OriginaveMonthly returns
Follow a $10,000 investment through the year — your balance at the end of every month, in dollars and percent.
Ticker
QQQtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
Which strategy won in 2026 so far?
Same $10,000 into QQQ, two ways: everything on day one (lump sum), or $833 at the start of every month (dollar-cost averaging).
Lump sum ends with
$12,016
+20.16% · all in on day one
DCA ends with
$10,820
+16.40% on $5,000 paid in, plus $5,000 cash still waiting
Difference
+$1,196
Investing everything on day one won in 2026 so far.
Lump sum: $10,000 into QQQ on day one
You invest the whole $10,000 at the start of 2026. Follow your balance month after month — the last column shows how many days that month jumped or fell 1% or more. The current month is still running, so it is not shown yet.
| Month | Your balance | Change that month | Change in % | Big days (±1%+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $10,123 | +$123 | +1.23% | 4 |
| Feb | $9,886 | −$237 | -2.34% | 9 |
| Mar | $9,407 | −$478 | -4.84% | 12 |
| Apr | $10,883 | +$1,476 | +15.69% | 9 |
| May | $12,034 | +$1,150 | +10.57% | 7 |
| Jun | $12,016 | −$18 | -0.15% | 13 |
You invested
$10,000
all in on day one
You end with
$12,016
by the end of Jun 2026
Result
+$2,016
+20.16%
Dollar-cost averaging: $833 into QQQ every month
Instead of investing everything at once, you split the same $10,000 into 12 equal parts and invest $833 at the start of every month of 2026.
| Month | Paid in so far | Your balance | Change that month | Change in % | Big days (±1%+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $833 | $844 | +$10 | +1.23% | 4 |
| Feb | $1,667 | $1,638 | −$39 | -2.34% | 9 |
| Mar | $2,500 | $2,351 | −$120 | -4.84% | 12 |
| Apr | $3,333 | $3,684 | +$500 | +15.69% | 9 |
| May | $4,167 | $4,995 | +$477 | +10.57% | 7 |
| Jun | $5,000 | $5,820 | −$9 | -0.15% | 13 |
You paid in
$5,000
$833 × 6 months
You end with
$5,820
by the end of Jun 2026
Gain
+$820
+16.40% on the money paid in