The Bureau of Historic Losses · Counterfactual Division
What if you'd bought the All Ordinaries in 2008?
Australia's broadest index opened 2008 above 6,300, near its pre-crisis peak, then fell with the rest of the world as the GFC took hold. Every super balance in the country wears a scar from the year the All Ords nearly halved.
$100 on 2008-01-01, worth today
A$140
As of 2026-06-12, $100 of the All Ordinaries bought at 2008's open (A$6,434) is worth A$140 — 1.40×.
price return · index level · AUD
How much would $100 of the All Ordinaries bought in 2008 be worth today?
| You'd have put in | You'd have now | Multiple |
|---|---|---|
| A$100 | A$140 | 1.40× |
| A$1,000 | A$1,400 | 1.40× |
| A$10,000 | A$13,997 | 1.40× |
Lump sum on the year's first trading day, tracking the index level (price return, before dividends), valued at the latest close. Past performance isn't a promise — it's a taunt.
What did the All Ordinaries do in 2008?
Opened
A$6,434
2008-01-01
Peaked
A$6,434
2008-01-01
Bottomed
A$3,333
2008-11-19
Closed
A$3,659
2008-12-30
These are the index's own closing levels (price return). Real index funds also pay dividends, so a true total-return figure would be higher still.
Would steady buying have beaten going all in?
A$96,300 deployed as $100 a week from 2008-01-01, under four temperaments — same money, different nerves.
| All in on day one | A$134,795 |
| Steady weekly buys | A$151,136 |
| Sold dips, rebought rallies | A$150,845 |
| Traded it perfectly | A$164,336 |
“Traded it perfectly” requires knowing the future. Nobody knew the future.
The same $1,000, elsewhere
$1,000 at 2008's open, each valued at the latest close. Hindsight remains undefeated.
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