10th Anniversary of Stock Market Bottom in the Great Recession and Financial Crisis

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the stock market bottom of March 9, 2009.  From October 9, 2007 through March 9, 2009 (17 months), the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 55%, with the S&P 500 declining by a similar percentage. The Great Recession officially began in December, 2007 and ended in June, 2009.  Over the past 10 years, both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have quadrupled.

Although the S&P 500 (with dividends included) declined by 37.0% in 2008, it rose by 26.5% in 2009, 32.4% in 2013 and 21.8% in 2017.  This index rose in each year from 2009 through 2017, but declined by 4.4% in 2018.

Over the 54 year period of 1965-2018, the S&P 500 (with dividends included) rose in 80% of the years, while declining in the other 20%.  (The 54 years were comprised of 43 up years and only 11 down years for the S&P 500 with dividends included.)   During this time period, the S&P 500 (with dividends included) achieved a compounded annual gain of 9.7%.