How much money could I have now, if I had invested 1000 francs in the right stocks on February 28, 2002?
To find out, I took the 10 Swiss companies which performed best in the 2022 Swiss stock market study. I then calculated their performance between February 28, 2002, and March 21, 2023, accounting for capital gains and dividends.
Lastly, I calculated what the performance would look like when translated into Swiss francs, rounding centimes to the nearest franc.
The results show that if I had been lucky enough to invest in just the right Swiss stocks, I could have made a lot of money. Of course, there is no way I could have known in advance which stocks would perform the best. In all likelihood, by trying to bet on specific stocks, I would have ended up losing money compared to using a passive investment strategy.
This is what the 1000 francs I invested would be worth now in 2023, 21 years and 3 weeks later:
1. Swissquote Group Holding – 66,481 francs
The stock of this Swiss bank which specializes in online trading returned around 6548 percent in capital gains and dividends across my simulated investment term. A 1000-franc investment in Swissquote stock made on February 28, 2002, would have grown to 66,481 francs by March 21, 2022, bringing me a tidy profit of 65,481 francs.
2. Sika – 47,058 francs
Sika, which develops construction technologies and manufactures building components, yielded approximately 4606 percent in capital gains and dividends. If I had invested 1000 francs into Sika stock back in 2002, I would have 47,058 francs today, or 46,058 francs in combined returns.
3. Interroll Holding – 31,548 francs
Conveyor manufacturer Interroll Holding yielded about 3055 percent in total performance (dividends and capital gains) between early 2002 and early 2023. Stock purchased for 1000 francs on February 28, 2002, would have brought me 31,548 francs by March 21, 2023. My return would be 30,548 francs.
4. Belimo Holding – 20,116 francs
The combined performance for capital gains and dividends from stock in Belimo, a developer of energy-saving technologies, was 1912 percent. If I had bought 1000 francs of Belimo stock in 2002, I would have had 20,116 francs by March 21, 2023, earning a 19,116-franc profit.
5. Bossard Holding – 19,605 francs
This Swiss company which manufactures screws, bolts, and other fasteners, delivered cumulative share-price and dividend performance of 1861 percent over my investment term. An investment in shares bought for 1000 francs on February 28, 2002, would now be worth 19,605 francs on March 21, 2023. The return on my 1000-franc investment would be 18,605 francs.
6. Kühne + Nagel International – 18,301 francs
Stock in shipping company Kühne + Nagel International returned 1730 percent in capital gains and dividends over the past 21 years and three weeks. A 1000-franc investment in Kühne + Nagel International stock would have grown to 18,301 francs by the end of the term – a profit of 17,301 francs.
7. Geberit – 17,276 francs
Geberit is probably best-known for the bathroom components it produces. The Swiss company’s performance was 1628 percent between 2002 and now (accounting for dividends and capital gains). If I had bought shares for 1000 francs in 2002 and sold them on March 21, 2023, I would have a total of 17,276 francs to show for my investment. That’s a 16,276-franc markup on the 1000 francs I invested.
8. Vetropack Holding – 13,006 francs
Shares in Vetropack, which designs and manufactures glass containers, delivered performance of 1201 percent, accounting for the stock price increase plus dividends. That means stock worth 1000 francs in early 2002 would have grown to 13,006 francs today, bringing a 12,006-franc return on my investment.
9. Barry Callebaut – 13,263 francs
Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut also performed very well between 2002 and 2023, at 1226 percent performance (share price plus dividends). Barry Callebaut shares bought for 1000 francs at the start of the term would have brought me 13,263 francs by the end of it. My profit would be 12,263 francs.
10. Dätwyler Holding – 9965 francs
This Swiss rubber technologies company yielded 896 percent in dividends and capital gains. If I had bought 1000 francs of Dätwyler shares on February 28, 2002, I would have 9965 francs on March 21, 2023, making a return of 8965 francs.
Why stock picking still isn’t the way to go
Investing in specific stocks is risky. While the potential returns are much higher, the risk of loss is also much higher. You can get an idea of how much you could lose by picking the wrong stocks here.
For most investors, diversifying by investing in a broad range of stocks is a better move. The easiest way to do this is to invest in a low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) or index fund which, in turn, invests in all of the companies tracked by a stock market index. To date, the Swiss Performance Index (SPI) as a whole has never lost value over a full 21-year period (the same term I used for my simulation), as the historical return calculator shows.
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Swiss stock market study 2022
Historical return and interest calculator
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