Investing Tool
Nasdaq, S&P, China A-shares, Taiwan, world and semiconductors — 21 broad / core indices on one common basis, compared for long-term return, risk and valuation, each with a representative ETF.
Levels through the common completed session of 15 Oct 2026; valuations dated separately
21 global broad indices at a glance (total-return CAGR, dividends reinvested; with a representative ETF)
| Instrument | ETF | Market | Since | TR CAGR | Price CAGR | Max DD | Recovery | PE | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasdaq-100NDX | QQQ | US | 1985 | 13.9% | 12.2% | -82.9% | 15y | 34.5 | — |
| S&P 500SPX | VOO | US | 1957 | 10.5% | 7.7% | -56.8% | 5y | 24.8 | 1.1% |
| Russell 1000RUI | IWB | US | 1986 | 11.3% | 9.2% | -53.0% | 4y | 24.5 | 1.1% |
| Russell 1000 GrowthRLG | IWF | US | 1986 | 11.0% | 9.7% | -68.0% | 15y | 31.0 | 0.5% |
| Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJIA | DIA | US | 1896 | 9.7% | 5.6% | -89.0% | 22y | 21.7 | 1.5% |
| FTSE 100UKX | ISF.L | UK | 1984 | 7.8% | 5.7% | -52.6% | 12y | — | 3.1% |
| Nikkei 225N225 | 1321.T | Japan | 1949 | — | 8.0% | -81.9% | 34y | 21.6 | 1.5% |
| KOSPIKS11 | EWY | South Korea | 1980 | 10.6% | 9.4% | -75.5% | 11y | — | — |
| Hang Seng IndexHSI | 2800.HK | Hong Kong | 1964 | 11.6% | 9.2% | -91.5% | 7y | 13.8 | 3.0% |
| Hang Seng TECHHSTECH | 3067.HK | Hong Kong | 2014 | — | 2.3% | -75.3% | Under water | 28.2 | 1.1% |
| CSI 300000300 | 510300.SS | China A-share | 2005 | 9.4% | 7.0% | -72.8% | 13y | 12.9 | — |
| CSI A500000510 | 512050.SS | China A-share | 2004 | 8.7% | 7.8% | -70.0% | 13y | 14.3 | — |
| SSE STAR 50000688 | 588000.SS | STAR Market | 2019 | 7.9% | 6.6% | -63.2% | 4y | 63.3 | — |
| Gold SpotXAUCommodity | GLD | Commodity | 1971 | — | 9.1% | -70.0% | 28y | — | — |
| Silver SpotXAGCommodity | SLV | Commodity | 1971 | — | 6.8% | -93.0% | 46y | — | — |
| US Total MarketVTI | VTI | US | 2001 | 9.5% | 7.8% | -55.5% | 4y | 26.9 | — |
| FTSE Global All CapVT | VT | Global | 2008 | 8.6% | 6.6% | -50.3% | 3y | 22.8 | — |
| MSCI US Info TechVGTSector | VGT | US | 2004 | 14.9% | 14.2% | -54.6% | 3y | 36.2 | — |
| TWSE Taiwan 500050 | 0050 | Taiwan | 2003 | 14.7% | 11.6% | -55.8% | 2y | 28.2 | 1.2% |
| PHLX Semiconductor (SOX)SOXSector | SOXQ | US | 1993 | — | 15.8% | -85.0% | 17y | 51.9 | — |
| TAIEXTAIEX | 006204 | Taiwan | 1966 | — | 10.9% | -80.4% | 31y | — | — |
Nasdaq-100 / US tech / semiconductors lead on long-term CAGR — but are the priciest and most concentrated.
China A-shares (CSI 300 / A500), UK FTSE and Hang Seng: low PE, high yield, best value.
Semiconductors, Hang Seng Tech, STAR 50 and silver swing hardest — the highest upside tests your discipline most.
No free lunch — high returns usually come with deep drawdowns
High return + shallow drawdown = best value: S&P 500, Russell 1000, VTI cluster here.
Nasdaq / tech / semis return the most, but fall the hardest — only yours if you can hold.
Deep drawdowns without the CAGR to show for it (silver, some EM) — the worst trade-off.
The bull/bear rhythm at a glance (total return %, green up / red down)
| Instrument \ Year | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasdaq-100 | +55 | +20 | +4 | +18 | +37 | +19 | +10 | +7 | +33 | 0 | +40 | +49 | +28 | -32 | +55 | +26 | +21 |
| S&P 500 | +27 | +15 | +2 | +16 | +32 | +14 | +1 | +12 | +22 | -4 | +32 | +18 | +29 | -18 | +26 | +25 | +18 |
| Russell 1000 | +28 | +16 | +1 | +17 | +33 | +13 | +1 | +12 | +22 | -5 | +31 | +21 | +26 | -19 | +26 | +25 | +17 |
| Russell 1000 Growth | +37 | +17 | +3 | +15 | +34 | +13 | +6 | +7 | +30 | -1 | +36 | +39 | +28 | -29 | +43 | +33 | +19 |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | +23 | +14 | +8 | +10 | +30 | +10 | 0 | +17 | +28 | -3 | +25 | +10 | +21 | -7 | +16 | +15 | +15 |
| FTSE 100 | +27 | +13 | -2 | +10 | +19 | +1 | -1 | +19 | +12 | -9 | +17 | -11 | +18 | +5 | +8 | +10 | +25 |
| Nikkei 225 | +19 | -3 | -17 | +23 | +57 | +7 | +9 | 0 | +19 | -12 | +18 | +16 | +5 | -9 | +28 | +19 | +26 |
| KOSPI | +50 | +22 | -11 | +9 | +1 | -5 | +2 | +3 | +22 | -17 | +8 | +31 | +4 | -25 | +19 | -10 | +76 |
| Hang Seng Index | +56 | +8 | -17 | +27 | +7 | +6 | -4 | +4 | +41 | -10 | +13 | 0 | -12 | -13 | -10 | +22 | +32 |
| Hang Seng TECH | -32 | -27 | -8 | +19 | +24 | ||||||||||||
| CSI 300 | +97 | -12 | -25 | +8 | -8 | +52 | +6 | -11 | +22 | -25 | +36 | +27 | -5 | -20 | -9 | +18 | +20 |
| CSI A500 | -9 | +18 | -25 | +36 | +31 | +1 | -23 | -7 | +15 | +25 | |||||||
| SSE STAR 50 | +39 | +1 | -31 | -11 | +16 | +36 | |||||||||||
| Gold Spot | +25 | +30 | +10 | +7 | -28 | -2 | -10 | +9 | +13 | -1 | +18 | +25 | -6 | 0 | +14 | +27 | +67 |
| Silver Spot | +49 | +83 | -10 | +9 | -36 | -19 | -12 | +15 | +6 | -9 | +15 | +48 | -13 | +3 | 0 | +22 | +149 |
| US Total Market | +29 | +17 | +1 | +16 | +34 | +13 | 0 | +13 | +21 | -5 | +31 | +21 | +26 | -19 | +26 | +24 | +17 |
| FTSE Global All Cap | +33 | +13 | -7 | +17 | +23 | +4 | -2 | +9 | +24 | -10 | +27 | +17 | +18 | -18 | +22 | +16 | +22 |
| MSCI US Info Tech | +62 | +13 | +1 | +14 | +31 | +18 | +5 | +14 | +37 | +3 | +49 | +46 | +31 | -30 | +53 | +29 | +22 |
| TWSE Taiwan 50 | +75 | +13 | -16 | +12 | +12 | +17 | -6 | +20 | +18 | -5 | +34 | +31 | +22 | -21 | +27 | +49 | +37 |
| PHLX Semiconductor (SOX) | +70 | +13 | -12 | +6 | +40 | +28 | -3 | +37 | +38 | -8 | +60 | +51 | +41 | -35 | +67 | +20 | +43 |
| TAIEX | +82 | +14 | -17 | +13 | +15 | +12 | -6 | +15 | +19 | -4 | +27 | +26 | +27 | -17 | +30 | +31 | +28 |
When US stocks soar, A-shares can slump and vice versa — cross-region diversification smooths any single market's boom-bust years.
Over time, most broad indices have far more up years than down — the very reason holding long pays off.
Valuation dates range from 30 Jun to 16 Oct 2026; see each note; missing values are blank
Buying cheap (low PE, high yield) is your margin of safety; expensive assets borrow from the future, and long-run returns usually get compressed.
How deep, how long — max drawdown and time to recover
Nasdaq once fell 83% and took 15 years to recover; Hang Seng Tech, STAR 50 and A-shares were all halved. Whether you refuse to sell at the darkest hour decides textbook gains vs. losses.
Each instrument, one line on what it is and whether it's worth it
| Instrument | Tag | One-line take |
|---|---|---|
| Nasdaq-100NDX | Growth King | Large non-financial growth stocks with substantial technology concentration and drawdown risk. |
| S&P 500SPX | Equity Benchmark | A capitalization-weighted US large-cap benchmark spanning sectors, with exposure to concentration in its largest companies. |
| Russell 1000RUI | Total Market | A broad US large- and mid-cap index with wider coverage than the S&P 500, while capitalization weighting retains large-company concentration. |
| Russell 1000 GrowthRLG | Pure Growth | The growth segment of the Russell 1000; growth expectations and technology concentration amplify valuation and cycle risks. |
| Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJIA | Blue-chip Veteran | A 130-year-old blue-chip aristocrat whose price-weighting is a statistical relic, but its 30 hand-picked cash cows survived the Great Depression — it rises less than the Nasdaq and falls more gently too. |
| FTSE 100UKX | Value & Yield | An index of large UK-listed companies across sectors; international revenues and sterling movements also affect returns. |
| Nikkei 225N225 | Longest Bear | Japan’s price-weighted blue-chip index; higher-priced stocks have greater influence and currency moves affect foreign-investor returns. |
| KOSPIKS11 | AI Leverage | Korea’s composite equity index has significant electronics and semiconductor exposure, alongside industry-cycle and currency risks. |
| Hang Seng IndexHSI | Flagship Blue-chip | Hong Kong’s flagship blue-chip index spans financials and technology; distinguish dividends from price returns and consider historical drawdowns. |
| Hang Seng TECHHSTECH | High-beta China Tech | Hong Kong's Nasdaq, but wilder — the regulatory crackdown smashed it from 10,000 to 2,700 (down 75%) and it still hasn't reclaimed its high; a high-beta tool for betting on a China-tech turnaround, not a ballast. |
| CSI 300000300 | China Blue Chips | A broad index of large Shanghai and Shenzhen stocks; distinguish price returns from dividend-inclusive total returns. |
| CSI A500000510 | Core Broad | An A-share benchmark emphasizing industry coverage; long-term history before launch includes backtests rather than live fund returns. |
| SSE STAR 50000688 | Hard Tech | A representative STAR Market technology index with concentrated sector exposure and valuation volatility; a high P/E does not ensure strong returns. |
| Gold SpotXAUCommodity | Safe Haven | A precious metal without cash flows, influenced by real rates, the dollar and demand; defensive use does not eliminate drawdowns. |
| Silver SpotXAGCommodity | High-Beta Metal | Combines industrial and precious-metal demand with substantial volatility; it pays no dividend and equity valuation ratios do not apply. |
| US Total MarketVTI | All US | Broad US large-, mid- and small-cap exposure, shown using VTI prices. The CRSP benchmark has been renamed Morningstar; capitalization concentration remains relevant. |
| FTSE Global All CapVT | All World | Global developed- and emerging-market equities, shown using VT prices; diversification still carries capitalization and currency risks. |
| MSCI US Info TechVGTSector | US Tech | US information technology exposure, shown using VGT prices; sector concentration differs from broad-market diversification. |
| TWSE Taiwan 500050 | Taiwan Blue Chips | Taiwan large-cap exposure, shown using 0050 prices and a split-adjusted historical base; semiconductor concentration matters. |
| PHLX Semiconductor (SOX)SOXSector | Compute Cycle | A semiconductor-sector index exposed to technology and capital-spending cycles, with concentrated holdings and a history of deep drawdowns. |
| TAIEXTAIEX | Taiwan Market | Taiwan’s broad listed-equity index; capitalization weighting gives large technology companies substantial influence. |
US stocks are strongest but dearest, A/UK/HK shares cheapest, Japan & Korea are AI-cycle high-beta, gold & silver are hedges. Know what each earns and what risk it carries, then allocate to your own risk tolerance.