Over the 40 years
through year - end 2017,
global stock markets — as measured by the MSCI World index — returned an average 9.9 % a year, including so - called net
dividends, enough to turn $ 10,000 into almost $ 441,000.
Notes: U.S. stocks represented by Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index
through April 2005, MSCI US Broad Market Index
through June 2013 and CRSP US Total Market Index thereafter; emerging markets stocks are represented by MSCI Emerging Markets Index; REITs by FTSE NAREIT Equity REIT Index;
dividend stocks by Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index; commodities by S&P GSCI Commodity Index; high yield bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index; emerging markets bonds by Bloomberg Barclays EM USD Aggregate Index; investment - grade corporate bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Index; U.S. Treasury bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Bond Index; Hedge fund index by HFRI fund - weighted total return Index and international bonds by Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Bon
dividend stocks by Dow Jones U.S. Select
Dividend Index; commodities by S&P GSCI Commodity Index; high yield bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index; emerging markets bonds by Bloomberg Barclays EM USD Aggregate Index; investment - grade corporate bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Index; U.S. Treasury bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Bond Index; Hedge fund index by HFRI fund - weighted total return Index and international bonds by Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate ex-USD Bon
Dividend Index; commodities by S&P GSCI Commodity Index; high yield bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index; emerging markets bonds by Bloomberg Barclays EM USD Aggregate Index; investment - grade corporate bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Index; U.S. Treasury bonds by Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Bond Index; Hedge fund index by HFRI fund - weighted total return Index and international bonds by Bloomberg Barclays
Global Aggregate ex-USD Bond Index.