd held VIXY?
A $1,000 investment in VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY) at the month-end close of 2011-01 would be worth $0.03 at the close of 2026-09 — -100.0% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $7,992.
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 2011
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,000 | — |
| 2012 | $225 | -77.5% |
| 2013 | $75.34 | -66.5% |
| 2014 | $55.43 | -26.4% |
| 2015 | $35.20 | -36.5% |
| 2016 | $11.23 | -68.1% |
| 2017 | $3.06 | -72.8% |
| 2018 | $5.10 | +66.8% |
| 2019 | $1.64 | -67.8% |
| 2020 | $1.81 | +10.5% |
| 2021 | $0.50 | -72.4% |
| 2022 | $0.38 | -25.0% |
| 2023 | $0.10 | -72.7% |
| 2024 | $0.07 | -27.4% |
| 2025 | $0.04 | -43.0% |
| 2026 | $0.03 | -33.7% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought VIXY was 2026-09 ($17.00): $1,000 then is $1,000 today. The worst was 2011-09 ($916,160): $1,000 then is $0.02.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in VIXY be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY) at the start of 2011 would be worth about $0.03 today, a total return of -100.0%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for VIXY?
VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY)'s strongest calendar year since 2011 was 2018, a +66.8% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,668 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2012, at -77.5%.
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 VIXY have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2011-01 would have grown to about $1,955 on $18,900 invested.
Did VIXY 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 $7,992. VIXY trailed the S&P 500 by +100.0% 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
VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY) historical total-return data from 2011-01 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.