Do any ETFs beat the S&P 500?
MarketWatch spotlights
ETFs in Focus
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few dividend ETFs that have beaten the S&P 500 (up 24.2%) this year. The underlying S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Opportunities Index includes 100 tradable, exchange-listed common stocks from emerging market countries that offer high dividend yields.
Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research fund (ticker: PRCOX) is in this exclusive club, having bested—along with a team of about 30 research analysts—the S&P 500 index for the past five years on an annualized basis. U.S. Equity Research is a Morningstar five-star gold-medal fund.
Research: 89% of fund managers fail to beat the market
According to this report, 88.99% of large-cap US funds have underperformed the S&P500 index over ten years. As a whole, 78–97% of actively managed stock funds failed to beat the indexes they were benchmarked against over ten years.
MarketWatch spotlights VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT), consistently outperforming the S&P 500 by targeting companies with long-term competitive advantages or "economic moats."
S&P 500 Index Versus Nasdaq 100 Performance
Nasdaq 100 has outperformed S&P by a wide margin. The average 10-year return of Nasdaq 100 over these 15 years was around 9%, while that of S&P 500 was about 5%.
However, if you need comprehensive financial advice and guidance, a financial advisor could be worth the additional cost. In many cases, it's not a matter of choosing between the S&P 500 and a financial advisor, as a financial advisor may recommend investing in the S&P 500 as part of a broader investment strategy.
That's because your investment gives you access to the broad stock market. Meanwhile, if you only invest in S&P 500 ETFs, you won't beat the broad market. Rather, you can expect your portfolio's performance to be in line with that of the broad market.
We took a look at the best performing S&P 500 stocks over the past five years, with the top three performers being NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH), and Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH).
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK. A) commands the No. 1 position, with an impressive stock price of over half a million dollars.
How often do money managers beat the S&P 500?
Less than 10% of active large-cap fund managers have outperformed the S&P 500 over the last 15 years. The biggest drag on investment returns is unavoidable, but you can minimize it if you're smart. Here's what to look for when choosing a simple investment that can beat the Wall Street pros.
The Ultimate Buy and Hold Strategy is an extremely effective way to “beat the market” if you regard the S&P 500 as “the market.” Better still, it doesn't require trying to choose individual stocks, predict the future or time the inevitable ups and downs of the stock market.
The average investor may not have a very good chance of beating the market. Regular investors may be able to achieve better risk-adjusted returns by focusing on losing less. Consider using low-cost platforms, creating a portfolio with a purpose, and beware of headline risk.
Unlike a managed fund, an ETF does not aim to beat the index, but to match its performance, giving you potentially more predictable returns.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market.
UTI Nifty200 Momentum 30 Index Fund
Since its inception, it has consistently provided an average annual return of 19.74 percent. Investors seeking higher returns through a momentum-based approach with increased risk can consider this top index fund.
While 1.5% is on the higher end for financial advisor services, if that's what it takes to get the returns you want then it's not overpaying, so to speak. Staying around 1% for your fee may be standard but it certainly isn't the high end.
Those who use financial advisors typically get higher returns and more integrated planning, including tax management, retirement planning and estate planning. Self-investors, on the other hand, save on advisor fees and get the self-satisfaction of learning about investing and making their own decisions.
While indexes may be low cost and diversified, they prevent seizing opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, indexes do not provide protection from market corrections and crashes when an investor has a lot of exposure to stock index funds.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $5,971.20, or a gain of 497.12%, as of February 5, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 178.17% and gold's return of 55.50% over the same time frame.
How much would $1000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1980 be worth today?
In 1980, had you invested a mere $1,000 in what went on to become the top-performing stock of S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.63%), then you would be sitting on a cool $1.2 million today. That equates to a total return of 120,936%. The stock? None other than Gap (GPS 4.66%).
If the S&P 500 outperforms its historical average and generates, say, a 12% annual return, you would reach $1 million in 26 years by investing $500 a month.
Much of the returns in the broad market have come from the stocks known as the Magnificent Seven: Nvidia NVDA, Meta Platforms META, Apple AAPL, Amazon.com AMZN, Microsoft MSFT, Alphabet GOOGL/GOOG, and Tesla TSLA. Over the past year, the group has been responsible for 33% of the market's rally.
Certain billionaires made their fortunes in the stock market. The list includes John Paulson, Warren Buffett, James Simons, Ray Dalio, Carl Icahn, and Dan Loeb. Buffett is by far the richest person of these six famous investors, with a net worth of $116 billion.
Warren Buffett is widely considered the greatest investor in the world. Born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett began investing at a young age and became the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the world's largest and most successful investment firms.