Stock · Consumer staples
Coca-Cola real return vs inflation and money printing KO
The Coca-Cola Co. Soft drinks company selling its brands in more than 200 countries, known for paying a steadily rising dividend.
Key numbers
- 1-month change
- +2.0%
- Volatility (30-day, annualised)
- 14.2%
Coca-Cola real return after inflation and money printing
In dollars and pounds, before and after inflation, since Jan 1985.
+99.2%Coca-Cola after US inflation since 20104.2% a year
Up 209% in dollars since 2010. After US inflation, up 99.2%. Against money printing, up 12.6%.
In pounds, up 277%, or up 131% after UK inflation.
- $ nominal
- +209%6.9% a year
- £ nominal
- +277%8.2% a year
- Real $ (US CPI)
- +99.2%4.2% a year
- Real £ (UK CPI)
- +131%5.1% a year
- vs US M2
- +12.6%0.7% a year
- Measured from
- Dec 2009to Oct 2026, 16 years 10 months
- Coca-Cola, Real $ (US CPI)$88.05
- $ nominal$88.05
- 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 | +27.8% | +26.9% | –a (see note a) | +23.5% | +21.8% |
| 5 years from Oct 2021 | +56.2% 9.3% a year | +61.5% 10.1% a year | +29.0% 5.2% a year | +27.8% 5.0% a year | +41.6% 7.2% a year |
| Since 2020 from Dec 2019 | +59.1% 7.0% a year | +59.5% 7.1% a year | +22.0% 3.0% a year | +20.5% 2.8% a year | +4.6% 0.7% a year |
| 10 years from Oct 2016 | +108% 7.6% a year | +91.6% 6.7% a year | +49.9% 4.1% a year | +35.0% 3.1% a year | +16.8% 1.6% a year |
| Since 2010 from Dec 2009 | +209% 6.9% a year | +277% 8.2% a year | +99.2% 4.2% a year | +131% 5.1% a year | +12.6% 0.7% a year |
| Since 2000 from Dec 1999 | +202% 4.2% a year | +269% 5.0% a year | +51.9% 1.6% a year | +86.5% 2.4% a year | −39.9% −1.9% a year |
| Since Jan 1985 first month in our data | +6,944% 10.7% a year | +5,917% 10.3% a year | +2,118% 7.7% a year | +1,691% 7.2% a year | +604% 4.8% 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, Jan 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 Coca-Cola starts in Jan 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.
Coca-Cola price history, past year
Daily closes from Nasdaq. Last refreshed .
Where Coca-Cola stands today
52-week range
- Below the high
- 2.1%
- Above the low
- 34.8%
At $90.04, Coca-Cola is higher than 98% of its daily closes over the past year and only 2.1% short of the $91.99 high it set on 24 Aug 2026.
Moving averages
- 50-day$88.09 +2.2%
- 200-day$80.62 +11.7%
Price compared with each average. Bars to the right mean the price is above it.
Coca-Cola is 2.2% above its 50-day average and 11.7% 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
- Momentum55
- RSI score92
- 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.
Coca-Cola performance and biggest moves
Returns over time
| Period | KO | SPY | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week | +4.5% | -0.1% | +4.6 pts |
| 1 month | +2.0% | +1.9% | +0.1 pts |
| 3 months | +9.2% | +3.1% | +6.1 pts |
| Year to date | +28.8% | +14.2% | +14.6 pts |
| 1 year | +34.8% | +17.4% | +17.4 pts |
Coca-Cola is up 34.8% 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 17.4 percentage points. Dividends are not included, so the total return for holders would be a little higher.
Best and worst days in the past year
- Days that closed higher
- 51%
- Moves of 3% or more
- 6
The biggest one-day rise since 13 Oct 2025 came on 28 Jul 2026 (+5.0%) and the sharpest fall on 17 Jul 2026 (−4.0%). Of the 251 trading days in that period, 51% closed higher than the day before and 6 moved by 3% or more in one direction or the other.
Is Coca-Cola overbought, and how volatile is it?
RSI (14-day)
Firm- Sessions at 70+ (past year)
- 22
- Sessions at 30 or lower
- 0
At 63.2, Coca-Cola's RSI is in the upper half of the usual 30 to 70 band, so buyers have had the better of the past few weeks without the reading reaching the level we'd call stretched. Over the past year it has spent 22 sessions at 70 or above, most recently on 25 Aug 2026.
Volatility against other US shares
2nd calmest of 27- Typical daily move
- 0.9%
- Calmest in group
- BRK.B 10.8%
Coca-Cola's 30-day volatility is 14.2%, which works out at a move of roughly 0.9% on an ordinary day. That makes it the 2nd calmest of the 27 US shares we track, well below the group median of 23.3%. We use the same 30-day window for every asset so the ranking is like for like, though it shifts as big days drop out of the window.
Coca-Cola compared with similar assets
| Asset | Price | Today | 1 month | 1 year | RSI | Trend score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOCoca-Cola | $90.04 | -0.07% | +2.0% | +34.8% | 63 | 82 Uptrend |
| PGProcter & Gamble | $152.75 | -0.20% | +5.1% | +3.6% | 64 | 76 Uptrend |
| WMTWalmart | $111.89 | -0.34% | +4.4% | +9.6% | 60 | 57 Sideways |
| BRK.BBerkshire Hathaway | $520.59 | -0.02% | +2.0% | +5.8% | 67 | 82 Uptrend |
Over the past year Coca-Cola has done best in this group (+34.8%) and Procter & Gamble has been the weakest (+3.6%).
About Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has paid a dividend since 1920 and has raised it every year for more than 60 years. Much of the bottling is done by partner companies that buy concentrate from it.
- Ticker
- KO
- Type
- Stock
- Sector
- Consumer staples
- Priced in
- USD
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Coca-Cola: 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 Coca-Cola beaten inflation since 2010?
Yes. From the December 2009 close to October 2026, Coca-Cola went up 209% in dollars. US consumer prices rose 55.1% over the same months, which leaves a real gain of 99.2%, or 4.2% a year after inflation. A UK holder counting in pounds saw up 277%, which comes to up 131% once UK CPI is taken out. These are price returns: dividends are not included, so a holder who reinvested them did better.
How has Coca-Cola 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, Coca-Cola is up 12.6%.
What is Coca-Cola's real return over 10 years?
Over the 10 years to October 2026, Coca-Cola returned 108% in dollars (7.6% a year). After US inflation that is up 49.9%, 4.1% a year. In pounds after UK inflation it is up 35.0%.
What is the Coca-Cola share price today?
The last price we have for Coca-Cola is $90.04, down 0.1% on the day, as of 23:55 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 shares have moved +2.0% and over the last year +34.8%.
Is Coca-Cola stock overbought right now?
No, or at least not on the 14-day RSI, which reads 63.2 at the moment. We'd only start calling Coca-Cola overbought above 70 and it hasn't been there since 25 Aug 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 tilted towards buyers without getting extreme. Coca-Cola spent 22 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.
How far is Coca-Cola from its 52-week high?
Not far, about 2.1%. The highest close in the past year was $91.99 on 24 Aug 2026 and the lowest was $66.80 on 13 Oct 2025, which puts today's price 92% of the way up that range. We work this out from daily closing prices rather than the intraday highs and lows an exchange reports, so our high can be a little lower than the one you'll see quoted elsewhere.
Is Coca-Cola above its 200-day moving average?
It is, and comfortably. Coca-Cola's last price of $90.04 is 11.7% above its 200-day average of $80.62, and the 50-day average of $88.09 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 a share has been rising or falling over the longer run, even if it can't tell us where the price goes from here.
How volatile is Coca-Cola stock?
Over the past 30 days Coca-Cola's annualised volatility has been 14.2%. If that number feels abstract, it works out at roughly a 0.9% move on an ordinary day. It is the 2nd calmest of the 27 US shares we track and the median for the group is 23.3%, so at the moment it is calmer than most of them. The biggest single-day swings of the past year were +5.0% on 28 Jul 2026 and −4.0% on 17 Jul 2026.
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.
Coca-Cola: what the numbers say
Claude Haiku ·Coca-Cola shares rose 0.65% today to $90.38, with the US market open. The price sits 1.8% below its 52-week closing high of $91.99, set on 24 August, and 35.3% above the closing low of $66.80 recorded on 13 October 2025. Over the past year the shares have climbed 35.29%, and they trade above both the 50-day average near $88.10 and the 200-day average near $80.63.
Read the full summary Show less
The trend score of 83 carries an Uptrend label, supported by a trend component of 100 and a drawdown component of 96, while momentum scores lower at 57. The 14-day RSI reads 64.4, and 30-day volatility is 14.2% annualised. The shares have gained 2.36% over the past 30 days. Among related names, Berkshire Hathaway rose 0.75% today, Walmart edged up 0.1% and Procter & Gamble was flat at -0.02%.
Written by AI from this site's live data and checked figure by figure before publishing. Educational only, not financial advice.