The Bureau of Historic Losses · Counterfactual Division
What if you'd bought Block in 2016?
Square's November 2015 IPO priced at just $9 a share, below its range and below its last private valuation — a humbling debut. Its first full year was spent shaking off the 'down-round' stigma before Cash App changed the story.
$100 on 2016-01-04, worth today
US$572
As of 2026-06-12, $100 of Block bought at 2016's open (US$12.16) is worth US$572 — 5.72×.
total return · dividends reinvested · USD
How much would $100 of Block bought in 2016 be worth today?
| You'd have put in | You'd have now | Multiple |
|---|---|---|
| US$100 | US$572 | 5.72× |
| US$1,000 | US$5,717 | 5.72× |
| US$10,000 | US$57,171 | 5.72× |
Lump sum on the year's first trading day, total return (dividends reinvested, splits adjusted), valued at the latest close. Past performance isn't a promise — it's a taunt.
What did Block do in 2016?
Opened
US$12.16
2016-01-04
Peaked
US$15.48
2016-04-12
Bottomed
US$8.37
2016-02-08
Closed
US$13.63
2016-12-30
Levels are dividend-adjusted, so historical figures look lower than the headline price of the day — that's the total-return lens, and it's the honest one.
Would steady buying have beaten going all in?
US$54,600 deployed as $100 a week from 2016-01-04, under four temperaments — same money, different nerves.
| All in on day one | US$312,154 |
| Steady weekly buys | US$89,746 |
| Sold dips, rebought rallies | US$67,582 |
| Traded it perfectly | US$1.7M |
“Traded it perfectly” requires knowing the future. Nobody knew the future.
The same $1,000, elsewhere
$1,000 at 2016's open, each valued at the latest close. Hindsight remains undefeated.
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