What if you invested monthly in a lithium & battery ETF (LIT) for 10 years?
This looks at investing a fixed amount every month for 10 years into a theme ETF concentrated in lithium mining, battery materials and battery makers. It is a theme that swung dramatically with the electric-vehicle cycle.
Investment conditions
Asset · Lithium & battery ETF (LIT)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2016-07-01 ~ 2026-07-01
Amount · $222 / month
As of · 2026-07-01
Key metrics
These results do not reflect taxes. Based on historical data.
Risk & recovery
As important as returns. This service does not hide maximum drawdown or loss periods.
Maximum drawdown (MDD)
-53.7%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
8months
Months in loss: 16
Recovery period
15months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $26,889 → Final value $55,663 (+107.0%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -53.7%
Why this period and asset
LIT is a theme ETF holding global names in lithium mining, battery materials and EV-related manufacturing. From 2016 this 10-year window runs through the heat and chill of the EV cycle. Inflows surged in 2020-2021 on the EV boom and soaring lithium prices, then fell far from the peak after 2022 as rate hikes, slowing commodity and EV demand, and falling lithium prices piled up. It shows how violently a theme swings when a commodity cycle and an industry cycle overlap.
Interpreting the result
The lithium & battery theme is exposed to two cycles at once, EV demand and commodity prices, making it highly volatile. This window held a deep maximum drawdown and long loss periods, so money entering at peak enthusiasm may have waited a long time to recover. Monthly investing keeps buying at lower prices in the crash to lower your average cost, but that has limits when an industry cycle turns down for years. Being a growth industry is no excuse to treat entry timing and valuation lightly.
Caveats & limits
This result simplifies taxes, trading fees and currency effects, and past performance does not guarantee the future. Theme ETFs concentrate in one industry, and lithium & battery adds commodity and EV cycles on top, so drawdowns and loss periods can be far larger than a broad index. As a dollar asset, the won-based outcome shifts with USD/KRW.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: Adjusted close (reflects dividends and stock splits)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
EVs are the future, so why did it fall so hard?
Even a long-term growth industry rides cycles in demand growth and commodity prices. After the 2020-2021 overheating, falling lithium prices and slowing demand pushed it far below its peak. The growth story and short-term price are separate.
Can monthly investing weather a cycle downturn?
It helps by buying cheaper in declines to lower your average cost. But when an industry cycle turns down for years there are limits, so always check the maximum drawdown and recovery time.
Are taxes and currency included?
This simulation simplifies dividends, fees, taxes and currency. In reality, overseas-ETF taxes and currency moves are added and can change the final return.
Related scenarios
📋 Results are based on historical data; past returns do not guarantee future returns.
📋 This service is provided for educational purposes to help you understand investing, not as investment advice.