How volatile is a 100% S&P 500 portfolio?

More volatile than a diversified mix — it experienced drawdowns of roughly 50% in 2008 and about 34% in early 2020. The backtest shows the exact figures for your period.

How has the S&P 500 performed historically?

Run the backtest above to see its growth, annualized return, and maximum drawdown over your chosen range.

Free portfolio backtest · 20+ years of data

S&P 500 portfolio backtest

Aggressive

See how $10,000 in the S&P 500 portfolio would have grown — real, dividend-adjusted history, rebalanced yearly. No signup.

100% US large-cap equities — the standard market benchmark.

Allocation (locked)

SPY · SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust100%

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Start date

End date

Defaults to the last 10 years. Clean, fee-free backtest with annual rebalancing.

Ready to backtest S&P 500

Pick a date range above (or use the last 10 years) and hit Run backtest.

About the S&P 500 strategy

A 100% S&P 500 allocation is the simplest equity portfolio there is: full exposure to the 500 largest US companies, and nothing else. It's the benchmark most other strategies are measured against.

This backtest uses SPY, rebalanced annually (which for a single holding simply means holding). With no bonds or diversifiers, it captures the full upside of US large-cap stocks — and their full drawdowns, including the deep declines of 2008 and 2020.

It suits investors with a long horizon and the tolerance to sit through large swings in exchange for maximum equity exposure.

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Frequently asked questions

Full exposure to the 500 largest US companies via a single index fund, with no bonds or other diversifiers.

For educational and informational purposes only. Backtests use split- and dividend-adjusted historical prices with annual rebalancing and no fees, taxes, or slippage; real-world results differ. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Awalyt does not provide investment advice.