Here's How Much $1,000 Invested In The Dow Jones And S&P 500 When Queen Elizabeth II Took The Throne Is Worth Now

Zinger Key Points
  • Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch of the United Kingdom for 70 years.
  • In 1953 the S&P 500 Index was known as the Composite Index and contained 90 stocks.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 96th birthday in 2022 and also marked 70 years as the monarch of the United Kingdom, a milestone hit for the first time in the country. Here is a look at how much the major stock indexes in the United States have gone up while Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne.

What Happened: Queen Elizabeth II became the monarch of the United Kingdom in 1952 after the death of her father, King George IV. An official coronation took place on June 2, 1953, in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch of the country for 70 years, a feat that was celebrated with the Platinum Jubilee.

Throughout her time as the queen, Queen Elizabeth II has seen changes to the stock market and indexes around the world. When Queen Elizabeth II took the throne in 1953, the S&P 500 Index, which is now widely followed with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF SPY was still the Composite Index and contained 90 stocks versus the traditional 500.

In the United Kingdom, the widely used FTSE 100 Index wasn’t launched until 1984, replacing the FT30 Index, which was created in 1935.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, which tracks 30 top stocks in the U.S. was created in 1885.

Related Link: Elizabeth II Turns 96: Monarch Celebrates Birthday With No Public Appearance 

Stock Returns Since Throne Ascension: Data for the FT30 and successor FTSE 100 is not as readily accessible as the data for the Dow Jones Index and the S&P 500 Index (backtracked with the Composite Index). Here is a look at how the top two U.S. indexes have performed since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Dow Jones Index traded at $268.62 in June 1953. The index is now trading at $32,899.70 at the time of writing. This represents an increase of 12,164%.

The S&P 500 Index traded at $24.14 in June 1953. The index is now trading at $4,108.54 at the time of writing. This represents an increase of 16,920%.

Here’s a look at how much a $1,000 investment in each index would be worth today based on the time Queen Elizabeth II took the throne without dividends reinvested.

  • Dow Jones Index: $121,640
  • S&P 500: $169,200

Photo: Created with an image from Commonwealth Secretariat on Flickr

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