Nasdaq-100 Recovery: A 26-Year Wait for $72,000

The Nasdaq-100 index peaked on March 27, 2000, at $117.75, marking the top of the dot-com bubble. The Invesco QQQ Trust fund, which tracks this index, fell by 83% to its low in October 2002. Despite a 15-year wait, investors who bought at the peak with dividends reinvested still saw their initial $10,000 stake grow to about $72,000 today.

This recovery was slower than expected and took over 16 years. The worst-timed purchase, however, turned out fine in the long run. The total return from the March 2000 close works out to about 7.8% annualized over 26.5 years.

Notably, Cisco Systems didn't close above its 2000 peak again until December 2025, and Intel's peak wasn't surpassed until this past April. The Nasdaq-100 index recovered faster than its biggest stocks due to the fund's design, which gives bigger weights to larger companies.