Oh, what a difference a year makes. In March 2020, it seemed like the world was ending in the stock market. In response to the news of the spreading coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. stock market indices crashed with great ferocity. In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell into a bear market — defined as a drop of more than 20% — in just 20 trading days. This was almost twice as fast as the “Great Crash” of 1929, which took 36 trading days to reach the bear market level.
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Amid all of that carnage, some stocks took it much worse than others. Commodity, travel and retail stocks, such as cruise lines, mall-based stores and gold producers, all took it on the chin as demand for their products all but evaporated.
And then, something remarkable happened — the stock market took a complete 180-degree turn, rallying back sharply and making that bear market the shortest in history. Just 33 trading days later, the S&P 500 index was out of its bear market and on its way to a historical rebound. If you had bought in at market lows on March 20, 2020, you stood to make some impressive gains one year later.
To see what $1,000 invested at those market lows could have earned you, GOBankingRates took the prices of all S&P 500 index components as of March 20, 2020, and compared them with closing prices on March 9, 2021. Stocks with the biggest percentage moves are ranked below in reverse order, from the smallest gain to the largest. Some of these stocks, like the cruise lines and energy companies, bounced off panic lows, while others, like Etsy, actually benefited tremendously from the effects of the pandemic. Either way, the numbers are quite remarkable, and they certainly support the old Wall Street axiom that you should “buy low.” Continue reading to see how much you’d have if you’d bought in last March.
Last updated: March 16, 2021
