Chart of the Day: S&P By Decade

Today's Chart of the Day from Charlie Bilello’s blog, "The Week in Charts," from June 24, 2026, examines the S&P 500's performance by decade, with returns dating back to the 1930s.

Half of the decades delivered annualized returns well above the market’s historical average of roughly 10%. Notably, only two decades produced negative annualized returns.

Despite encompassing some of the most challenging periods in market history (including the Great Depression in the 1930s and the combined effects of the dotcom bust and Global Financial Crisis in the 2000s) those negative decades resulted in only modest annualized losses.

While market downturns can feel significant in the moment, a decade provides ample time for compounding to work and for markets to recover from even severe drawdowns. It's easy to overestimate what can happen in a single year and underestimate what can be achieved over the course of 10.