Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$521.61
−$478.39 loss0.52x-9.2% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,626
Its shares paid about $5.08 in dividends over the last 12 months.
No tax on a loss. Selling can offset tax on other gains.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$521.61
Total Loss
−$478.39
Multiplier
0.52x
CAGR
-9.2%
Max Drawdown
-79.1%
Inflation-Adjusted
$414.09
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2020 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Alibaba | $521.61 | 0.52x |
| S&P 500 | $2,626.14 | 2.63x |
| Gold | $2,769.41 | 2.77x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,142.91 | 1.14x |
Dividends
Over the last 12 months, the 4.84 shares you'd own now paid about $5.08 in dividends. That's 0.5% of the $1,000 put in.
Without reinvesting dividends, it would be worth $490.89 instead of $521.61.
Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.
Back in 2020
- In November 2020, the Shanghai stock exchange postponed the IPO of Alibaba affiliate Ant Group, which had been on track to be the world's largest. techcrunch.com
- In 2020, a gallon of gas averaged $2.17 and the new iPhone 12 Pro started at $999. eia.govapple.com
- During 2020 itself, Alibaba rose 3.7%, #85 of the 103 investments we track. The best was Tesla (+747%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−73%). Full 2020 results →
$1,000 in Alibaba, year by year
Of the 103 investments we track that were available at the start of 2020, Alibaba ranks #97 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Boeing and ahead of PayPal. See the full 2020 ranking →
Alibaba started 2020 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 61% in 2019. It's worth less than the $1,000 put in today; the last January it was above that was 2021. Its best January was 2021, at $1,037. Today it's 50% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 6 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Oct 2020 ($1,388) to Oct 2022 ($289.67), a drop of 79%. At its lowest month-end, in Oct 2022, it was worth $289.67.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2020 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2021 | $1,037 | +3.7% | $1,184 |
| Start of 2022 | $548 | −47% | $1,524 |
| Start of 2023 | $419 | −24% | $1,248 |
| Start of 2024 | $345 | −18% | $1,576 |
| Start of 2025 | $400 | +16% | $1,970 |
| Start of 2026 | $746 | +86% | $2,322 |
| Today | $522 | −30% | $2,626 |
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 2020, Alibaba was priced at $206.82 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 4.84 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 2025 (+86%) 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 2020 would be worth approximately $521.61 today — a 0.52x return ($478.39 loss) over 6.7 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 2020 (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 of2020 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.
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$1,000 in Alibaba, by year
$1,000 in Alibaba:1 year ago5 years ago10 years ago