What was Ethereum's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2018?

Ethereum's CAGR from 2018 to September 2026 was 15.6% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Ethereum significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Ethereum compare to the S&P 500 since 2018?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2018 would be worth approximately $3,300.00 today. Ethereum outperformed the index by $247.47 — 1.07x the return of the S&P 500.

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

Sold today, the $2,547.47 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $3,165.35. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,941.17, 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 Ethereum since 2018?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2018, the real purchasing-power value of the Ethereum position is approximately $2,732.42 in 2018 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Ethereum perform in 2018?

Ethereum fell 83% during 2018, from $755.00 at the start of the year to $130.00 at the start of 2019.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Ethereum in 2018?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$3,547

+$2,547 profit3.55x15.6% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,300

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$3,165

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

$3,547.47

Total Profit

$2,547.47

Multiplier

3.55x

CAGR

15.6%

Max Drawdown

-87.5%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,732.42

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2018 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Ethereum	$3,547.47	3.55x
S&P 500	$3,300.00	3.30x
Gold	$3,234.15	3.23x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,189.06	1.19x

Back in 2018

In June 2018, a senior SEC official said current offers and sales of ether were not securities transactions, citing the Ethereum network's decentralized structure. sec.gov
In 2018, a gallon of gas averaged $2.72, a movie ticket averaged $9.11 and the new iPhone XS started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2018 itself, Ethereum fell 83%, #90 of the 94 investments we track. The best was The Trade Desk (+150%); the worst was Cardano (−94%). Full 2018 results →

$1,000 in Ethereum, year by year

Of the 94 investments we track that were available at the start of 2018, Ethereum ranks #36 by growth to today — just behind Merck and ahead of Cisco. See the full 2018 ranking →

Ethereum started 2018 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 9,141% in 2017. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2019, 2020 and 2021, and has been above it since the start of 2022. Its best January was 2022, at $4,878. Today it's 27% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 4 of the 8 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2022 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Feb 2018 ($1,129) to Jan 2019 ($141.31), a drop of 87%. At its lowest month-end, in Jan 2019, it was worth $141.31.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2018	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2019	$172	−83%	$956
Start of 2020	$172	+0.0%	$1,257
Start of 2021	$976	+467%	$1,489
Start of 2022	$4,878	+400%	$1,916
Start of 2023	$1,584	−68%	$1,569
Start of 2024	$3,115	+97%	$1,981
Start of 2025	$4,437	+42%	$2,477
Start of 2026	$3,930	−11%	$2,920
Today	$3,547	−9.7%	$3,300

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 2018, Ethereum was priced at $755.00. $1,000 would have bought about 1.32 ETH. Ethereum is a programmable blockchain launched in 2015. Its coin, ether (ETH), pays for running smart contracts and apps on the network.

Measured from one January to the next, Ethereum's best year since then was 2020 (+467%) and its worst was 2018 (−83%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2018 and the start of 2019, the position fell 83% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Ethereum at the start of 2018 would be worth approximately $3,547.47 today — a 3.55x return ($2,547.47 profit) over 8.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the January 1 opening price, from CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap and Yahoo Finance historical data. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance (CoinGecko as a backup) and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2018 (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 of2018 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.