What if you invested monthly in a clean-energy ETF (ICLN) for 10 years?
This looks at investing a fixed amount every month for 10 years into a theme ETF that spreads across solar, wind and other renewable-power companies. Because it is concentrated in one industry, the ups and downs of the trend swing the outcome sharply.
Investment conditions
Asset · Clean-energy ETF (ICLN)
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)
-49.9%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
4months
Months in loss: 12
Recovery period
27months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $26,889 → Final value $45,634 (+69.7%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -49.9%
Why this period and asset
ICLN is a theme ETF holding global renewable-energy names across solar, wind and hydrogen. From 2016, this 10-year window runs straight through the extreme boom and bust of the clean-energy theme. Around 2020-2021, low rates and green-policy expectations pulled in heavy inflows and prices surged, but 2022 brought rate hikes and a fading of the theme, sending it far below its peak. It is a textbook case of how wide the swings can be for a single-industry theme as enthusiasm rises and then cools.
Interpreting the result
Theme ETFs like clean energy are far more volatile than a broadly diversified index. This window included a very deep maximum drawdown and stretches of prolonged losses, so money that entered at peak enthusiasm may have waited a long time to recover. Monthly investing keeps buying at lower prices during declines, which lowers your average cost, but that effect has limits when the theme stays depressed for years. Betting your future on a single industry means recovery can be slow once the trend passes.
Caveats & limits
This result simplifies taxes, trading fees and currency effects, and past performance does not guarantee the future. Theme ETFs are concentrated in one industry, so when a trend cools their drawdowns and loss periods can be far larger than a broad index, and entering while overvalued can mean a long wait to recover. As a dollar asset, the outcome in won terms shifts with the USD/KRW exchange rate.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: 复权收盘价(已反映股息与拆股)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a clean-energy ETF so volatile?
It concentrates in a few growth industries like solar and wind, so it reacts sharply to policy, rates and theme enthusiasm. Its swings are wider than a broad index, and when the trend cools drawdowns can be deep and loss periods long.
Does monthly investing cushion a theme crash?
Monthly investing keeps buying at cheaper prices during declines, helping lower your average cost. But that has limits if the theme stays depressed for years, 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 USD/KRW moves are added on top and can change the final return.
Related scenarios
📋 结果基于历史数据计算,过去的收益不代表未来的收益。
📋 本服务旨在帮助理解投资、供教育之用,并非投资建议。