What if you started investing in Samsung Electronics during the 2008 crisis?
You started investing 300,000 won every month in Samsung Electronics at the beginning of 2008, as the global financial crisis unfolded. See what that would have looked like with real data. As a case of monthly investing in a leading Korean stock through a crash, it also highlights single-stock risk and survivorship bias.
⚠️ This asset is an individual stock chosen as of today, so past returns can look better than they really were (survivorship bias).
Investment conditions
Asset · Samsung Electronics (005930.KS)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2008-01-01 ~ 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)
-42.5%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
8months
Months in loss: 9
Recovery period
8months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $49,556 → Final value $692,434 (+1297.3%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -42.5%
Why this period and asset
During the 2008 global financial crisis, Korea's market was hit hard as the KOSPI fell sharply that year, and Samsung Electronics was shaken too. This scenario starts investing in Samsung in early 2008, just before the decline accelerated, running through both the crash and a long later growth phase. Samsung grew as a leading company in semiconductors and smartphones during this period, but it is important to remember that a single stock's outcome depends heavily on that company's after-the-fact performance.
Interpreting the result
This scenario shows what happens when you invest in a single stock, not an index, from the start of a crash. Be sure to check the maximum drawdown, underwater period, and recovery time on the results screen. If you kept investing during the decline, purchases at low prices could have lowered your average cost. But a single stock's outcome came about because that company later grew, which is survivorship bias, that is, looking back knowing the result. Had you picked a different stock that struggled or was delisted in the same period, the result could have been entirely different. Comparing an index (diversified) scenario with a single-stock scenario helps build a balanced understanding.
Caveats & limits
A single stock carries more risk than an index, and looking only at the fact that one company later grew is survivorship bias. Had you chosen a stock that struggled or disappeared in the same period, the result could have differed greatly. Recovery and growth after a crash are not guaranteed, and the recovery time cannot be known in advance. As a domestic stock, exchange-rate impact is small, but trading costs, taxes (such as capital-gains tax), and dividend taxes flow into results. Past performance does not guarantee the future, and this page does not recommend buying any specific stock.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: Cierre ajustado (refleja dividendos y desdoblamientos de acciones)
- This asset is an individual stock chosen as of today, so past returns can look better than they really were (survivorship bias).
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Since Samsung grew, isn't single-stock investing advantageous?
Samsung is a leading stock that later grew, but that is survivorship bias, looking back knowing the result. Had you chosen another stock in the same period, it could have struggled or been delisted with large losses. A single stock carries more risk than an index, so it is important to compare with an index scenario.
What if you had stopped investing during the crash?
Stopping could have meant missing the chance to accumulate at low prices; conversely, if that stock later struggled, you might have avoided further losses. For a single stock, even whether it recovers is uncertain. Try comparing continued versus stopped under the same conditions.
If I invest during a crash, does a single stock recover too?
Samsung recovered and grew afterward, but not every stock does. An individual company may fail to recover due to worsening results or delisting. Check the underwater period and recovery time on the results screen, but be careful not to generalize from a single stock's outcome.
Related scenarios
📋 Los resultados se basan en datos históricos; las rentabilidades pasadas no garantizan rentabilidades futuras.
📋 Este servicio se ofrece con fines educativos para ayudarte a entender la inversión, no como asesoramiento de inversión.
⚠️ Calculado usando los activos representativos de hoy, que pueden diferir de la composición del mercado de aquel momento.