S&P 500 YTD return 2026: +9.11%
The S&P 500 is up +9.11% year to date with dividends reinvested (total return through Jul 20, 2026), or +8.82% on price alone — dividends have added 0.30 points so far. SPY started the year at $681.92 and closed at $742.04. That makes 2026 the 14th best start in 33 years of data through this date.
- High of the year
- +11.7% · Jun 2, 2026
- Low of the year
- -7.1% · Mar 30, 2026
- Max drawdown YTD
- -8.9%
- All-time-high closes
- 24 days
Is this start normal? Every year's YTD through Jul 20
Best starts
| Year | YTD then | Finished |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +24.6% | +33.5% |
| 1998 | +22.9% | +28.7% |
| 1995 | +22.5% | +37.3% |
| 2019 | +20.0% | +31.2% |
| 2013 | +19.9% | +32.3% |
Worst starts
| Year | YTD then | Finished |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | -25.4% | -21.6% |
| 2022 | -16.3% | -18.2% |
| 2008 | -13.0% | -36.8% |
| 2001 | -7.0% | -11.8% |
| 1994 | -3.1% | -2.2% |
Years that looked like this one
The five closest starts to 2026's +9.1%, each traced through its full year — labels show how each finished. 2026's path so far is the bold line.
2007 (+9.3% then → finished +5.1%) · 2012 (+9.8% then → finished +15.4%) · 2014 (+8.0% then → finished +13.5%) · 2025 (+7.7% then → finished +17.7%) · 2016 (+7.6% then → finished +12.0%).
2026 month by month
Notes & related
Returns are computed from SPY (the S&P 500 ETF): total return uses dividend-adjusted closes, price return uses split-adjusted closes only. “YTD through the same date” compares each year at the identical month-day, so early-year rankings aren't skewed by full-year outcomes. Data updates after each market close.
Keep going: S&P 500 returns by year, monthly returns, average return, or what a $10,000 investment would have become.