The Bureau of Historic Losses · Counterfactual Division
What if you'd bought Netflix in 2020?
Netflix opened 2020 near $33 (split-adjusted) as the original streaming pioneer, then watched a locked-down planet binge its entire catalogue at once. The pandemic that froze the world handed subscription video its single greatest year — and a 2022 hangover its holders hadn't yet imagined.
$100 on 2020-01-02, worth today
US$244
As of 2026-06-12, $100 of Netflix bought at 2020's open (US$32.98) is worth US$244 — 2.44×.
total return · dividends reinvested · USD
How much would $100 of Netflix bought in 2020 be worth today?
| You'd have put in | You'd have now | Multiple |
|---|---|---|
| US$100 | US$244 | 2.44× |
| US$1,000 | US$2,436 | 2.44× |
| US$10,000 | US$24,359 | 2.44× |
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 Netflix do in 2020?
Opened
US$32.98
2020-01-02
Peaked
US$55.66
2020-09-01
Bottomed
US$29.88
2020-03-16
Closed
US$54.07
2020-12-31
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$33,700 deployed as $100 a week from 2020-01-02, under four temperaments — same money, different nerves.
| All in on day one | US$82,091 |
| Steady weekly buys | US$56,869 |
| Sold dips, rebought rallies | US$70,220 |
| Traded it perfectly | US$191,386 |
“Traded it perfectly” requires knowing the future. Nobody knew the future.
The same $1,000, elsewhere
$1,000 at 2020's open, each valued at the latest close. Hindsight remains undefeated.
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