Index · Equity index
Nasdaq-100 real return vs inflation and money printing NDX
Nasdaq-100. The 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, dominated by US technology.
Key numbers
- 1-month change
- +4.1%
- Volatility (30-day, annualised)
- 14.7%
Nasdaq-100 real return after inflation and money printing
In dollars and pounds, before and after inflation, since Oct 1985.
+970%Nasdaq-100 after US inflation since 201015.1% a year
Up 1,560% in dollars since 2010. After US inflation, up 970%. Against money printing, up 505%.
In pounds, up 1,928%, or up 1,143% after UK inflation.
- $ nominal
- +1,560%18.2% a year
- £ nominal
- +1,928%19.6% a year
- Real $ (US CPI)
- +970%15.1% a year
- Real £ (UK CPI)
- +1,143%16.1% a year
- vs US M2
- +505%11.3% a year
- Measured from
- Dec 2009to Oct 2026, 16 years 10 months
- Nasdaq-100, Real $ (US CPI)30,880
- $ nominal30,880
- Oct 2026, latest
Loading the chart. Every figure is also in the table below.
| Period | $ nominal | £ nominal | Real $ (US CPI) | Real £ (UK CPI) | vs US M2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past year from Oct 2025 | +19.4% | +18.6% | –a (see note a) | +15.5% | +13.8% |
| 5 years from Oct 2021 | +94.8% 14.3% a year | +101% 15.0% a year | +60.9% 10.0% a year | +59.4% 9.8% a year | +76.7% 12.1% a year |
| Since 2020 from Dec 2019 | +254% 20.3% a year | +255% 20.3% a year | +171% 15.7% a year | +168% 15.5% a year | +133% 13.1% a year |
| 10 years from Oct 2016 | +543% 20.5% a year | +494% 19.5% a year | +364% 16.6% a year | +318% 15.4% a year | +262% 13.7% a year |
| Since 2010 from Dec 2009 | +1,560% 18.2% a year | +1,928% 19.6% a year | +970% 15.1% a year | +1,143% 16.1% a year | +505% 11.3% a year |
| Since 2000 from Dec 1999 | +733% 8.2% a year | +916% 9.0% a year | +318% 5.5% a year | +414% 6.3% a year | +65.5% 1.9% a year |
| Since Oct 1985 first month in our data | +26,643% 14.6% a year | +29,010% 14.8% a year | +8,578% 11.5% a year | +8,979% 11.6% a year | +2,727% 8.5% a year |
- a US CPI was not published for Oct 2025.
How these figures are worked out
Sources, inflation measures and what is left out
- Month-end closes from Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Oct 1985 to Oct 2026. Oct 2026 is still in progress, so its figure is the latest close rather than a month-end. Our history for Nasdaq-100 starts in Oct 1985, so longer windows are left out.
- Real figures divide by US CPI (BLS, via FRED) or UK CPI (ONS, joined to the ONS long-run RPI before Jan 1988) and are stated in Oct 2026 money. The M2 lens divides by the US M2 money supply (Federal Reserve, via FRED). Pounds convert at each month's GBP/USD rate.
- US CPI is published with a lag: Oct 2026 uses the Aug 2026 figure.
- UK CPI is published with a lag: Oct 2026 uses the Aug 2026 figure.
- US M2 is published with a lag: Oct 2026 uses the Aug 2026 figure.
- Price returns only: dividends are not included, so the total return to a holder who reinvested them was higher.
- A return of 12 months or more also shows its yearly rate. Gaps in a source are left as gaps and never filled in.
Nasdaq-100 price history, past year
Daily closes from Nasdaq. Last refreshed .
Where Nasdaq-100 stands today
52-week range
- Below the high
- 2.1%
- Above the low
- 33.2%
At 30,569, the Nasdaq-100 is higher than 96% of its daily closes over the past year and only 2.1% short of the 31,225 high it set on 6 Oct 2026.
Moving averages
- 50-day29,858 +2.4%
- 200-day27,676 +10.5%
Price compared with each average. Bars to the right mean the price is above it.
The Nasdaq-100 is 2.4% above its 50-day average and 10.5% above its 200-day average, so on both the shorter and the longer view the trend we measure is still pointing up. The 50-day line has stayed above the 200-day on every day since 24 Jun 2026, as far back as our data lets us check.
Trend score
- Trend100
- Momentum79
- RSI score87
- Drawdown96
- Uptrend
- 65 or more
- Sideways
- 36 to 64
- Downtrend
- 35 or less
Rules-based, from 277 daily prices. It describes the trend so far and does not predict the next move. How it works.
Nasdaq-100 performance and biggest moves
Returns over time
| Period | NDX | SPY | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week | -2.1% | -0.1% | −2.0 pts |
| 1 month | +4.1% | +1.9% | +2.2 pts |
| 3 months | +3.6% | +3.1% | +0.5 pts |
| Year to date | +21.1% | +14.2% | +6.9 pts |
| 1 year | +23.5% | +17.4% | +6.1 pts |
The Nasdaq-100 is up 23.5% over the past year on price alone, against +17.4% for the S&P 500 (through the SPY fund), so it has beaten that comparison by 6.1 percentage points.
Best and worst days in the past year
- Days that closed higher
- 55%
- Moves of 2% or more
- 24
The biggest one-day rise since 13 Oct 2025 came on 31 Mar 2026 (+3.4%) and the sharpest fall on 5 Jun 2026 (−4.8%). Of the 251 trading days in that period, 55% closed higher than the day before and 24 moved by 2% or more in one direction or the other.
Is Nasdaq-100 overbought, and how volatile is it?
RSI (14-day)
Neutral- Sessions at 70+ (past year)
- 34
- Sessions at 30 or lower
- 1
The Nasdaq-100's RSI of 54.7 is near the middle of the scale, which tells us the up and down days of the last three weeks have more or less cancelled each other out. For context, it last went above 70 on 4 Jun 2026 and last fell below 30 on 30 Mar 2026.
Volatility against other funds and indices
3rd most volatile of 6- Typical daily move
- 0.9%
- Calmest in group
- TLT 9.7%
The Nasdaq-100's 30-day volatility is 14.7%, which works out at a move of roughly 0.9% on an ordinary day. That makes it the 3rd most volatile of the 6 funds and indices we track, close to the group median of 14.6%.
Nasdaq-100 compared with similar assets
| Asset | Price | Today | 1 month | 1 year | RSI | Trend score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDXNasdaq-100 | 30,569 | -0.31% | +4.1% | +23.5% | 55 | 90 Uptrend |
| QQQNasdaq-100 ETF | $744.30 | +0.10% | +4.1% | +23.6% | 55 | 90 Uptrend |
| NVDANVIDIA | $229.24 | +0.32% | +5.0% | +21.7% | 53 | 89 Uptrend |
| MSFTMicrosoft | $543.00 | -0.08% | +9.6% | +5.6% | 71 | 89 Uptrend |
| AAPLApple | $341.10 | -0.05% | +2.7% | +37.7% | 60 | 86 Uptrend |
Over the past year Apple has done best in this group (+37.7%) and Microsoft has been the weakest (+5.6%). The Nasdaq-100 comes 3rd of 5, 14.2 percentage points behind Apple.
About the Nasdaq-100
Nasdaq launched the index in 1985. Members are weighted by market value, so a handful of the largest technology companies carry a big share of every move, and banks and other financial companies are left out by design.
- Ticker
- NDX
- Type
- Index
- Sector
- Equity index
- Priced in
- USD
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Nasdaq-100: questions people ask
Answers are built from the same live figures shown above, so they change as the price does. Last checked 14 Oct 2026.
Has the Nasdaq-100 beaten inflation since 2010?
Yes. From the December 2009 close to October 2026, the Nasdaq-100 went up 1,560% in dollars. US consumer prices rose 55.1% over the same months, which leaves a real gain of 970%, or 15.1% a year after inflation. A UK holder counting in pounds saw up 1,928%, which comes to up 1,143% once UK CPI is taken out. These are price returns: dividends are not included, so a holder who reinvested them did better.
How has the Nasdaq-100 done against money printing?
The US M2 money supply grew 174% since 2010. M2 counts the cash, current accounts and savings deposits held in the US, so it measures how much new money was created rather than how much shop prices rose. Against it, the Nasdaq-100 is up 505%.
What is the Nasdaq-100's real return over 10 years?
Over the 10 years to October 2026, the Nasdaq-100 returned 543% in dollars (20.5% a year). After US inflation that is up 364%, 16.6% a year. In pounds after UK inflation it is up 318%.
What is the Nasdaq-100 at today?
The last price we have for the Nasdaq-100 is 30,569, down 0.3% on the day, as of 21:00 BST on 13 Oct 2026. We get US prices from Nasdaq and during trading hours they can be up to 15 minutes behind, so if you are about to trade you'll want the live quote from your broker rather than ours. Over the last month the index has moved +4.1% and over the last year +23.5%. You can't buy an index directly, which is why most people follow it through a tracker fund such as QQQ.
What is the Nasdaq-100?
The 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange, dominated by US technology. Nasdaq launched the index in 1985. Members are weighted by market value, so a handful of the largest technology companies carry a big share of every move, and banks and other financial companies are left out by design.
How has the Nasdaq-100 performed over the past year?
Over the past 12 months the Nasdaq-100 is up 23.5%, and since the start of the year it is up 21.1%. We put it next to the S&P 500 (through the SPY fund) because that is the obvious alternative for most people weighing up the Nasdaq-100, and it moved +17.4% over the same 12 months, a gap of 6.1 points in the Nasdaq-100's favour. These are index levels, so they leave out the dividends a fund tracking the index would pay.
Is the Nasdaq-100 overbought?
No, or at least not on the 14-day RSI, which reads 54.7 at the moment. We'd only start calling the Nasdaq-100 overbought above 70 and it hasn't been there since 4 Jun 2026, while the last time it went the other way and dropped below 30 was 30 Mar 2026. RSI looks back over 14 sessions and asks how much of the movement was up and how much was down, so a reading in the 50s or 60s mostly tells us the past few weeks have been fairly even. The Nasdaq-100 spent 34 sessions at 70 or above in the past year, which is one reason we don't treat a high reading as a cue to sell: in a strong run it can stay there for weeks.
Is the Nasdaq-100 above its 200-day moving average?
It is, and comfortably. The Nasdaq-100's last price of 30,569 is 10.5% above its 200-day average of 27,676, and the 50-day average of 29,858 is above the 200-day as well, which has been true on every day since 24 Jun 2026, as far back as our data goes. We show the 200-day line because it averages about ten months of closing prices, so a single bad week hardly moves it, and when we look at a chart it's the quickest way to see whether an index has been rising or falling over the longer run, even if it can't tell us where the price goes from here.
Important information
Capital at risk. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Educational information only, not financial advice. Read our disclaimer.
Nasdaq-100: what the numbers say
Claude Haiku ·The Nasdaq-100 slipped 0.5% to 30,512 today, with the US market open. The index sits 2.3% below its 52-week closing high of 31,225, set on 6 October, and 32.9% above its closing low of 22,953, recorded on 30 March. It remains above both its 50-day average of 29,857 and its 200-day average of 27,675.
Read the full summary Show less
The trend score stands at 89, labelled Uptrend, with the trend component at 100 and momentum at 78. The 14-day RSI is 53.6, comfortably mid-range, while the 30-day annualised volatility is 14.8%. Over the past 30 days the index has gained 3.89%, and over the past year it has risen 23.28%. Among the related names, Microsoft added 0.83% today, NVIDIA rose 0.45% and Apple gained 0.37%, while the Nasdaq-100 ETF tracked the index lower.
Written by AI from this site's live data and checked figure by figure before publishing. Educational only, not financial advice.