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

XRP's CAGR from 2018 to September 2026 was -4.8% 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 XRP 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 $3,301.62 today. XRP underperformed the S&P 500 by $2,650.15.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in XRP since 2018?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2018, the real purchasing-power value of the XRP position is approximately $501.80 in 2018 dollars. After inflation, the investment has lost purchasing power compared with the original amount.

How did XRP perform in 2018?

XRP fell 84% during 2018, from $2.30 at the start of the year to $0.36 at the start of 2019.

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

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$651.48

−$348.52 loss0.65x-4.8% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,302

No tax on a loss. Selling can offset tax on other gains.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$651.48

Total Loss

−$348.52

Multiplier

0.65x

CAGR

-4.8%

Max Drawdown

-92.4%

Inflation-Adjusted

$501.80

Benchmark Comparison

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

Asset	Value Today	Return
XRP	$651.48	0.65x
S&P 500	$3,301.62	3.30x
Gold	$3,224.25	3.22x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,189.05	1.19x

Back in 2018

In October 2018, MoneyTap, a Japanese money transfer app built by SBI Holdings and Ripple, went live, letting users send funds using just a phone number. coindesk.com
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, XRP fell 84%, #91 of the 94 investments we track. The best was The Trade Desk (+150%); the worst was Cardano (−94%). Full 2018 results →

$1,000 in XRP, year by year

Of the 94 investments we track that were available at the start of 2018, XRP ranks #86 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Boeing and ahead of Nike. See the full 2018 ranking →

XRP started 2018 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 36,408% in 2017. It has been worth less than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2025, at $913.04. Today it's 29% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 4 of the 8 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 Jan 2018 ($1,000) to Mar 2020 ($76.27), a drop of 92%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2020, it was worth $76.27.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2018	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2019	$157	−84%	$956
Start of 2020	$82.61	−47%	$1,257
Start of 2021	$95.65	+16%	$1,489
Start of 2022	$361	+277%	$1,916
Start of 2023	$148	−59%	$1,569
Start of 2024	$270	+82%	$1,981
Start of 2025	$913	+239%	$2,477
Start of 2026	$800	−12%	$2,920
Today	$651	−19%	$3,302

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, XRP was priced at $2.30. $1,000 would have bought about 435 XRP. XRP is the native token of the XRP Ledger, launched in 2012 and closely associated with the payments company Ripple.

Measured from one January to the next, XRP's best year since then was 2021 (+277%) and its worst was 2018 (−84%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2018 and the start of 2020, the position fell 92% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in XRP at the start of 2018 would be worth approximately $651.48 today — a 0.65x return ($348.52 loss) 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.