What if you invested monthly in the Nasdaq 100 for 5 years?
Starting just before the 2021 peak, this plan meets the 2022 tech selloff head-on -- a window that makes short-term volatility very real.
Investment conditions
Asset · Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2021-07-01 ~ 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)
-20.2%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
15months
Months in loss: 16
Recovery period
2months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $13,556 → Final value $24,482 (+80.6%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -20.2%
Why this period and asset
July 2021 sat near record highs during the low-rate liquidity rally in tech. This plan soon hit the 2022 rate-hike period, when the Nasdaq 100 fell sharply from its peak. Growth stocks are rate-sensitive, so this decline ran deeper than the S&P 500's, before large tech led a rebound on the 2023-2024 AI boom.
Interpreting the result
Five years is just long enough (and hard enough) to feel tech's wide swings in full. This window held a deep 2022 maximum drawdown and a fairly long loss period, with an extended stretch of buying below cost. Dollar-cost averaging adds share count at low prices during such drops and captures more of the rebound, but the price is enduring the volatility in between. Note that the Nasdaq 100 swings more than the S&P 500.
Caveats & limits
A simplified calculation without taxes, fees, or currency effects. A growth index is volatile, so 5-year results can swing widely and depend heavily on the start date. As a dollar asset, returns in another currency depend on exchange rates.
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
Why was the decline deeper than the S&P 500's?
The Nasdaq 100 has a high weight of rate-sensitive growth and tech stocks, so it swung more in the 2022 rate-hike period -- and its rebound was correspondingly larger.
Does a 5-year plan reduce volatility?
Averaging spreads out buy timing and smooths your cost, but it cannot remove the index's own volatility. A maximum drawdown and loss period still appear.
Is this asset risky?
The Nasdaq 100 is tech-concentrated and swings more than most indices. Risk and return should be judged against your own circumstances.
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.