Infographic | S&P 500 Index Return Pyramid: Nearly 75% of Years in History Recorded Positive Returns

Glonghui, January 29｜Since 1871, the S&P 500 Index has closed higher in nearly 75% of the years. On average, three out of every four years have achieved positive returns, with gains generally ranging between 10% and 20%. Only a very few years have seen returns exceeding 40% or losses greater than 20%. Heading into 2026, optimism on Wall Street is running high. Wall Street strategists have an average expected return of 12% for the S&P 500 Index in 2026, marking the fourth consecutive year of gains, which is extremely rare in history.