What was Alibaba's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2016?

Alibaba's CAGR from 2016 to September 2026 was 3.8% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. However, this came with substantially higher volatility and drawdown risk.

How does Alibaba compare to the S&P 500 since 2016?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2016 would be worth approximately $4,503.50 today. Alibaba underperformed the S&P 500 by $3,008.69.

How much of the Alibaba gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $494.80 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,420.58. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,377.04, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Alibaba since 2016?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2016, the real purchasing-power value of the Alibaba position is approximately $1,100.47 in 2016 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Alibaba perform in 2016?

Alibaba rose 16% during 2016, from $72.17 at the start of the year to $83.38 at the start of 2017.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Alibaba in 2016?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,495

+$494.80 profit1.49x3.8% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,503

Its shares paid about $14.55 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,421

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$1,494.80

Total Profit

$494.80

Multiplier

1.49x

CAGR

3.8%

Max Drawdown

-79.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,100.47

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2016 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Alibaba	$1,494.80	1.49x
S&P 500	$4,503.50	4.50x
Gold	$3,955.93	3.96x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,237.13	1.24x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 13.86 shares you'd own now paid about $14.55 in dividends (about $1.21 a month). That's 1.5% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,407; reinvested dividends added the other $88.04, 18% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2016

In April 2016, Alibaba invested about $1 billion in Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada, becoming its controlling shareholder. techcrunch.com
In 2016, a gallon of gas averaged $2.14, a movie ticket averaged $8.65 and the new iPhone 7 started at $649. eia.gov apple.com deadline.com
During 2016 itself, Alibaba rose 16%, #43 of the 85 investments we track. The best was Ethereum (+778%); the worst was Palo Alto Networks (−26%). Full 2016 results →

$1,000 in Alibaba, year by year

Of the 85 investments we track that were available at the start of 2016, Alibaba ranks #80 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Pfizer and ahead of Boeing. See the full 2016 ranking →

Alibaba started 2016 26% below its start-of-2015 high, after falling 26% in 2015. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2024, and has been above it since the start of 2025. Its best January was 2021, at $2,971. Today it's 50% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 6 of the 10 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2022 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Oct 2020 ($3,978) to Oct 2022 ($830.12), a drop of 79%. At its lowest month-end, in Oct 2022, it was worth $830.12.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2016	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2017	$1,155	+16%	$1,120
Start of 2018	$2,395	+107%	$1,364
Start of 2019	$1,782	−26%	$1,304
Start of 2020	$2,866	+61%	$1,715
Start of 2021	$2,971	+3.7%	$2,030
Start of 2022	$1,570	−47%	$2,613
Start of 2023	$1,199	−24%	$2,140
Start of 2024	$988	−18%	$2,702
Start of 2025	$1,147	+16%	$3,379
Start of 2026	$2,138	+86%	$3,983
Today	$1,495	−30%	$4,503

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2016, Alibaba was priced at $72.17 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 13.86 shares. Alibaba runs China's largest e-commerce platforms. Its US shares listed in September 2014.

Measured from one January to the next, Alibaba's best year since then was 2017 (+107%) and its worst was 2021 (−47%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2021 and the start of 2024, the position fell 67% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Alibaba at the start of 2016 would be worth approximately $1,494.80 today — a 1.49x return ($494.80 profit) over 10.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2016 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2016 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.