What if I had invested in the KOSPI
Every lump sum scenario for the KOSPI, start year by start year, using real prices and each month's exchange rate.
The KOSPI, a South Korean stock index, grew 5.9-fold in dollar terms between December 2003 and November 2026, an average of +8.0% a year. At 5,384 points, the price is 36.5% below the 8,476 points record set in June 2026. Whatever the month of purchase since December 2003, a lump sum would be in profit today 97% of the time.
Data: Yahoo Finance monthly closing prices, up to date as of (latest update November 5, 2026) MethodAuthor: Yann Avondo
If I had invested $1,000 as a lump sum in the KOSPI in January 2016, today I would have $2,396
Over the same period
Worst moment: −48.3% between June 2021 and September 2022. To get this result, you had to hold on without selling.
KOSPI (South Korea) at a glance
The KOSPI is the main index of the Seoul stock exchange. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix weigh heavily in it, so it closely tracks the global semiconductor cycle.
The ride was anything but smooth: between October 2007 and February 2009, the KOSPI lost 69.8% of its value in dollar terms, and it took until December 2017 to regain that peak, 10 years and 2 months later. Calendar year after calendar year, 13 of 22 ended higher; the best, 2025, returned +79.2%, the worst, 2008, cost 55.8%. Over the same period, the MSCI World (price index) returned +7.0% a year in dollar terms: the KOSPI did better.
$1,000 invested in the KOSPI, by start year
Bought in January, valued at the latest price. Click a year for the full story.
| Start | Worth today | Multiple | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,445 | ×2.45 | +59.4% | |
| $1,948 | ×1.95 | +25.7% | |
| $2,255 | ×2.25 | +23.1% | |
| $1,598 | ×1.6 | +10.0% | |
| $1,512 | ×1.51 | +7.2% | |
| $2,104 | ×2.1 | +11.4% | |
| $2,187 | ×2.19 | +10.4% | |
| $1,728 | ×1.73 | +6.3% | |
| $2,380 | ×2.38 | +9.1% | |
| $2,396 | ×2.4 | +8.3% | |
| $2,286 | ×2.29 | +7.2% | |
| $2,096 | ×2.1 | +5.9% | |
| $2,079 | ×2.08 | +5.4% | |
| $2,531 | ×2.53 | +6.4% | |
| $2,197 | ×2.2 | +5.1% | |
| $2,735 | ×2.74 | +6.1% | |
| $4,417 | ×4.42 | +8.6% | |
| $1,953 | ×1.95 | +3.6% | |
| $2,473 | ×2.47 | +4.7% | |
| $2,897 | ×2.9 | +5.2% | |
| $4,475 | ×4.47 | +7.1% | |
| $5,869 | ×5.87 | +8.0% |
Lump sum or DCA in the KOSPI?
Since January 2016, investing in the KOSPI all at once (lump sum) multiplied the stake by ×2.4, +8.3% a year. Investing every month (DCA) multiplied the total contributions by ×1.94, an annual return (IRR) of +11.6%.
Here DCA did better: spreading the purchases avoided putting all the money in at the wrong time.
Frequently asked questions
How much would $1,000 invested in the KOSPI 10 years ago be worth today?
$1,000 invested in the KOSPI in January 2016 would be worth about $2,396 today, an average annual return of +8.3% (price only, in the displayed currency).
What if I had invested $1,000 in the KOSPI in 2015?
Invested in January 2015, $1,000 would be worth about $2,286 today, +7.2% a year on average.
What if I had invested $1,000 in the KOSPI in 2020?
Invested in January 2020, $1,000 would be worth about $2,104 today, +11.4% a year on average.
What was the best year to invest in the KOSPI?
Among the start years covered, 2004 gave the best result: $1,000 would have become $5,869. The weakest was 2021, worth $1,512 today. This ranking is only known with hindsight.
Are dividends included?
By default, the calculation follows the market price only. The "Reinvest dividends" option uses the adjusted price, which includes dividends paid and stock splits: the closest measure of what an investor actually earned.
Are exchange rates taken into account?
Yes. The KOSPI trades in its own currency; every purchase and valuation is converted at that month's exchange rate. A US asset can gain in dollars and less in euros if the dollar weakened.
Are fees and taxes included?
No: results are before brokerage fees, fund fees and taxes. Your net result depends on the account you invest through.
Compare with
Before you have regrets
What this calculation does not tell you.
Hindsight bias
Picking Nvidia or Bitcoin today means picking known winners. Back then, nothing set them apart from hundreds of assets that went nowhere or vanished.
Holding on was the real test
The result assumes you never sold, including through the drawdowns shown above. Very few investors actually do.
The broad market, no bet required
The MSCI World never makes headlines, but it does not require guessing the winner. It is the fairest yardstick for any pick.
Method: past performance, computed from split-adjusted monthly closing prices (intra-month lows are smoothed out). Converted at each month’s exchange rate; no fees, no taxes. The MSCI World benchmark is the price index, excluding dividends. Sources: Yahoo Finance (prices, exchange rates, US Treasury bills), Eurostat (inflation), published regulated rates (Livret A). Not investment advice. NokxiHub.