Return triangle
DAX returns & return triangle
If you invested in the DAX at the end of 2015 and sold at the end of 2025, you made 8.6% a year on average. €1,000 turned into €2,280 – in 10 years.
The DAX is a performance index: dividends are reinvested in the index level. These figures include dividends, but are before costs and taxes.
Return triangle: every buy and sell year
On the left is the year you start (buying at the start of the year, i.e. at the previous year's close). At the top is the year at whose end you sell. Each number is the average return per year in percent. Tap a cell for details.
Lump sum: start of 2016 to end of 2025 – 8.6% a year.
| Buy ↓ Sell → | 2026* | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 11.0 | 10.4 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 7.3 | 12.4 | 15.4 | 17.5 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 12.4 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 14.4 | 8.9 | 11.9 | 11.4 | 33.0 | 32.3 |
| 1989 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 6.7 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 5.7 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 14.2 | 13.7 | 10.1 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 11.1 | 3.7 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 33.7 | |
| 1990 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 3.8 | 9.3 | 12.4 | 14.6 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 7.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 6.1 | -4.7 | -5.8 | -21.9 | ||
| 1991 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 7.1 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 6.3 | 12.7 | 16.6 | 19.6 | 17.4 | 17.2 | 12.9 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 17.5 | 5.2 | 13.5 | |||
| 1992 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 6.8 | 10.7 | 10.0 | 9.2 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 12.6 | 16.9 | 20.4 | 17.9 | 17.8 | 12.8 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 19.6 | -2.5 | ||||
| 1993 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 11.7 | 11.0 | 10.2 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 14.4 | 19.6 | 24.1 | 21.7 | 22.4 | 17.0 | 13.7 | 16.8 | 46.6 | |||||
| 1994 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 7.5 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 10.9 | 16.2 | 20.7 | 17.3 | 17.0 | 8.5 | 0.1 | -7.0 | ||||||
| 1995 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 10.9 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 4.1 | 13.7 | 20.5 | 27.1 | 24.3 | 26.3 | 17.2 | 7.8 | |||||||
| 1996 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 3.6 | 14.7 | 23.3 | 32.5 | 30.3 | 36.7 | 27.4 | ||||||||
| 1997 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 9.8 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 22.3 | 34.2 | 31.8 | 46.7 | |||||||||
| 1998 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 6.7 | 5.1 | 3.1 | 0.1 | -1.1 | -7.3 | 5.1 | 15.1 | 28.3 | 18.5 | ||||||||||
| 1999 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | -0.4 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 1.1 | -2.7 | -4.6 | -12.8 | 1.0 | 13.4 | 39.0 | |||||||||||
| 2000 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | -1.4 | -0.1 | -1.5 | -4.0 | 1.9 | -0.8 | -4.1 | -9.4 | -13.1 | -25.4 | -13.9 | -7.5 | ||||||||||||
| 2001 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 1.4 | -0.8 | 0.7 | -0.9 | -3.6 | 3.3 | 0.4 | -3.4 | -9.8 | -14.9 | -32.9 | -19.8 | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1.8 | -1.0 | 7.7 | 5.0 | 1.2 | -6.2 | -12.3 | -43.9 | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 8.7 | 8.2 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 11.5 | 10.2 | 8.2 | 11.5 | 10.9 | 8.8 | 22.8 | 22.9 | 23.2 | 21.3 | 37.1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 19.4 | 18.5 | 16.8 | 7.3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 3.1 | 23.8 | 24.5 | 27.1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 2.4 | -3.8 | 22.1 | 22.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 2.4 | -2.2 | 1.2 | -3.3 | -14.6 | 22.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.9 | -1.2 | -7.5 | -5.0 | -14.1 | -40.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 9.3 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 8.2 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 12.2 | 12.6 | 14.7 | 12.2 | 7.0 | 19.9 | 23.8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 10.2 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 12.5 | 8.5 | -0.5 | 16.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 11.4 | 4.9 | -14.7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | 10.2 | 10.7 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 8.1 | 10.4 | 9.8 | 10.6 | 8.7 | 14.0 | 14.2 | 16.2 | 18.5 | 27.3 | 29.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 11.2 | 10.8 | 12.2 | 13.5 | 25.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 7.8 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 2.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | 8.3 | 8.7 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 7.1 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 9.6 | 8.2 | 9.6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 7.1 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 6.7 | 5.0 | 5.4 | -0.6 | 9.7 | 6.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 7.1 | 5.5 | 3.3 | 6.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | -4.1 | 12.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | -18.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 11.7 | 12.8 | 11.1 | 9.7 | 7.2 | 14.6 | 14.0 | 25.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 8.5 | 6.0 | 1.7 | 9.5 | 3.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 10.9 | 12.3 | 9.8 | 6.9 | 0.7 | 15.8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 9.9 | 11.4 | 7.8 | 2.7 | -12.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 16.6 | 20.7 | 19.6 | 20.3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 15.3 | 20.9 | 18.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 13.4 | 23.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2.3¹ |
Figures in percent per year. Savings plan: the same amount every month from January of the start year to December of the end year; the number is the internal rate of return (money-weighted return per year). * 2026: current year, latest price from Oct 2026. ¹ Under twelve months: return for the period, not annualised.
DAX returns: 10, 20 and 30 years
All periods end with the latest full year (2025). As the DAX is a performance index, dividends are included.
| Period | Lump sum p.a. | €1,000 became | Savings plan p.a. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years 2021–2025 | 12.3% | €1,785 | 15.6% |
| 10 years 2016–2025 | 8.6% | €2,280 | 11.2% |
| 20 years 2006–2025 | 7.8% | €4,528 | 9.0% |
| 30 years 1996–2025 | 8.3% | €10,833 | 7.8% |
| Since 2000 2000–2025 | 5.0% | €3,520 | 8.2% |
| Since 1990 1990–2025 | 7.6% | €13,773 | 8.0% |
€1,000 in the DAX since the end of 1987
€1,000 at the end of 1987 grew to €24,936 by Oct 2026.
Questions about the return triangle
- How do you read a return triangle?
- Find your start year on the left and your exit year at the top. Where they meet is the average return per year for exactly that holding period. The diagonal shows single calendar years; the further left you go, the longer the money was invested.
- Why does the savings plan return differ from the lump sum?
- In a savings plan only the first instalment is invested the whole time, the last one just a month. After a crash the instalments buy cheaply – then the plan often wins. In steadily rising markets the lump sum usually wins, because all the money works for longer.
- Does this tell me what the next years will bring?
- No. The triangle only shows what happened in the past. It does show how much the result depends on when you get in and out – and that long holding periods narrow the range considerably.
Keep calculating
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Historical monthly data (closing prices), before costs and taxes. Past returns are no forecast. Not investment advice.